Trans gear ratios? Possible rearend trade.

[firstgencamaros]

Any body know what the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear ratios are in a stock 3 speed trans. The trans in my 68 shortbed is original to the truck. Just wondering what kind of gear ratios I can get away with in a 4 speed. I hope that the first gear is around 2.50. That way if I go with a car saginaw witha 3.50 first gear I can loose the 4.11 rear gears for something more like a 3.08. This thing screams on the highway (RPM). Anyone in the metro phoenix area (or anywhere else if you want to deliver yours and pick up mine) interested in swaping a 3.08 2wd rear for a 4.11 2wd unit? I prefer to do a rear for rear swap instead of tearing the thing down and replacing the carrier and gears.
Later,

[crazy longhorn]

On the saginaw 3 spds(7 bolt side cover), the first ratio should be 2.85. 2nd is about 1.75,& 3rd is 1 to1. I ran a sag 4 spd with a 3.50 ist gear,& coupled with a 3.40 rear diff it worked out pretty good. The trans I had came from a monza & ran 3.50,2.50, 1.50, & 1 to1 in high. The trans ran in my longhorn for a while ......till a 6500 rpm shift to 3rd took all the teeth off the input shaft . After that, I put the old 3 spd back in ,& didnt like the ratios,had to install a set of 4.10 richmonds,& went 400 turbo. good luck......AL

[firstgencamaros]

Crazy Longhorn,
Thanks for the gear ratio info. That helps out a bunch. Looks like the car saginaw will do just what I want it to.


Thanks,

[crazy longhorn]

You will want to look at monza, vega for the lower gears saginaws(3.11, or 3.50 first). most of the cameros had a 2.52 first ,altho you might find a lower ratioed 4 spd in a 6 cyl camero. Its a pretty good combo for the bucks, if you dont crowd it too hard(the lower the first gear is , the less tork the trans will handle). Good luck.....AL