I spoke with gear vendors directly and they can build a unit that will meet my needs. Even though the .778 ratio doesn't get to the top speed I need with a 3.00 rear end (which is installed the Strange center section the customer just bought hence the changing the rear is not option comment), I can also use 2 of them in series to get there. So I can present the choice of getting a 2.47 rear gear with 1 gear vendors rated for 1,000hp or stay with the new strange setup 3.00 and get (2) gear vendors in series. The idea of flipping the transmission around is just too unknown to do for this project, although I am totally intrigued enough that I may try it later just to see what happens. Thanks for all of the great advice and suggestions. It is great to be able to tap into such an experienced group of folks.
Sooo your customer will spend 1,000-plus dollars on a gear vendor and sacrifice a 10% plus power loss to get a 2.47 final but not spend 200 dollars on a 2.50 gear set ? Cause he doesn't wan to change the r&p?!!
Here is an update. I have ordered a 2.47 ford 9 inch ring and pinion gear set and it is on its way. While that helps the situation, it does not alleviate the need for a gear vendors or a transmission with a real overdrive. With a 5000 RPM engine limit, a 2.47 rear end with 26 inch tires will not be able to yield a top speed of 170-180. I spoke with gear vendors, and their price for a new unit that can handle the kind of torque we are talking about is $2800, not 1000 so if you have a source for a new gear vendors at 1000 I would love to know it. I have not ruled out a more modern three speed transmission with overdrive versus a powerglide with gear vendors. By the way, gear vendors claims no more than a 5% power loss. I am always suspect of numbers coming from the vendor themselves.
Years ago I read that the 58 Edsel was offered with an optional 2.00 rearend. I could well be wrong, memory is fuzzy and all that, but it might be worth the effort to contact an Edsel Guru.
The Winters Extremliner is available with 3.08 or 2.00 R&P. They used to have a kit for adapting a double reduction quickchange gear set to a Saginaw transmission. This was for racing cl***es that did not allow Q.C.s. These did not require a reverse rotation or flipping of the axle. I have built a couple of stand alone Quickchange boxes that fit between the transmission and rear end. These did require reversing or flipping. That is entirely possible with the Strange axle you have, but will probably offset the pinion (unless it was ordered 'Centered'. Off the shelf change gears available to .577 ratio giving your 3.00 a final ratio of 1.73:1. If it were me, with your limitations, I would use a 700R4 and the 2.75 ratio Squirrel mentioned. Gives you 1.92:1 in OD and a 5.89 overall 1st gear. In itself, 1000 H.P. doesn't have much effect on the gears in any of the stuff mentioned above. If you gently apply the power at each gear change they will all work. If you hammer any of them, they WILL break!
I saw a 2.00 tag on a rear end in a 1964 lincoln several yrs ago. Not wanting to run on the salt, I p***ed on it. You might look around for one of those. I bought a new 1978 Pontiac T/A with 2.20 gears behind a 403 Olds (back in the corporate engine days). Soooo....they are out there.
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