The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk ?What engine, transmition,rearend?

More questions for Advance Design truck plans. Does anyone have suggestions for this truck? I would like to build a truck for just cruising not hot rodding or racing. Have considered 350 crate engine or used camaro or corvette engine. What kind of transmission would be good? What kind of rearend and gear ratio's would be adequate?

As was pointed out in the responses to your previous post, it's really up to you to decide what setup you want. There are a myriad of factors to consider from stock to full-blown modified. Personally, I prefer something that visually reflects the original look, with upgrades that make it safe to drive on the modern highway. I would highly suggest you check out the gallery pictures, zero in on a vehicle that actually exists, appeals to your eye, and start your research from there.

I wanted a cruiser that was unique, fits my needs and was most importantly, safe on the highway. I stayed with the later model 235, T5 w/.72 overdrive, 3.42 Camaro diff and a 29" tall rear tire. This combo gives me a cruise speed of 65-70 mph at 2000-2200 rpm. Very easy on the 4 main bearing engine. My goal is 20 mpg!

In all honesty, it would have been easier and cheaper to drop in a SBC w/auto, but I was/am willing to work through the shortcomings of the "stockish" powerplant.

Once again, I'd highly recommend screening the galleries and photos to find the look, then do your homework to determine which setup will work best for you. I hope this helps you with one option, and gets you started on your search for "the perfect truck" (your own).

Dave

Also a lot depends on how much you can do yourself. If you have to have most of the work done at shops youd better have deep pockets. With a 6 cyl you will want gear ratios around 3.55 with straight thru trans. or 3.55-3.90 with o-drive. With a 350 v-8 you can use 3.08 or 3.08-3.55 with o-drive.

In my 55 I am running a 350 V/8,with a 700R4 auto tranny behind it,I have kept the original 3:90 stock rearend in it.This setup works very good for me.Its nice for cruising and has enough oomph to get out and go,and it also gets 20 MPG.It cruises just right at around 70 MPH on the freeway.

i have the original 235 with fenton headers and a offy manifold with two carbs. also a t-5 trans. and a 2.73 nova rear end. i do live in a relatively flat area. it works well for me. ron btw the only thing i might have wished i done was to use an auto trans.

LEARN to do a search
you're asking alot here and with a little searching your questions ALL of them have been covered many times over

&&
welcome to the bolt

Welcome to Stovebolt. As ct said your best bet for getting information is using the search feature and do a lot of reading. Once you get a good bit of info under your belt you can then make more precise questions and get better responses. Most of this information has been covered by many folks with lots of different opinions and reasons for them. In your search and reading you will find much more than if you just wait for those who will feel bad and offer up the same information over and over again.

I found during my research that the less mainstream solutions actually were more interesting and challenging so I went that route. I would have never known about some without venturing off with search features, google and then later asking questions. I hope you get the project you want and enjoy the whole process.

some usefull ratios have been mentioned but with what size wheels / tyres?

Most of the questions you are asking have to be answered in a context. You tell us you want to use it to cruise, not hot rodding or racing. Not racing I understand, the difference between hot rodding and cruising I don't understand, though knowing probably would not change my response.

If by crusing you mean going slow like often happens at a car show you definitely want an automatic transmission. With 3.08 grears my car with a T-10 4-speed goes 5 mph at an idle. Your speed at idle will depend on the height of your tires, your gear ratio and your idle speed. Each of these factors mean other choices.

If cruising is a pleasant mixed highway and surface street trip to someplace where you park the car and talk, then the choices might be different. In that environment my 4-speed car with 3.08 gears is perfect.

My '55 1st GMC has 3.08 gears, a 270 GMC six and a granny gear type 4-speed. Sometimes it makes sense sometimes it doesn't.

I would encourage you to think through what's most important to you and then work from there. If you have a look you are after or a list of driving situations you care about, it will be easier to make these choices.