DADS53 I really hate to play the Devil's Advocate but setting up a 1352-145 (.72 OD) with a 3.08 diff isn't going to work. That's the identical combo I was told would work with my 235, and despite my gut feeling that the info was BAD......I picked up an IROC Z 3.08 posi/disc which I modified and installed and it worked great...... as a 4 speed, but you couldn't get it to pull in 5th gear until you were at nearly 70 mph. I finally went with a 3.42 88 Camaro diff which is better: cruise at 70 mph is now at 2000 rpms and you can drop down to 45-50 and accelerate back up without a downshift. The 235 makes good torque down at the 1500-2000 rpm range but you'll get better engine efficiency/performance if you're geared to normally cruise at 2100-2300 rpms. That would calculate to running a 3.73 R&P. I've gone over a lot of the install info in my Webshots "Shoebox" and "Tips and Tricks" albums. Try plugging your numbers into this rpm calculator and remember that 2000-2300 is going to be optimal and you'll still have plenty of throttle left if you need it!!!!
http://csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html Granted the 3.08 will work okay with the .86 t5 from behind the 4 cylinders, but the 4.03 1st gear makes it about worthless. Having to short-shift out of 1st gear in the first 20 feet just doesn't cut it unless you're pulling a trailer.
BTW....I've got close to 15,000 miles on my 54 truck.....it has performed flawlessly and I would not hesitate to drive it across the country without a concern. Getting good information is critical to a successful build. Part of using the internet as a resource is being able to trust the information that is offered and to be able to distinguish between that info that is seriously flawed.
Dave
