steamy windows !!

[Steve Kerswell]

No, nothing like that I can assure you :-) Due to some inconsiderate tw*t hitting my Saab putting it in the garage at my expense, I've had to press the Sierra back into service. Luckily I had not got to far into doing the swap over, so a simple job to recommission. Decided for the first time to use the heater, now the Sierra is not entirely water tight, so after 15 minutes steam started to be blown out the vents. This condensed on the glass and no amount of wiping etc. would clear it. Thinking the heater was naff I thought another job while its stripped out. A quick nosey and it appears the housing was full of leaves which were wet. Cleaned it all out and still I have steamy windows. Driving with the windows open soon clears it but it is fun to see the damp air being thrown out the vents. Heater is not leaking just never used in 12 years, hopefully it will dry out a bit each trip. Or I'll just turn the thing off.

[James Doulton]

The original produced 111 lbft (151Nm) at 3500 rpm.

[James Doulton]

It runs fine, apart from having a tendency to run on when the ignition is turned off. But it just doesn't GO like it should. I drove it today (first time in a couple of months) and it was fine apart from lacking the zing. I haven't driven it because I was waiting to get some more spacers for the front wheels. Then I was really busy in the run-up to Christmas ... then family came ... and stayed ... and stayed.

Also I'd like to replace the exhaust before it falls off again. I'll leave the Webers and home-made electronic ignition until the summer.

[James Doulton]

I think that a car with a smaller frontal area, sleeker aerodynamics and/or more power could probably cope with the higher ratio. I am thinking of my Legerra, obviously!

(Although I have to find out where my horsepower have disappeared before I go to Llandow for the Omex/CKC track day in May, else Roger Barr will run rings around me in his 'Phaeton').

[Steve Kerswell]

Just spoke to Chris, and his RH with pinto and bike carbs pulls 7000 rpm in type 9. mode. He is hoping to pull 6500 in 5th. But 5th is just overdrive for motorways and long stretches of track. I'll let him go first :-)) and report back.

[Steve Kerswell]

Ah, overgeared. Had that on a motorcycle, Glad I asked

[James Doulton]

Steve:

[I have to add a proviso on these figures - I have estimated the aerodynamics based on other cars that I have calculated figures for e.g. My Rickman Ranger and from Ford Escort road tests].

So for your previous plan with a standard non-injected 2 litre Pinto, assuming that you are running 185/70x13 on the rear with a 3.89:1 rear axle, then I reckon that your top speed would be 94mph which you could do in either 4th (at 5500 rpm) or 5th (at 4680 rpm). More importantly you'd be pulling 3500 rpm at 70mph in 5th and be able to climb a 9.8% gradient at that speed. At 30mph in 5th you'd be doing 1500 rpm and be able to climb a 16% gradient.

Changing 5th to 0.75 reduces the performance. At 70mph you will be pulling 3075rpm giving a climb of 7.5% and at 30mph you'll get 1320 rpm and 14% climb. My Pintos don't like pulling at that speed. The top speed in 5th would drop to 90mph (3950rpm). It would have virtually no effect on fuel consumption, in both case I'd expect you to get 30mpg at 70mph.

When I got my Rickman it was geared similarly to what you are proposing but I found it really unresponsive on the motorway. I changed the final drive from 3.89 to 4.125 and it made a big improvement. Now I can hold 80 mph going up Hallen Hill (a long 4% hill on the M5) in 5th.
 
So from me, without any other changes, it's thumbs down on the 0.75. I think it would perhaps be more worthwhile if you used it to compensate if you lowered the overall gearing to give you more acceleration in the lower gears but wanted to keep the more comfortable motorway cruising. A 4.23 rear axle would virtually restore the 5th gear ratio to where it was but make it a little nippier off the line. 0-60mph? About 8.9s

[Steve Kerswell]

Sorry about this but I'm talking cars for a moment :-) Its really for James: Just shared a coffee with the gearbox man. He is rebuilding my friends MT75 box, he is installing a higher 5th. while its out. I may have mine done while its on the floor. James, he installs a 0.75 gear from the diesel box, straight swop, no machining etc. So how does that compare with the 0.85 it runs as standard in speed related wotsits at whatever revs my pinto will pull in 5th.

[Steve Kerswell]

@Paul: hic!!

[Paul Sheridan]

Have both !!!!   The B+ to play with, while building the rod.

[Steve Kerswell]

Just walked down the hot rodders, the hillbillies to me, 5 of them Sat in the garage drinking Jack Daniels, a bottle each !!  Sod the Dutton I want a rod, rat rod. :-))