Quote:
Originally Posted by GTOguy
Late to the party here, guys. What Tom and Franki said, of course. My take: 5 speeds are nice but, as Frank said, the ROI would not be realistic. Do it because you want to. I like the old 4 speeds, and old Hurst shifters. That's just me. With the right first gear in your 4 speed, like a 2.56-2.66-2.88, etc. you can run a 3.08 or lower rear and be fine in town and on the open road. My '61 runs a 3.36 Posi out back but a Super T-10 with a 3.42 first gear and 2.20 second gear. If GM made a 2.73 gear for my carrier (stock '61) I would install it. As it is, a 3.08-3.36 gear is livable on the open road and fun to drive.
You can get a brand new Richmond ST-10 in any first gear ratio you want for right at 2k. The steeper the first gear, the weaker the box. Paul at 5speeds.com is the guy to see for a lot of this stuff....he got me some upgraded Japanese sealed bearings for my ST-10 when I rebuilt it in 2019. Not a hard job. Just need a press and some patience.
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All good info, as usual from you, Jeff.
With a total ratio of 11.5 in first gear, that '61 ought to leap away from a dead stop. I'll guess that you often don't bother with first gear?
If my car had a highway R&P ratio, I'd almost surely stick with a 4-speed, and I might very well do so anyway.
The sidepipes that some previous owner installed on this car have got to go, but that's a separate issue that would only be lessened somewhat by getting the revs down on the highway. Not enough of a solution. Getting the car back to under-car exhaust with reasonable mufflers would likely leave me content to stick with a WR gearbox and the 3.70 R&P. I, too, am an old-school 4-speed/Hurst guy at heart, and I don't presently envision doing very many hours-long runs at highway speeds.
If the T-10 were in great shape with no issues, I think it'd be a no-brainer to leave it alone. But, since it's going to need some work, and that work's going to be easier before the exhaust gets put back under the car and would then be in the way of the transmission R&R, I've held off making the conversion to under-car exhaust.
I think I now have everything on hand that's required to do that conversion. A full 2.5-inch exhaust system from Gardner, all hangers, tailpipes, all four heat shields, bezels, filler panel, fender extensions, rocker panels and associated screws are now stashed away awaiting the day. I never listen to the AM band on the radio, so I probably won't bother with the various ground straps, and I haven't ordered them.
Getting back to the decision that I've not yet made, you've added an option that I'll give some serious consideration, with the ST-10. Do you know if it uses the same driveshaft yoke as the old T-10 that's in my car now? And, do you know if the Hurst Competition Plus that's now in my car is a direct bolt-on to the ST-10, as I'd guess it might be? Are there any other interchange issues that I should be aware of between the circa 1961 T-10 and a new ST-10?
Thanks for tossing this out for consideration. Greatly appreciated.
Live well,
SJW