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low end power

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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 02:56 PM
  #1  
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sustroess
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low end power

hello im new to the forms... i was wondering how i could get more low end power from my engine. i have a 92 150 with a 300 inline, gears are 3.08, i also have a 2 inch body with about a 3 to 4 inch suspenion with 35 inch tires. the only things that i have done to the engine is a k&n air filter with a exhaust( i only removed the last cat and replaced with a cherry bomb and then shot the exhaust out before the tire). i would like to do it kind of cheap since im in college, but what i want from the engine is to be able to pull like logs out of the woods with out putting it in 4 low, i would like to put in like 4.10 gears but also stuff to the engine... not worried about how quick i can get up to speed or anything like that, just more like a low rpm, low grunting strong build engine... thanks for reading any advice would be nice, thanks again

Sully
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:03 PM
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6CylBill
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You're killing the engine and transmission with the 35 inch tires and 3.08 gear ratio.

Re-gear to 4.10 if you plan on keeping the 35's. If I could suggest anything to you however, it would be to downsize your tires to 33's and re-gear the truck to 3.73's.

When you don't put extrememly large tires on a stock truck the 300 makes great low end power.

You will never have GREAT power with tires that big.

Here's a good rule of thumb for a 300 powered truck with an overdrive transmission;

31 inch tire is best fitted with a 3.55 gear.

33 inch tire, 3.73.

35 inch tire, 4.10 or .56.

Do the gear swap before you hurt anything. You're working that poor engine and transmission to death with those highway gears and massize tires.

Please post any pictures of your truck if you got'em!
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:40 PM
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dclack
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What tranny do you have? If you have an auto, there's part of your problem. First gear is something like 3.06, don't quote me. But if you get a ZF 5sp, it has a 5.72 first gear.

But this swap would cost more. Definately follow Bill's guidelines above.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:46 PM
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Thanks dclack!

BTW, the E4 auto actually has a lower first gear than the M5. Not enough to matter.

The ZF has that awesome granny gear. I wish I had a ZF in my rig!
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:48 PM
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ok here my little toy is....



thats after i flipped it on a snowy ice covered road..



got it running again ( moving with the lift )



during painting



Buddy bet me that a ford couldnt go through the mud hole ( ha won that bet )



with 36.5 in tires

and the last one is with 31 in tires in the pond




hope you guys like my truck... first thing that i every did of that magnatude.. after the crash i bought a parts truck, chopped the top off of mine and replaced it with the other one, then took the lift off of the parts truck and put it on mine, still a work in progress but idk seems nice riding in the old blue...


Sully
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:50 PM
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one more of the crash




And yes I have an auto in the truck, would like to switch to a 5 speed in the future but saddly not enough money, i have the five speed from the parts truck so i have a start, but oh well all in time


sully
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:51 PM
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IDIDieselJohn
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I'll tell ya one thing, the Mazda 5 speed has a way to high Reverse gear! I saw that in my '88 F150 compared to my 1990 F250 ZF5!


x2 on the re-gear to keep those tires!
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:53 PM
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fishforlife2007
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i like the color. re-gear. theres alot you can do that may only help out a little with it. best bet for more power with the 300 is either throw a cam in it or put a zf in her with diff. gears in the axles. thats bout it from what ive read up on future mods on mine.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:53 PM
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She's a beautiful horse, Sully. I love the look of that truck.

I see why you have 35's on her now. Just put some 4.56 gears under her and you'll be surprised the difference in power. Much less strain on the drive train too. It's worth the money.

Your truck will also preform much better in the mud. Bragging rights!

Also you might as well instal a limited slip if you're going to dish out the money for new ring and pinions.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 03:59 PM
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what would a ruff cost for new gears ( just so i can start saving ) and if i were to throw a cam in it, would would i look for, i know you can get different stages i dont really want to start modding the engine to much, could i just throw in a cam with out doing anything else to the engine?
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 04:08 PM
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If your 300 is EFI you can't really cam it. You can't do much with an EFI 300. You can build up the carb'd ones but the computer for the EFI doesn't like any serious modifications.

Look up the price on Jegs.com. Shop around. It's not cheap and if you don't have a friend or family member who knows how you will have to pay a mechanic to do the gear swap.

But, it's worth it. Save up for it.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by 6CylBill
...I wish I had a ZF in my rig!
My brother-in-law just picked up a ZF for $425! He's going to put in a 1970 Bronco behind a 302. It's going to be sweet!

BTW, if that tranny from your donnor truck isn't a ZF, I wouldn't bother converting an auto to a manual. Like Bill said, the Mazda 5sp doesn't have that granny gear.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 04:49 PM
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If you're handy with a wrench, you could do the re-gear yourself. I did with no experience at all and it worked out fine. I learned alot by watching U-Tube videos and reading forms such as this one. But if you try it, take the time to learn everything about your diffs and to set the gears right. If you don't have good patience, don't try it, or you'll be paying more to do it again.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by dclack
If you're handy with a wrench, you could do the re-gear yourself. I did with no experience at all and it worked out fine. I learned alot by watching U-Tube videos and reading forms such as this one. But if you try it, take the time to learn everything about your diffs and to set the gears right. If you don't have good patience, don't try it, or you'll be paying more to do it again.
You sound like a Mechanic born brother. A gear swap is no simple thing in my opinion!
 
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 05:14 PM
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That's what I was thinking. I think it would be much easier to just find one with the right gear ratio from the junk yard and swap out the whole axle. Doing a gear swap on your own is not an easy project.
 
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