Fun ride today

[regularman]

I took a drive over to hot springs NC via hwy 63 and its got more sharp curves than most around here. Never taken it in the MG only the bike. It was a blast going through those tight curves. It was 84 degrees at the house when I left and in hot springs it was 90. I had a nice burger and a couple newcastles at a restaurant there and then decied to go on to the town of newport. It was 97 there acocorcing to a bank.
I was getting hot in town there so I decided to head back to asheville via I40 east and the gorge (rock slide area) and that was a blast going through all them curves with a warning for trucks and all in the gorge. That was the first time I really ran the car at highway speeds because of my earlier overheating issues. The car buzzed along nice and fairly smooth at 75mph in 5th gear at 3500 rpms. I had to gear down a few time in the gorge but I pretty much passed everything on the road. I started with a full tank and went 170 miles on 5.5 gallons of gas and I was in the gas a lot, so thats about 30 and not bad for the way I was driving it.

 

[regularman]

Oh and I can tell that with the top down on the interstate there is definitely a lot more drag.

 

[drooartz]

Very nice! Rain and hail here today. Turned the house heater back on yesterday. Poor little Tunebug is trapped in the garage for now.

 

[regularman]

Its back in the low 80s and dropping now, that is more my style. Just gets too dang hot in the flat lands and we are in a heat wave. Temps above 85 don't happen all that much here and we have had them for several days and that seems to hot for me. It always cold in the mornings and so we don't have ac in the house for the most part, just a unit in the bedroom. We use fans in the windows all night and then shut the house up during the day and by the time it starts to get warm in the house its cooled off again and the fans work good. I just put the a/c back in the bedroom window for the summer. My other hiding hole is the basement room, it never ever gets above 70 down there and I have a dehumidifier down there, so its always cold and dry down there. The rest of the basement/garage stays 75 or so at the hottest and It where I work on my toys.

 

[Guest]

The car buzzed along nice and fairly smooth at 75mph in 5th gear at 3500 rpms. I had to gear down a few time in the gorge but I pretty much passed everything on the road. I started with a full tank and went 170 miles on 5.5 gallons of gas and I was in the gas a lot, so thats about 30 and not bad for the way I was driving it.

5 speed ~AND~ a 3.55 gear????


I got 31 MPG the other night with my 1500/DGV and I was thrilled. Only ran 50 or so for a high but mostly cruisin up and down the beach in Biloxi at 40-45 or so. Got one it every so often. I'm lucky to get 26-27 on a good day. Been to hot here to drive, although I drove her yesteday to the P.O's place to show her the new rims.

 

[regularman]

The car buzzed along nice and fairly smooth at 75mph in 5th gear at 3500 rpms. I had to gear down a few time in the gorge but I pretty much passed everything on the road. I started with a full tank and went 170 miles on 5.5 gallons of gas and I was in the gas a lot, so thats about 30 and not bad for the way I was driving it.

5 speed ~AND~ a 3.55 gear????


I got 31 MPG the other night with my 1500/DGV and I was thrilled. Only ran 50 or so for a high but mostly cruisin up and down the beach in Biloxi at 40-45 or so. Got one it every so often. I'm lucky to get 26-27 on a good day. Been to hot here to drive, although I drove her yesteday to the P.O's place to show her the new rims.

yeah 5 speed and 3.55 final drive. I can get in the high 40s maybe 50s if I drive at 50mph or so. I do that a lot on the blue ridge parkway where the speed limit is 45. It used to get 37 on the interstate running 60 with the 4 speed and the weber before I restored the car with the 5 speed and 3.55 and it was wound up running 60 back then. I figured I could get at least 40 with the lower rpms and that is about what I get at 60 now. I have not made many long distance trips yet.

 

[Guest]

Which did you do first, the 3.55 or the 5 speed. How did it pull of the line 1st through 3rd after each?

 

[regularman]

Same time. It was all done during the total restoration that I did. I made my mods as I put it back together. It got the 3.55 the 5 speed and 175/70/13 tires. 1st with the Datsun trans is a little lower than the Mowog one so it feels ok to me. I built it to be a fun little good handling cruiser, not a dragster anyways. Trying to drag in them is what happened to a lot of the transmissions in those cars. I can take off fast if I want to and even squeal the tires from 1st to second but its hard on things. 3rd gear is about where 4th used to be with the Mowog and 155/80 tires. 4th feels like the gear I really needed for highways and 5th is a true overdrive. I use 5th all the time when just driving around and it makes things smooth, but I have to hit 4th to get a lot of power if I am doing under 55 or so. Its about like a 5 speed in anything else now adays. You can use OD for running slower on the level but you need to get back to 4th for a hill. I am in the mountains. In the flat land 5th would be prefect anywhere. Now 5th works excellent on the interstate. Max torque on the 1275 is 3000rpms. I wanted 3000 to be at about 65 and I got pretty close to that.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info bro. 3K at 65 sounds great. My little buzz bomb sounds like it's gonna come unglued.

 

[regularman]

Lots of roads around here are 45mph and so running about 50 its 2500 or so and that is a good speed for top down riding with the bride on the parkway and other touring roads and I like it.

 

[regularman]

Thanks for the info bro. 3K at 65 sounds great. My little buzz bomb sounds like it's gonna come unglued.

I don't know when you are going to do yours but if you get up this way before that, I'll let you drive it and see what you think. You need to get what you want and it might no be what I like. I just don't want to steer you wrong.

 

[drooartz]

Lots of roads around here are 45mph and so running about 50 its 2500 or so and that is a good speed for top down riding with the bride on the parkway and other touring roads and I like it.

Funny, I was out for a little 50 mile drive after work and was thinking how smooth my motor runs at 4000 RPM, still plenty to go too.

 

[Guest]

Lots of roads around here are 45mph and so running about 50 its 2500 or so and that is a good speed for top down riding with the bride on the parkway and other touring roads and I like it.

Thanks for the info bro. 3K at 65 sounds great. My little buzz bomb sounds like it's gonna come unglued.

I don't know when you are going to do yours but if you get up this way before that, I'll let you drive it and see what you think. You need to get what you want and it might no be what I like. I just don't want to steer you wrong.

Bro, that EXACTLY whaty I'm after, easy cruisin' with the bride !!!!

What RPM's are you pulling in 4th at 50,60 and 70 MPH? I'm trying to get an idea of what just the gears are capable of w/o an overdrive.

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I'm sure Kim will chime in, but the 3.55 only came as a ring and pinion set, it never was in a actual factory rear end as far I know. I think, if I'm not mistaken Kim stated the 3.55 was no longer available, he got his before it was NLA. Of course the 3.7 would be another option.

 

[regularman]

Lots of roads around here are 45mph and so running about 50 its 2500 or so and that is a good speed for top down riding with the bride on the parkway and other touring roads and I like it.

Thanks for the info bro. 3K at 65 sounds great. My little buzz bomb sounds like it's gonna come unglued.

I don't know when you are going to do yours but if you get up this way before that, I'll let you drive it and see what you think. You need to get what you want and it might no be what I like. I just don't want to steer you wrong.

Bro, that EXACTLY whaty I'm after, easy cruisin' with the bride !!!!

What RPM's are you pulling in 4th at 50,60 and 70 MPH? I'm trying to get an idea of what just the gears are capable of w/o an overdrive.

With the 3.55 and a regular 4 speed it would be good too. If you could find a set that would be the cheapest and fastest way to get good highway gearing. My 5th is a true OD and the car will actually go faster in 4th. I will check the rpms in 4th if I can remember. I think you would be happy with that gear and a 4 speed.

 

[regularman]

I'm sure Kim will chime in, but the 3.55 only came as a ring and pinion set, it never was in a actual factory rear end as far I know. I think, if I'm not mistaken Kim stated the 3.55 was no longer available, he got his before it was NLA. Of course the 3.7 would be another option.

Yeah, they no longer list it on the Vick Brit catalog. It might be worth a phone call and actually talk to them. They quit listing the big cans of waxoyl but they found one in the warehouse when I called them. Its a lot of work to get the pinion set right though. You need to get the bentley's manual and follow that as best you can but you won't have the jigs that they use and the pinion depth measurement is different than most cars. Lots of shimming and measuring and seeing how far its off and then pressing it back off the bearings and checking again and adding or taking away shim.

 

[Guest]

I called VB a while back and they said no and couldn't tell me who they got them from. There's a company that's set up diffs for 35 years that's gonna do mine. I aint taking any chances! Might drop it off next week.


BTW, I'm never happy. Don't believe me....just ask my wife.

 

[regularman]

I called VB a while back and they said no and couldn't tell me who they got them from. There's a company that's set up diffs for 35 years that's gonna do mine. I aint taking any chances! Might drop it off next week.


BTW, I'm never happy. Don't believe me....just ask my wife.

Well, you won't be unhappy because its geared too low. I hope they are familiar with the Brit ones. The numbers for the offset don't mean the same as for a Ford or Chevy. Even If I had someone else put in the gears, I would run some prussian blue through there and look at the pattern myself. Where did you get your gear set? I put the 3:90 back in the box where the 3:55 was and it might have some info on it. I just can't remember, but I know where the box is. Its right near where I am restoring a motorcycle and if I think of it, I will get it down and look at the box.