Author Topic: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio  (Read 20169 times)

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Offline fastman614

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WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« on: May 16, 2012, 03:38:24 PM »
Okay - before the armchair experts all weigh in and call me stupid because the ratio does not exist - at least as far as ALL of my research indicates (NOTE TO ARMCHAIR EXPERTS - if you do weigh in with smart aleck comments, smart aleck comments will be posted in reply), let me explain:

The ratio does exist for 57-64 Olds/Pontiac rear axles. I cannot easily use an Olds/Pontiac rear axle in the lakester as the trans to pinion coupler can't take 3/4" of misalignment. To put in a driveshat that would be long enough to take the offset would require at least 18" to be added to the length of the car. I have considered using the Olds/Pontiac housing and raising the rear of the car the 3/4" in question but it is NOT my preferred choice as I think that raising the rear of the car could change the airflow characteristics which, although not wind tunnel tested, they are Bonneville tested (C/GL over 282 mph observed and timed exit speed). Maintaining the cars present stance with the use of the Olds/Pontiac rear axle would therefore require re-situating the running gear 3/4" higher in the car.... but really NOT a great option for ONE gear ratio change.

So can make or who knows of someone who is capable of custom making a ratio gearset for a Ford 9" rear end? What would the price be? If there was interest in multiple sets (say, 5 or even 10 sets), would the price come down substantially?

BTW, my search for this information has included queries to a few of the NASCAR teams and Richmond Gear. To date, there have been ZERO responses.

Can anyone else help? Thanx.....

Dave

 
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Offline hotrod

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2012, 04:19:37 PM »
You might try calling Mark Williams Enterprises, they are one of the largest distributors for Richmond gear and might be able to get you in contact with the right people to work out if there is a solution to your need.

http://www.markwilliams.com/ringpin.aspx


Larry

Offline RichFox

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2012, 06:45:22 PM »
But you can get 2.75s for low dollars http://compare.ebay.com/like/300649434091. I think this set was around $30. Do you really have to have 2.69s? Is a 2.69 available for 12 bolt GM. I have seen Strange carriers that allow the use of GM ring and pinions in 9 inch rear housings.

Offline Captthundarr

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2012, 08:27:39 PM »
I Have a set of 2:50 and 2:75 9" used gears I might be willing to part with. They are from Motive Gear. Got them good used from Currie on the cheep.
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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2012, 10:43:05 PM »
I guess now that I should have included a bit of other info in the original post. As of now, I own 3.25, 3.07. 3.00, 2.94, 2.91, 2.86. 2.80, 2.75, 2.50 and 2.47 gear sets for a Ford 9"....... a few of them in duplicate.

I appreciate you all wanting to help me out but the way this is working for me is that I have been "tuning" the final drive gear ratio in about 1 - 2% increments over the last few meets. I am now using the 2.80 set in the car. I did not get to drive it to its maximum potential with those gears (we got rained and probably snowed out at the W/Fs last year), so the 2.80s will be in the car until at least mid week of Speedweek this year while we tweak the carburetor a bit. We are running the engine up to 200 to 250 rpm past peak horsepower at about 8950 rpm to just over 9000 rpm in the terminal velocity area at the end of mile 5 (redline is theoretically 9400 rpm but it doesn't seem to want to go there). We do know that the tires are growing some (about 1.6%+/-) because we are about 150 rpms lower than mathematical calculations say the rpm should be at that speed. The kicker is that we had a bigger carb that had not been dyno'd on the engine. We played with tuning on it for 3 runs and then we put the smaller carb back on and picked up a few miles per hour - but not enough! That is when we started going to taller gearing and we kept picking up speed - finally qualifying for the record - and then going 1.5 mph faster than the qualifying speed on the return run, which was on the Friday morning of Speedweek and the air was the densest it had been all week.... We also had a front tire that went flat on that run and I know THAT had a cost of several miles per hour. 

With all that in mind, we are probably in the "ballpark" to go over 280 (perhaps up to 285) mph with the present combination. After that, the last realistic gear ratio change for the car will be the 2.75s which should theoretically give the car another 5 mph..... Now, here is my logic on what I have presented so far- Do I, if I have achieved 290 mph, look at everyone and say, "That's it.... we can't go any faster." .... and then we pack up and go home.....

See, this is Bonneviile Landspeed Racing and until the next gear ratio change shows the car as slowing down 'cuz it can't pull the gear, how does one know that the limit has been achieved?
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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2012, 10:51:13 PM »
->Hotrod.... I called Mark Williams. I was advised to go straight to Richmond gear and present my "dilemma" to them.

I have done so and was asked to follow it up with another email and he will come up with pricing for a custom gear set. He did add though, that, if I was able to buy a minimum order of gear sets, the price per set WOULD cost less as well as perhaps I could sell the rest of them to other Bonneville racers who are in the same "dilemma". It would probably be a pretty hefty cash outlay but it may be something to consider.

That is where it is at so far....
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Offline gfisher

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2012, 11:23:13 PM »
I have a set of 2.69 gears.  Don't want to let them go for good, though.  How about I loan them to you at Speedweek in exchange for a cold beer?
Gary
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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2012, 12:40:22 AM »
Gary,
If you have a set of 2.69 gears for a Ford 9", consider them lent to me.... It is my guess though that they will be more needed at the WoS and/or WFs in Sept/Oct....

Are they set up in a 3rd member?... If so, is it open diff, posi, a spool and, importantly, is it for 28 spline axles? BTW, the tooth count is 43 on the ring gear and 16 on the pinion gear. You ARE sure of them being 2.69, are you?.... 'cuz Ford DID make an 8" rear end with 2.79....

Also, how did you come by them
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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2012, 12:47:24 AM »

Also, how did you come by them

I really wanted to know from where they may have come so that I could go chasing an additional set or two...

As far as I know, whether they would be Ford or aftermarket, there will by identification markings on the periphery of the ring gear which should show probably an mfr's name (i.e. Ford, Richmond Gear etc) a part number and tooth counts. Are you able to take any good high resolution pictures and post them on here or PM me and I will send you an email to which you could reply with the picture(s)?
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Offline maguromic

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2012, 08:00:34 AM »
Fastman, I have a set also, but I am in Dubai till the end of the month and cant check for you.  They came on the late 50's Ford Fairilane's and possibly other big Fords. Here is a set for sale for $50  http://akron.amerja.com/forsale-a-auto-parts-a-a1435989-a--Ford-9-inch-2-69-ratio-ring-and-pinion-gears-50- 

Now you owe me a beer, not the stuff Bob drinks.  :cheers: Tony

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Offline SPARKY

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2012, 10:02:23 AM »
Geeze Dave, bite the bullet get rid of the Ford 9" and pick up 4% power to the ground and run 2.72 GM in a GM 8.5" 10-12 or 12 bolt as well as the GM 7.5 and you could pull it the next stop would be 2.56s
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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2012, 11:19:06 AM »
Tony - thanx for the info - I tried calling the guy and got no answer - I left a message though.... hopefully, he calls me back.

Sparky - How did I KNOW that you were going to post on here?......and why is it NO SURPRISE that the number 7.5 is in there.....?

At this stage, my man, I am NOT going to rebuild the car to accomodate the different pinion offsets. I am talking ONE (and ONLY ONE) gear ratio change here.... And the reason I stayed with 9" Fords in the first place was due to the availability of ratios that are in 1% to 2% incremental differences.

I am going to share something with you all here.... when we set the record at the W/Fs 2010, we had the Goodyear 28" tall tires and 2.75 gears in the diff. Mathematical calculations showed 276 mph at 9111 rpm. We installed, for S/W 2011, the 30" Mickey Thompson tires and went to a 2.91 set of gears. Mathematical calculations showed 276 mph at 8999 rpm - roughly the equivalent to within about 100 engine rpms lower, due to my assumption that the Goodyears probably grew more than the M/Ts.... We lost several miles per hour and the Racepak said that all was as it should be. We ended hitting a "barrier" at 274 mph on two back to back runs. I modified my assumption to be that the M/T tires possibly were NOT a true 30" tall tire and/or that they perhaps shrunk at high speed (lol)..... We went to 2.86 gears (which should have given 281 mph at just over 9000 rpm) and, on the next run, we had a situation in the car that Ed described as what funny car tire shake must feel like - he aborted the run. The ONLY change was to the 2.86 gears, which, to our surprise, suddenly had NO differential action - like the rear end was locked or a spool was suddenly installed (we run open differentials).... hmmmm..... We installed the 2.80 gears (which calculate out to give us 287 mph at just over 9000 rpm) and Ed qualified for the record late in the day on Thursday. We backed up the record the next morning. We were also about 350 rpms lower than where we thought we wanted to be, so it is our assumption that getting on it a bit more aggressively in first gear and trying to get the 1/4 mile speed up may get us an extra 3 - 5 miles per hour at the far end.

The other item is that the bigger carb ought to allow us to get an extra 100 to 200 rpms out of the engine, which should be good for a few more miles per hour.

The mathematical calculations are that, with all other things being the same, 2.69 gears will give us the theoretical ability to go 300 mph.... and then the car gets retired - whether it can pull the gear ratio or not.

Maybe it will all work.... maybe it won't.... but we are going to give it our best shot.




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Offline fastman614

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2012, 01:21:33 PM »
Fastman, I have a set also, but I am in Dubai till the end of the month and cant check for you.  They came on the late 50's Ford Fairilane's and possibly other big Fords. Here is a set for sale for $50  http://akron.amerja.com/forsale-a-auto-parts-a-a1435989-a--Ford-9-inch-2-69-ratio-ring-and-pinion-gears-50- 

Now you owe me a beer, not the stuff Bob drinks.  :cheers: Tony

You are in Dubai - I HAVE heard of that place. One of my friends attempted to get me linked up with his employer who does specialized mechanical work over there.... but after his account of being over ther just pre 9/11/01, I thought not.....

So, to everyone who offere ,the diff NEEDS to be for 28 spline axles and prefereaby open - if already set up....

And, Tony, I do not have any idea what Bob drinks.... were you perhaps referring to Bob of Bob and Doug McKenzie of Strange Brew "fame".... Their beer of choice was Elsinore beer... which we, in Canada, figured had to be a take-off of the not necessarily famous Pilsener beer sold throughout Canada....

Hmmmm..... maybe I ought to bring some sampler packs of Canadian beer down again this year.....
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Offline SPARKY

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #13 on: May 17, 2012, 01:23:57 PM »
lol   :cheers:

« Last Edit: May 17, 2012, 01:25:45 PM by SPARKY »
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!

Offline gfisher

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Re: WANTED - Ford 9" Gears with a 2.69 Ratio
« Reply #14 on: May 17, 2012, 10:46:23 PM »
Sorry, Fastman.  Major fail on my part.  I bought the 2.69 third member as part of a lot of other stuff a while back and never actually counted the teeth to make sure.  It’s definitely NOT a 2.69.  Guess I shouldn’t have believed the 2.69 written on the carrying case without checking for sure. It’s a 31 spline, anyway.

So much for the Canadian beer…. :-(
Gary
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