Been lurking here for a while....reading, looking up stuff in the Search engine. A lot of my questions have been answered using Search, so before my question, thanks for all the info everyone. A friend of mine told me about Advanced Adapters "Ranger Torque Splitter". I thought Gear Venders was the only overdrive bolt in unit(other than a Brownie) around. At the price of $3000, its out of the question. I've got a 56 Chevy truck with a 235 that I really like. The rear end has got 3.38 gears from Patricks out in Az. Rebuilt Saginaw for transmission. I like the combo. Runs at 3000 RPM at 70mph. I'm looking for an overdrive. This Ranger looks like it might be the ticket and at half the price. And I know about the T5's which I haven't been able to find where I live, and don't want to go with an automatic tranny. Has anyone installed one of these in their ride? According to AA it gives you a 27% drop in rpms. Mounts in front of the trans at bell housing. Looks simple......just ad one more gear shift lever. Thanks, Dave
I don't know anything about that OD, but I don't think the 235 with 3.38 will like it. Maybe if it's all flat ground where you are? Around my area, we have hills and on the highway, I had to plan ahead if I saw a hill. Truck was a 66 chev pickup, 250 with 700R4 with 3.73. I really liked the setup except for the highway hills. Not mine, it was one I put together for the owner. The only reason I am posting, is that with the stick trans, even if it's a 4sp saginaw, and if you hit a highway hill that the motor does not like, you will either have to downshift to 3rd or shift out of a 27% OD. I would think that would not be pleasant
I'm at 7000 ft. so we've got the mountains to contend with. Looks like you don't have to use the OD if you don't need to. Don't mind shifting the gears ( I pulled tanker trains up and down I 80 for many years. Looks like you can split every gear or not at all. At 70 mph I know all the gas station people by first name! I could go slower I know, but I'm running down the road with guys from our club that have those V8's! Man, they wanna "get er down the road".
I have a Ranger in my, very OT, motorcycle. They are strong as a rock, well built, here in California. I couldn't be happier with it. Mine is a special unit with a custom gearset, 2:1 low and 1:1 high
The 235 absolutely won't like it unless its buit to the hilt and make over about 400 pound feet before it hits 2500 RPM. Here is the deal if you must run an OD you also must run low gears especially with an engine like the 235. Look at it this way the S-10 with the banger and the T-5 ran a 4.10:1 gear. The banger was no slouch either. I don't think that I can say this enough but most of you fellas try to build your cruiser like it is a 400 mph salter. Most engines will just not pull in high gear at low RPM, you guys are just killing yourselves.
I tend to agree with this. I have dealt with many who don't seem to understand the need to gear their particular ride for the torque they have, not what they wish they had. There are plenty of good examples of 'packages' that the big-3 designed and sold enmass. Consider using some of the R&D on which they spent tens-of-millions of dollars... Unless you need to split each gear then you gain little or nothing over a 'normal' OD trans. Most are in the range of .7 reduction and there are many units that could be used behind a inline six. .
A T-5 from an S-10 works real well but the the rear gear needs to be in the 3.73-4.11 range depending on how tall the tires are. Example: the Raven's AD truck runs 3.73 gears with 30" tires. It is too much gear for the truck he gets better mileage in 4th gear than he does in OD unless he is running in the 80-90 MPH range. If he would drop to a 28" tire he would be in good shape but then he looses the look he is after. I am going to help him change his gear eventually.
I think I see what you guys mean. Would have to go to lower gears to make her work. I'm running 235 70 15 tires too.
...some quick and dirty math... Considering that you have a 3.38 rear gear now, if you multipy 3.38 x 1.4 you will have an approximate, usuable, final gear for use with a .7 OD that maintains your current rpm. (3.38 x 1.4 = 4.73) Or, if you have some final gears to choose from, multipy those by .7 to find what the engine 'sees' as a final when in OD (4.88 x .7 = 3.41). (((The inverse of .7 is 1.429))) Here is a pretty good on-line gear calculator: http://ctny.audiworld.com/mark/s4/gears/gear_calc.html You can change any of the variables and see what happens to the others. .
I forgot to explain what I meant about downshifting on the highway. If you had a nice easy transition in ratio between each gear, it would be livable. Most times it does not work out that way, and either a downshift or a kick out of OD, ends up being too much of a ratio change...and it revs. I don't see a problem with a top gear in OD that is rarely used, it's just that a nice gradual spread on the ratios is more important (to me).
RMT, I called AA this afternoon, cause in my mind it seemed that it would work for my application. I want to have to ability to split 4th gear or any other gear. If I'm running down I 80 as I do run the Interstate often. I'm 100 miles from the nearest Walmart! For toolin' around tranny's ok the way it is, but for runnin' down the "big road" at 75 or 80, that's when I'd like the option. Anyway, I told AA what I wanted to do with the splitter.....gave them all the specs etc., talked at length with a rep and he says the same thing I do, it'll work. Hey, you can always drop a gear, so what? I don't have a problem shifting gears, heck, I like it. Run splitters in Pete's and KW's...5 and a 4 etc. Man your always splitting gears on those logging roads.
I'm running one daily since March of this year, '65 C10 327-SBC SM465 trans 3:73 rear, I think the twin stick is fun , mainly use it for OD above 45 mph
Yes, it's basically hanging parts...modifications were, 2 bellhousing bolts that were changed to studs, and changing a low cab floor to a high cover style and the rear crossmember fabrication...SM465's are over 100lbs...so now this truck has 6 motor/ trans mounts
I was wondering how the shifters would meet up. Do you have pics of the finished interior? Gosh, I saw a youtube video of a chevy pickup with a splitter in it but can't find it.
I was looking at one of those for my 55.2 chev with 235 and sm420, ended up selling the truck before I did it. Now I want one for my o/t 70 1/2 ton bumpside. It could really use a 2nd over and 3rd over before 4th Devin
Have you looked at a Mitchell Gear Splitter? Compact and they offer 26% or 36% OD ratios. Synchronized and quiet. 2000 RPM at 60MPH with a 4.11 rear and 7.50/16's, and the flathead runs cool all day.
No, I've never heard of one. Just tried to look one up and didn't find much. Looks, by your pic, she mounts at the rear axle?
Old thread I know. I have an older model Double Torque 8200 (almost exactly the same as the Ranger) going in bumpside pickup. It is shifted using a 2 speed rear axle shift motor. thats an NP435 behind it, and an FE 390 will power it.
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