Need Rear End help!!!

[Rich Lenhart]

I've got a 1995 Caprice with 4:09 rear gears, and I want to change the ratio to 3:73. I can find the gear set at many vendors, but no one has the reluctor ring that attaches to the ring gear for the speedo. Anyone know about this, or where to get one???????????????

Rich

[96capricemgr]

A Caprice should have 2.93 or 3.08(if a LT1 cop car), I don't know where 4.09 came from.

The ABS reluctor you want was discontinued, someone is making them but it is not cheap think it will be like $85 because these are individually made at a machine shop. If you want I can give you the guy's email but I don't want to post it and have him get spam.

[GreyGoose006]

and by 2.93, im sure you mean 2.73.
right?

[CD Smalley]

Factory gears for a 9C1 in that year range would be 3.23 for an L99 car and 3.08 for the LT1.

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by GreyGoose006

and by 2.93, im sure you mean 2.73.
right?

Nope, he means 2.93 (GU3). :P

[Rich Lenhart]

She has 4:09's. Don't know where they came from. The cars in a reputable speed shop, and we have counted the ratio (pinion roll vs output roll), the car has been on the dyno, and at the drag strip, it hits rev limiter in third gear at about the 1100' mark. Thats the reason for going to 3:73, so we can run it out the door.

[96capricemgr]

Reprogram it and put some fresh valvesprings on it so you can rev a little higher. You know the civilian speed limiter on a Caprice was 108mph right and that with 4.10s and no reprogramming you will have the computer thinking you hit that and it will shut down the injectors.

Guessing it is a basically stock car you are trying to run in 3rd gear?

Why don't you give us a full rundown of the car and we can be of more help. From what I am reading a gearswap would be the wrong fix.

4.10s should be fine for drag racing in third gear as long as the engine can rev too 6500 and you are slower than 125mph and if you had a car that ran 125mph you would not be asking this question here.

2.73s were found in a few cars but 2.93 was most common for a civilian LT1. Some roadys and wagons got 2.56.

[GreyGoose006]

mine has 2.73

edit:
if its a 94, it should have a 4th gear...
if the problem is that it isnt shifting into OD, there is a way to make the trans treat OD as a 4th gear and allow WOT up shifts.
i dont remember what its called, but someone here probably will

[Blue Bowtie]

Isn't the reluctor on the carrier for the ABS, and not the VSS?

I'd agree with better valve springs (at least 120# seat pressure on stock valves) and at a minimum, pinning the studs. I'd really suggest using screwed studs, and it isn't much more work than pinning.

You can set up the trans to shift OD at WOT as part of the reprogram, and set the fuel cutoff MPH at 255 MPH so it doesn't get in the way at all.

If you want the car for dual duty (street/strip) the 3.73s are a reasonable choice. You might be able to scavenge a reluctor ring right on a carrier from Camaros, S-10 trucks, and fullsize 1/2 tons with a 3-series.

[GreyGoose006]

is it as simple as reprogramming the trans?
i thought there was a part you have to switch in...
maybe i am confused

[Rich Lenhart]

Thanks for all of your inputs!! Let me give some more information on the car.
First off, I live in Denver Colorado, and race at Bandimere Speedway every weekend (April thur October). Even though the altitude is 5,280 feet, a good air day is 6,900-7,200 feet, and a bad air day is 9,200-9,800 Feet!!! The car's short block is stock. It has the LT4 Hot Cam Package (with New Springs)
Aluminum LT1 Cylinder Heads, ProCharger D1SC @ 8 LB's Boost, Headers & full 3.00" exhaust. Trans has Mild Stall w/ 4:10 gears & Drag Radials. She runs 11.80's at 115-116 on good air, 12.2's at 110 on bad air. Its been tuned by a tuner here in Colorado that has been tuning for many years (see www.vettepieces.com) and used LT1 Edit. Fuel & spark are clean down the track, no shut off's, just flat banging the rev limiter at 6,300 RPM's at the 1,100 foot mark.

[96capricemgr]

I would put a little more spring in it and raise the rev limiter, the LT4 springs are not really good enough for the HOT cam anyway and the HOT cam will keep making power past 6300.

The 3.73 ABS reluctor is discontinued and far as I know was never actually used on a production car. Far as I know the b-body was the only application to use the pinion mounted reluctor, other cars got 4 channel systems as opposed to our three channel.

Now granted I live at much lower altitude but mine has done 11s on a stock shortblock too. Worst weather I have raced in was a bit over 4000ft DA and it went 12.8 and that was 500 miles from home with nothing but a swap to slicks. Mine is NA though.

[randy78]

haha noobs are so amusing DD


thanks for amusing me tonight DD