What size tires do you have? I have 235-85R16, about 32 inches tall, on my '58
half ton, and I cruise at 65 fine with my 283, heavy duty 4 speed, and 3.90 rear
end. I used to have 15" wheels and upgraded to get an E load rating on the
tires, the better cruising speed was an unintended benefit. My speedo only
reads about 50 when I'm doing 65, but it's been independently verified by
somebody else who was pacing me (not a cop, luckily!). No tach on the truck,
but the motor is obviously not working hard. I bet I could get the truck over
the ton but I wouldn't be able to keep it on the road at that speed!
Ed Miller
'58 Apache Short Fleetside
Darel wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new to this list. I own a 58' 3100 that I bought last year. It has the
3:90 rear end and stock 4 speed. It sure is hard on my 350 when doing anything
above 40 MPH!
I removed the third member, and before I go to all the work of swapping the
whole assembly from an older Blazer I'd like to run a question by you.
Have any of you tried the set of 3:38 gears that are available for the stock
rear end? If so, are you happy with them. What kind of RPM's are you turning
at say 65 MPH? Is first gear still granny? Are they worth the investment?
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Darel
Arvada CO.
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