[DeTomaso] 3.2 gears and clutch life?

[Ken Green]

Mike,
   
      I have a vey strong suspecision that the new Vettes have a 6th gear higher then the Pantera 5th with 3.20 R&P, which works just fine with EFI.  I just don't think you can compare 40 year old technology (Holley & big cam) with a modern EFI motor.  It may be possible that Johnny's motor can't run under 2000 RPM, but that's not true for modern engines.
   
  Ken
   
   
  

MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
  
In a message dated 11/10/07 10:36:15 AM, kenn_green at yahoo.com writes:


      I've been told that Larry Stock tried 3,2 gears and ended up cooking clutches.  I'm wondering if that was with a big Holley and a big cam so the engine had to be revved to higher RPM from a standing start?

>>>His motor was a torque-monster Aussie 351C, with gobs of bottom-end.  The gears were ridiculously tall, and I personally saw his clutch come flying out of the car on a steep, 10 mph uphill hairpin turn driving around Lake Tahoe (Darryl Johnson had borrowed the car and wasn't very adept at manipulating a clutch).  When Larry took the car apart the entire flywheel was bright blue from the heat!
    
    >  With EFI and a mild cam (low overlap for turbos), would I have the same problem?  The engine should run much smoother and much better at a lot lower RPM.  I know I can get a higher 5th gear, but I like the spacing of the stock gears.

>>>The 3.20 gearset is completely and totally useless for the street.  Lloyd Butfoy built a ZF for a friend in the UK (whose GT5 has 24-inch short tires) and sent it to him with the 3.20 by mistake, instead of the proper 3.77.  The car has a 550 hp/550 ft/lb aluminum Windsor, but it's totally miserable to drive.  He cruises on the freeway in 3rd gear, because 4th and 5th are too tall, effectively turning his car into a three-speed. Even with all that torque, most any other car can kick his ass at the stoplights, unless he just abuses it like crazy.  I saw him run the car in a dragstrip setting, and he went through the traps in 2nd gear.  How dumb is that???

With standard-sized tires (i.e. 315 or 335/35-17), the problem would just be worse.

BTW I just shipped him a 3.77 ring and pinion yesterday; Johnny Woods will be re-rebuilding his gearbox this winter.  Lloyd was gentlemanly enough to acknowledge his error and provided the ring and pinion (which is about a $2500-3000 affair) for free.

Mike



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