Zephyr gears

[Mike kitto]

Is there an advantage to using them in a 1939 coupe?

[tubman]

I would say not. They are a little closer ratio because of the Zephyr's overdrive This may be of some benefit in a light roadster with a "hot" engine. Not in a relatively heavy car like your coupe. Driveability will suffer.

[Drbrown]

I too considered that change for my '47 which barely goes anywhere in low gear. Not having a synchro between First and Second gears is unfortunate, and can't use my BW overdrive unit in First Gear. I was told there are three component parts that must be changed in the tranny. The parts reportedly are reproduced off-shore (some say in a lessor quality) and some NOS are out there BUT either way prices are out of sight.

[Tim Ayers]

I will say this. I've read a ton of internet posts about LZ gears and then I finally drove a car that had them. It's a '32 Roadster with a 25 LZ set and a 4:11 rear. I couldn't believe how well the car drove on the street. I was so impressed.

You could wind out 1st gear until about 50 mph and then shift and stay in 2nd while cruising.

I have a 26 tooth cluster that I am going to swap out for my 28 tooth cluster. I have 3:78's and 7.00 X 16's tires with a full race, full tilt flathead. I need to shift out of 1st almost immediately with my current set up.

I think the 26 tooth LZ is going to be the bee's knees in my hot rod which is a '28 roadster on a '32 frame.

I'm starting to think that a lot of the people that poo poo LZ gears never used them in a car.

Same goes with an aluminum flywheel. I would never use a stock weight flywheel again in any build. I am sold on a lightened flywheel. The snap of the throttle and the acceleration just is not the same with a stock, heavy flywheel.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by tubman

... a light roadster with a "hot" engine ...

That's you, Tim. Unfortunately. it's different with a full bodied street car.

[Tim Ayers]

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Originally Posted by tubman

That's you, Tim. Unfortunately. it's different with a full bodied street car.

I'm not buying that either.

[Tim Ayers]

'32 Roadster= 2,310 lbs
'39 Coupe= 2,970 lbs.

660 lbs difference. I would go with a 26 LZ set if you can. 28/29 tooth gear sets aren't great for the street unless you want to shift quickly out of 1st if you have a 3.78 or 4.11 rear end ratio. Especially the 29 tooth set, that should just be for trucks. Too steep IMHO.

[coup34]

I sure enjoy second gear in my 34 coupe with an eighteen tooth driver!!!!!!!!

[tubman]

Zephyr gears were designed to be used with some sort of overdrive and require a low rear end ratio (4:11 and 4.44 were common) to be practical. You have to remember that all Ford transmissions are 1:1 in high gear. Running these ratios on the highway without the benefit of an overdrive requires the engine to run at higher speeds than normal to maintain the desired cruising speed. If you have a light car and and engine that is modified to run at these higher revolutions, you can pull off using Zephyr gears for all around driving. Otherwise, just getting the car moving off the line and cruising at normal highway speeds is uncomfortable.

In the current situation, we do not know enough about the O/P's vehicle to give a good answer. What is the current rear-end ratio? Does it have any sort of overdrive setup (maybe a Mitchell or a Columbia) now? What modifications (if any) have been made to the engine? If the O/P has just an "ordinary" car and expects the installation of Zephyr gears to be some magic performance enhancement, the answer is most likely "NO". Top speed will be the same and driveability will suffer.

[svm99]

Originally Posted by tubman

Zephyr gears were designed to be used with some sort of overdrive and require a low rear end ratio (4:11 and 4.44 were common) to be practical. You have to remember that all Ford transmissions are 1:1 in high gear. Running these ratios on the highway without the benefit of an overdrive requires the engine to run at higher speeds than normal to maintain the desired cruising speed. If you have a light car and and engine that is modified to run at these higher revolutions, you can pull off using Zephyr gears for all around driving. Otherwise, just getting the car moving off the line and cruising at normal highway speeds is uncomfortable.

In the current situation, we do not know enough about the O/P's vehicle to give a good answer. What is the current rear-end ratio? Does it have any sort of overdrive setup (maybe a Mitchell or a Columbia) now? What modifications (if any) have been made to the engine? If the O/P has just an "ordinary" car and expects the installation of Zephyr gears to be some magic performance enhancement, the answer is most likely "NO". Top speed will be the same and driveability will suffer.

I fully agree, I usually receommend 28T for most transmissions I build, sometimes we use the 29T with high speed rear axles for good starts, very few use the Zephys except in light weight cars and "bragging rights". All info is just my opinion on here. Paul J.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by tubman

Zephyr gears were designed to be used with some sort of overdrive and require a low rear end ratio (4:11 and 4.44 were common) to be practical. You have to remember that all Ford transmissions are 1:1 in high gear. Running these ratios on the highway without the benefit of an overdrive requires the engine to run at higher speeds than normal to maintain the desired cruising speed. If you have a light car and and engine that is modified to run at these higher revolutions, you can pull off using Zephyr gears for all around driving. Otherwise, just getting the car moving off the line and cruising at normal highway speeds is uncomfortable.

In the current situation, we do not know enough about the O/P's vehicle to give a good answer. What is the current rear-end ratio? Does it have any sort of overdrive setup (maybe a Mitchell or a Columbia) now? What modifications (if any) have been made to the engine? If the O/P has just an "ordinary" car and expects the installation of Zephyr gears to be some magic performance enhancement, the answer is most likely "NO". Top speed will be the same and driveability will suffer.

Good advice and, like many posts, much more information is needed.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by svm99

I fully agree, I usually receommend 28T for most transmissions I build, sometimes we use the 29T with high speed rear axles for good starts, very few use the Zephys except in light weight cars and "bragging rights". All info is just my opinion on here. Paul J.

Paul,

I was in the bragging rights camp until I drove a car with them. For light weight cars, they seem to be helpful if you have the engine and set up to support them.

I'm curious what weight is a car deemed to be "light". Is it around 2,000 lbs?

[cas3]

The reason them darn kids wanted them was for inner city drag racing in one block increments. You could wind up 1st gear high enough to not lose time shifting and beat the other guy to the next light. No reason for normal driving.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by cas3

The reason them darn kids wanted them was for inner city drag racing in one block increments. You could wind up 1st gear high enough to not lose time shifting and beat the other guy to the next light. No reason for normal driving.

I think there are other ways to look at it and, like Tubman correctly stated, a lot depends on your set up. It seems to be, at least in my area in NJ, a large majority of the driving people do with their old cars is in town or back roads.

I try not to and don't see many old stock Fords on a major highway.

Being able to stay in first or not have to shift out so quickly could advantageous to some depending on the type of driving they are doing.

[cadillac512]

I can say that my '41 Merc four door at 3400 lbs would have no problem with the LZ first gear ratio. I have 3.54 rear gears and it'll start out in second 90% of the time with my standard 16/28 gear set. I do have a good running 260" 8CM in it but it's not a monster by any means. I'd love to have a usable first gear.

[pistonbroke]

OK. I have to chime in here. I had a 38 Zephyr (not a light car) with a 4.11 columbia rearend, all standard equipment. The V12 made 120 hp. That car was and I hope still is a dream to drive. So I cant trurly believe that those same gears in a lighter ford or merc would be a problem. Tim

[32phil]

I have 32 roadster with a Brookville body, no fenders, on an original 32 frame.
8ba with aluminum heads and intake with 2 new 97s.
32 rear with 3:78 gears big and little tires and a 39 trans.
It has LZ gears with a 19 tooth input.
Previously it had a 1948 gearset with a 16 tooth input gear.
The car is very light and was very peppy with the previous transmission.
The first thing I noticed after I put the LZ gears in was you had slip the clutch a little more to get the car moving from a stop light.
It certainly winds out first and second much longer but no difference in high gear as previously mentioned.
In my opinion unless you're drag racing, the LZ gears are not worth the effort/expense.

[tubman]

Rear end ratios DO make a difference. In 1967 I bought a new 1967 L79 Corvette coupe with 3.70 gears. A friend had a very similar '66 L79 coupe with 3.08 gears. Both cars were 4 speeds. I was able to beat just about anybody street racing with my car. He would get toasted by '62 Impalas with 250 hp powerglides.

Who buys a new Corvette with fuel economy in mind?

[Drbrown]

I can understand benefiting more from Z gears with a modified engine. My real complaint is winding-out in first gear so rapidly and especially not have synchromesh between first and second. I have a stock tranny and differential but with BW overdrive. With the BW overdrive it cruses nicely at 60 and up to 70 mph on the interstates. Above 70 one can feel the engine extending itself beyond a comfortable torque range.

[38bill]

Some years ago I purchased a 3 spd tranny that turned out to have LZ gears. My truck has fairly tall tires in the rear and a 3:54 rear end and with that combo I wasn't happy with the LZ gears.