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Rear End Gears

1K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  b1lk1 
#1 ·
I was looking at picking up a set of rear end gears for my 87 to speed it up a little and i was wondering what you guys would suggest I have a 87 lx hatch back with some basic mods aluminum drive shaft manual 5 speed and full exhaust msd ignition and 17in cobra r rims etc etc.. Theirs a posting in the junkyard horsepower that has a list of rear end gears in vehicles im making a trip to the salvage yard any way so i was wondering if it would be worth my time I don't plan on upgrading the whole rear end for a while.

This is the posting from the junkyard horsepower thread
Gears
ID Tags 3L55 and 3L73
87-88 Turbo Coupes, F150, 4.0 Ranger, Bronco II, Explorer, SVO, Lincoln Mark 7 LSC
8.8 3.73 Came in 4.0L 4X4 Rangers and Explorers with a 5 speed.
8.8 4.10 came in 96/97ish newer 4.0 4X4 rangers and explorers. with auto
Most of the two wheel drive 4.0L ranger and Exp. had 3.55 as well as any half ton pickup.
All full size Bronco's had 3.55's and tlock
87-88 T-bird Turbo coupe auto - 3.73, 5-speed - 3.55
Ford Ranger 4x4 1990+ 4.0L 3.73 M/T
Ford Ranger 4x4 1990+ 4.0L 4.10 A/T
Ford Ranger 4x2 Year? 4.0L 3.55
Ford Explorer Year ?Engine? 3.55
Ford F150 Year? 5.0 or4.6 3.55


Any insight would be appreciated thanks a bunch in advance!
 
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#5 ·
I have the 3.73 and would go with 3.55 if I had it to do over again. 1st gear runs out a bit fast with the 3.73, I don't think you would be disappointed either way but the I'd probably like the .55 slightly more.
 
#6 ·
I installed 3.55's mainly because I do some freeway driving. At 75mph, I tach about 2200 rpm's. I would assume with the 3.73's it would be in the upper 2000's or close to 3000. I didn't want to sustain the upper 2000's for a long period of time. That's a lot of revving!! Some say it won't bother the engine, but I don't want to find out otherwise the hard way!! :wink:


Like mentioned above, when I upgraded from 2.73's (stock) to 3.55's, it was like a whole new car with a bunch more horsepower!! Great upgrade. :grin:
 
#7 ·
Sweet thanks guys! ill get right on it pretty bad when im on vacation and scavenging for parts cause its 50x cheaper and there's a great selection of used good parts in Arizona junk yards!:thankyou
 
#8 ·
I have 4.10's with an AOD and a 26" diameter tire, and at 70 mph I run about 2300 rpm. I still think the 3.73's are the way to go. The diameter of your tire will also have an impact on your rear end gearing, so take that into account.
 
#9 ·
I just put 3.27's in mine. With a 5 spd. and stock tire/wheels, I'm doing 65mph at 2000rpm. I wasn't really looking for quicker acceleration, I just wanted to stop frying my clutch in traffic.
 
#10 ·
3.55's in my car, absolutely love them. I can light them up in the first 3 gears and from a roll. 3.73's make 1st gear almost unusable. If I had the dough for a T56 I'd go with 4.10's.
 
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