Rear Differential

Today I removed the leaf springs, axles, and rear differential from the rear differential housing. (Rear End)

(In the process of removing the rear leaf springs)

The reason I am removing the rear leaf springs is that I plan to install coil over shocks and an air bag suspension to make this baby a low rider. I want her as low to the ground as possible at driving/riding height and then when I pull up to the curb I hit a button and she drops right to the ground. Leaf springs are not a good option for such things as they hinder the ability of the car to lower.

Wicked cool!

I do not want to install a hydraulic system on the vehicle because it is a rough ride and at my age I do not wish for a rough ride, not to mention the amount of space those systems take up and the added weight with all those extra batteries and fluid. If I wanted a rough ride I'd build a truck.

(Removed rear axles)

(Removed the rear differential or pumpkin as we used to call it. (or punkin as some old timers called it way back in the day)

I was very excited to find out that the gear ratio for this rear differential (rear diff) was 3.636:1. Not bad for an old beast.

It's probably a lower gear ratio than what normally came in most GM vehicles. (longer story, but too long for here) Most of the GM line came with a lame 3.09:1 gear set in the rear diff. That's a very high gear set and good for highway and in town speeds and all around driveability because it keeps the RPM levels of the motor low for good gas mileage and less wear and tear on the motor.

Most of my older race cars or street racers had a 4.11:1 gear ratio. It helps you get off the line faster depending on how you have built your motor and what transmission you have installed. (The gear ratio in the transmission and the rear differential makes a huge difference in driveability and engine RPM levels)

I won't have to invest in a new gear set for the rear end of this car as this gear ratio will do nicely for all around driving and possible street racing fun.

It should hook up quite nice with the modern 6 speed transmission I want to install in the vehicle. It may run a bit higher RPM at highway speeds than I want, but I think the vehicle should perform as desired.

I can always experiment with tire sizes (circumference) to change the RPM levels of the motor for gas mileage, normal driving, street fun, and hwy driving.

I'm writing this after a few (several) beers so I may rewrite it tomorrow.