Not quite finished yet...
RED65STEPSIDE, you must install a Richmond close ratio 5 speed, final drive is 1:1 not an overdrive. Couple this through a stout clutch to a 5 to 7 pound lightened _steel_ flywheel, you will transfer a good 40 more horsepower to your rear wheels. This is a cool trick to nurse more horsepower out to your drive tires. This makes a big difference and makes you competitive with higher horse cars. Efficiency is the real trick, not raw horsepower.
There is little difference between the final installation cost of a built TH700_R4 and a Richmond 5 speed. There is a significant weight difference: TH700_R4 about 250 pounds, Richmond, 95 pounds.
I did some number crunching for you. This is a screen capture image displaying gear ratio, speed per gear and top speed for a TH700-R4 versus a Richmond close ratio 5 speed. Our 1957 Chevy hot rod has the TH700-R4 with a 4.11 rearend. Our old Corvette has the Richmond with a 3.70 rearend. Looking at the "Final Ratio" section, you can see why a TH700-R4 will always lose to a manual close ratio 5 speed with all else equal. A manual 5 speed keeps rpm in a tight range and provides much more "pulling" power through out the gear ranges.
Ratio Image Fairly equal off the line but a TH700-R4 will "lug" down when it hits 3rd gear and really lugs down when it hits 4th gear; might as well be stepping on the brakes.
There is no comparison between a TH700-R4 and a Richmond 5 speed. The Richmond trans car will blow the doors off the TH700-R4 car around an eighth mile and continue to pull away through the rest of the quarter mile strip.
Again, efficiency is the real trick, not raw horsepower. You can build yourself a 250 horse 283 engine which will be nothing but grins and giggles for you, if you focus on efficiency rather than horsepower. A mild but peppy 283 won't cost you ten dollars to start, either.
Have fun!
Billyray
