The Ford Barn - View Single Post

drolston · 02-03-2018, 04:58 PM

I considered many options to meet aspirations of Interstate cruising speed and better gas mileage. Did not even consider a T5 due to the frame butchery, and ruled out both Mitchell and Columbia overdrives on cost.

I went against Ford Barn advice and simply switched the rear end ration to 3.25 gears from Van Pelt. I now cruise comfortably at 65 to 70 and get near 17 mpg in my '41 coupe. The flathead is 284 cubic inches and has a ton of torque, so the lower gears in hilly city traffic are not a problem. You have a lighter vehicle, so you may not need all the inches. Or, you could convert the transmission to a 29 tooth cluster gear to get lower low and second.

02-03-2018, 04:58 PM	#12
drolston Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 1,648	Re: Gearbox swap question I considered many options to meet aspirations of Interstate cruising speed and better gas mileage. Did not even consider a T5 due to the frame butchery, and ruled out both Mitchell and Columbia overdrives on cost. I went against Ford Barn advice and simply switched the rear end ration to 3.25 gears from Van Pelt. I now cruise comfortably at 65 to 70 and get near 17 mpg in my '41 coupe. The flathead is 284 cubic inches and has a ton of torque, so the lower gears in hilly city traffic are not a problem. You have a lighter vehicle, so you may not need all the inches. Or, you could convert the transmission to a 29 tooth cluster gear to get lower low and second.