Stepdown Rear End Ratios

[Deleted User]

Do you think a 3.58 would be too low a ratio for a 308, non Twin H Hornet with 3 speed & OD?

It was an option in '51 for 3-speed Hornets, but not for cars with overdrive.



I appreciate you thoughts,

J. Cronk

464Saloon

I have been looking into this as my 54 has the 3spd/OD with a 4.56 rear. It is so low that I just leave it in the OD mode all the time. If I don't,I end up shifting from 1st at about 10,from 2nd at 20 and by 40 I am switching into over. Keep in mind that the OD gives you a .7 reduction. That means your 3.58 in OD would give you a 2.50 final. That's pretty tall for anything but a diesel. I believe Hudson went to the spicer rear end in 52 so you can get pretty much any gear ratio you want. For a stock motor I wouldn't go much taller than a 4.10. That would be a 2.87 final in OD. I am thinking around a 3.73 or so for mine, as I am building a new motor for it and it will be considerably stronger than stock. Even for it I would think a 3.58 with OD would be a bit much IMHO

Unknown

GO FOR IT JON, WORKS FINE, I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CARS WITH THIS SET UP GOT 32.15 MPG IN THE LAUGHLIN ECONOMY RUN TWO YEARS IN A ROW WITH THIS REAR END AND A HORNET SDTICK od

Park_W

It depends somewhat on what kind of terrain you're going to be driving in. I ran the 3.58 and OD in my '51 Hornet for a while, and it just lugged too much on the hills, even at interstate speeds. I didn't want to go all the way back to the 4.10, so put a Spicer (Dana 44) under it and installed 3.73 gears. The difference from the 3.58 was surprising considering the small difference, but it was just enough to get the torque and HP up so it would take the hills. As mentioned in related threads, Reider Racing (www.reiderracing.com) is a good source ... good technical knowledge, good pricing, and genuine Dana gears, not cheap aftermarkets. One other suggestion for running this kind of ratio ... if the kickdown switch is under the gas pedal, move it over somewhere near the dimmer switch, so you can kick it down whenever you want, without floorboarding the throttle. I hated to do that (floorboard it) when it was already lugging, and this eliminated that issue completely.

SuperDave

I have a 3:58 in a 49 four door with a 262. Hornet Twin H, OD, Pertronics electronic ignition, 54 distributor, 12 volts, cruise control, Coker Classic radials and air conditioning. I would never change it unless I moved to the hills. Works absolutely wonderful here in Florida. I do have a 12% error in my speedo that needs correcting.

Unknown

Jon, I have a 3.55 ratio in our '40 2dr sedan. It works great. These hornets are torque monsters. I live in the high desert and work in Fontana. I run up over Cajon Pass in overdrive at 70+ mph on a daily basis. Put tha 358 in there. You won't be sorry.

[Deleted User]

Thanks everybody. Given the terrain along the coast, I'lll probably go ahead. I particularly like the idea of relocating the kickdown switch....Bill - as you may have deduced, that new Hornet has a killer rear-end leak, so since I gotta make that repair and I picked up the 3.58 from Stu a few years ago, looks like the old Super 6 is going to be winding high for a while longer. I will be checking out the Reider Racing site for sourcing, in case the 3.58 flunks during disassembly. Thanks again to all for your thoughtfull responses. Go forum!

JC