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Technical Quick Change- who really swaps gears?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Flathead Youngin', Nov 14, 2019.

  1. jaw22w
    Joined: Mar 2, 2013
    Posts: 1,671

    jaw22w
    Member
    from Indiana

    Unfortunately, what has been seen cannot be unseen.
     
    Jet96, Hombre, Deuces and 2 others like this.
  2. Wish I was brave enough to wear that..
     
  3. G-son
    Joined: Dec 19, 2012
    Posts: 1,276

    G-son
    Member
    from Sweden

    Don't think it's a matter of bravery, more like dontgiveafuckery.
     
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  4. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,345

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    Don't forget the oven mitts.
     
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  5. Paul
    Joined: Aug 29, 2002
    Posts: 16,382

    Paul
    Editor

    Nitrile gloves make hot gears easier to handle as well as making clean up a little easier.
     
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  6. koolbeans
    Joined: Apr 12, 2015
    Posts: 633

    koolbeans
    Member

    And shaped...another process to form a straight cut gear. Mucho less expensive than a helical cut process.


    Sent from my XT1710-02 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  7. lumpy 63
    Joined: Aug 2, 2010
    Posts: 2,603

    lumpy 63
    Member

    I loved the gear whine that M22s made , and am looking forward to the noise from the winters I bought for my 29.:cool: And yes I will change gears .
     
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  8. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    With no side windows, and lakes headers opening right in front of the doors, I think a little gear whine would probably be the least of any noise issues..... :D

    I've been thinking of going to a QC rear end. Or go to 411:1 rear gear and an OD trans. Can't beat the aesthetics of the QC though.
     
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  9. Q/C's are very noisy, I have one in my 29 Ford roadster, a Champ with a DPI black gold limited slip differential and helical cut Q/C gears, it works well and is now quiet but cost me a Grand to get into that shape. I'd recommend the same setup but no other. Couldn't get the girls to ride in it with a Detroit Locker and straight cut gears, when it was whining, banging, clanking and tire scrubbing on turns. I don't think folks change gears except at the drags and lakes and not much there either. Primarily used at circle track races.
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2019
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  10. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki




    Hello,

    Wow, 10-20 minutes to change the gearing in a hot rod? That certainly would have been a easy relief from the 1-2 hours total to exchange the complete 3rd member from our 1958 Chevy Impala. That was a complete removal and disassembly of the tires, axles, drums, etc. It was my first weekly repair or actually enhancement for the 58 Impala to be competitive at Lions Dragstrip.
    upload_2020-2-2_4-47-31.png
    Since it was factory stock gearing, it was allowed to run what ever gearing came from the dealer. The standard was the 3:55 and for everyday driving, it was great. The big V8 motors had enough power to pull the sedan for most any road trip. There were other options for the weekend drag racer, yet keeping the car factory stock.

    https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...m-days-gone-by.428585/page-5277#post-12613821 Doug Cook doing the same third member gear ratio swap on his 1937 Chevy gas coupe… we had steel jack stands instead of wooden blocks


    The first and most common option was the 4:11 gear ratio. This was a good middle ground for normal daily driving to high school, jobs and weekend cruising at the local drive-in restaurant parking lots. It did make the big sedans move quite well, but the long distance driving was still, a little tight. Add in factory Positraction and the sedan was ready to race. Most of the factory stock cars that were racing at Lions in our class had the same motor 348/280 hp. So, the driver made the difference in the outcomes. Add in a 4:11 vs 3:55 and it was noted that one was definitely faster than the other.
    upload_2020-2-2_4-47-49.png
    Now, the factory offered one other legal, stock gear ratio of 4:56. Once everyone knew the top guys ran this combination for their consistent victories, most everyone that could afford it, changed to the 4:56 Positraction set up. Note: the E.T. times were quicker and racing a little more even. But, it still ended well for the good drivers with their fast reaction times off of the starting line.
    upload_2020-2-2_4-46-2.png Ed Losinski’s FED, Jack Chrisman driving… my brother in the 3rd Impala on the right waiting for his turn. 1959

    Jnaki

    Wanting to be competitive, my brother used his hard earned cash to buy a complete 4:56 Positraction unit for the Impala. So, out came the 4:11 third member and in went the 4:56 for Friday and Saturday nights. That gave the Impala every advantage the car could offer. It was fast and reliable, while the power was felt almost instantly. At the drags, the E.T. times started to get quicker and the speeds rose. Now some trophies came into play after winning the class on Saturdays.

    upload_2020-2-2_4-48-20.png
    But, who was given the Thursday night rear axle gear exchange job? I did not have a license as yet and part of my obligation was to exchange the complete rear third member with either gear ratio. It was to be done on Thursday nights, being ready for Friday night cruising and challenges, as well as the all day events at Lions Dragstrip on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the complete opposite was done to give the Impala its original 4:11 gear ratio for driving to school and the after school job.

    Some would say it was overkill, but the E.T. times and speeds were worth the effort. But what effort was that? 1-2 hours from start to finish was the norm. Out on the cold concrete driveway until finished, with the starting point directly after school into Thursday nights. My Friday school test scores dropped a lot after every incident of those late nights.

    So, if I could have spent 10-20 minutes under that big Impala on Thursday nights, that would have been outstanding. Even a 20 minute span under the car after school on Friday certainly would have improved my Friday test scores at school. Quick change rear ends were common sightings in Long Beach back then, but mostly on the drag racers. The quick gear changes were evident in happy smiles and performance when needed.

    Note: One day, my brother and I drove to the Winternationals with the 4:56 Positraction gears in place. From Long Beach to Pomona was an 80 mile round trip. It was slow going as the 4:56 gears wound the motor very tight at freeway speeds. We stuck to mostly streets, but we did have to go on the freeways near and from Pomona, back home.

    While on the freeway, going fairly slow in the right lane, several hot rods came pulling up along side of us and made the arm/hand motion of 2nd gear down to 3rd for us. Our 58 Impala had the C&O Stick Hydro in place and the main “D” drive made the lever seem like it was in 2nd gear of the stock, stick shift transmission. It was funny and not so funny, as we did not want to take the chance of doing some damage by going faster. This was a moment that those quick changes would have come in handy if there was such an animal from the Chevy factory.


     
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  11. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    Lol you are right on that one!!
     
  12. when I raced sprints, I was timed once at 7 and a half minutes. Remote breather/fill/reservoir, with warm gear lube and no gloves. Track owner thought water was something that needed to be hoarded.
     
  13. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,375

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    I posted this in another thread a little while ago.

    "I just did an experiment and switched gears in a Spadaro V8 in 3 1/2 minutes. Gear lube was room temp and car did not need to be jacked up. Stick that in your 9 inch."
     
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  14. jaracer
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 2,419

    jaracer
    Member

    Since I raced sprint cars, changing gear was one of the most common chassis adjustments. You start out with a low ratio and move to a higher ratio as the track goes from tacky to slick. I changed gears many times in 5 minutes or less. You do need a drain pan as the lube in the QC gear section drains out and you need to put it back when you are done. The gears also get quite hot. We found that LE Gear oil cut the heat down quite a bit. It's the red stuff. I carried about 12 sets which gives 24 ratio's. We did use a number 1 set because some times the ring and pinion ratio is just right for track conditions.
     
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  15. coilover
    Joined: Apr 19, 2007
    Posts: 696

    coilover
    Member
    from Texas

    Changed a thousand at tracks, most in the dark, the dirt, and smoking hot. Zero on a street car.
     
  16. banjeaux bob
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 6,614

    banjeaux bob
    Member
    from alaska

    I don't think straight cut gears are broached.Rather, they are hobbed.
     
  17. Stan Back
    Joined: Mar 9, 2007
    Posts: 2,178

    Stan Back
    Member
    from California

    Years ago, with an old Cyclone, I borrowed a set that would be better for drag racing my roadster. I ended up cracking the end plate – the set I borrowed were for a Model A quickie and narrower. I guess they slammed back and forth. Something that some of you might not be familiar with. I also found it advantageous to jack the rear end up high – it seemed to retain more of the lube that way.
     
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  18. Tall t 26
    Joined: Oct 6, 2017
    Posts: 242

    Tall t 26
    Member

    Takes about 15 minutes to change mine out. When I first got it, it had low gears and I loved driving it around town good torque. Then I put in a set of high gears for the longer trips. I also have a mid gear set.
    But after awhile of driving with the higher gear set I went ahead and put the low gears back in so it would be fun again. It definitely makes a difference. 2625.jpeg
     
  19. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    So how does one figure what differential gear is good for highway cruising? I read all this sstuff about the right RPM, optimal torque curve of the motor, wheel diameter and final drive ratio and the rest of it, and my eyes glaze over. I'm just a simple guy trying to do a simple job. My Y-block spools a little too high at 60. The data plate, and the tag on the differential sez 3.73 but the RPMs are way over 3000 at 60-65 mph, so I think it has been swapped. It seems like around 2500 or so would be about right at 75 mph.
     
  20. koolbeans
    Joined: Apr 12, 2015
    Posts: 633

    koolbeans
    Member

    Either way...on the cheap. If the straight cut were hobbed then rack shaved...more cost...they would be lots and lots quieter.

    Sent from my XT1710-02 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  21. My Coupe I just got has both, a M22 trans and a QC! So, its pretty noisy in there, hahaha. But, its like music to me. Another thing, it must have some pretty tall gears, cause I can do 75-80 in second gear. Gonna investigate that soon. Haven't really used 4th at all.
     
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  22. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,263

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have a #1 set in mine, for now.

    I have not decided on tire size, and the engine has not yet gone on the dyno. Once those two things are chosen, so will the gear set.
     
  23. jaracer
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 2,419

    jaracer
    Member

    I don't know your tire size, but a little algebra and I come up with a 3.10 ratio to give you 2500 at 60-65.
     
  24. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    Sure but this business about being in the best part of the engine torque curve never really understood that.
     
  25. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,375

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    Here is a page from an old catalog I put together. It might be a bit wordy, but will get you where you want to go. It's in PDF format, so I hope it appears as a small icon.
     

    Attached Files:

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  26. dirt car
    Joined: Jun 26, 2010
    Posts: 1,045

    dirt car
    Member
    from nebraska

    Rocky likes the aroma of gear grease !
     
  27. you could also just do this

    upload_2020-2-3_9-14-37.png
    upload_2020-2-3_9-21-15.png
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2020
    Jet96 likes this.
  28. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,375

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    @jrblack30 ,
    Are those yours? Don't know if anyone else caught this. Those are Halibrand V8 Quickchanges with Columbia 2 speed axles.
    I have the stuff to build one of those too, but have not seen it done before! Cool!
     
  29. NOT MINE, Pics from other posts on the HAMB. I do have all the parts to put one together for an upcoming project.

    Was mentioning it because it is a viable option. set the QC up to run STOP and GO traffic and run the Columbia OD at highway speeds.
     
  30. sdluck
    Joined: Sep 19, 2006
    Posts: 3,185

    sdluck
    Member

    That is about right for 3:73 ,3:00 would be 30" tire would be close
     
    Truck64 likes this.

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