Napa Paul posted:ALB posted:Ok, I drive my daughter to the mall and all this happens while I'm gone!
@Stan Galat- I took my coat off, read your first paragraph and nearly inhaled a half eaten grape I laughed so hard!
I'm just glad that I coughed it back out as there isn't anyone else up/home...
"But the reality is that nothing we do to our cars makes as much difference in the "feel" of these cars as the gear ratios. I'm a motor guy, and I think the transmission makes a bigger difference than the engine."
Exactly! Going to close ratio gears (even just 3rd and 4th) is like going from a stock 1600 to a 6,000 rpm 1776, 1835 (thickwall!) or 1915 or, for those that already have a warmed over half pint, to a 140-150 hp stroker. It's that game changing! Doing the close 1st/2nd is just icing on the cake. Of course, now with close gears you're limited to 50-55 mph on the highway, and if you'd just coughed up for the extra gear at the same time it wouldn't have been THAT much more!
@JMM (Michael) wrote- "Oh, you can push a 4 speed past $3000. Ask me how I know"...
I don't have to ask, Michael, I've been there!
@majorkahuna- start the process now if you're thinking of a Berg 5, Noel; just waiting for GBE to have enough orders to do a production run (they do 10 main and pinion shafts at a time to keep costs down) could be 6 months to a year.
"6 months to a year," eh? That sounds like someone is awaiting their sentencing hearing!
It's a long wait, I know, but (other than Ted) once it's in the car and working correctly no one I know or have read about has said the wait wasn't worth it. Just accept it, get your pieces down to GBE now and you'll be roaring around with close gears AND THAT ELUSIVE HIGHWAY GEAR by Spring 2021. If your car is a swingaxle it's the only game in town. If irs you have to option of a 901 5 speed; it's not an overly difficult install, but there is a little bit of welding/fabrication and you'll be dealing with a 50 year old transaxle. And people think it's expensive to rebuild a VW trans- I'd love to hear what a rebuilt 901 ends up costing. And if you don't like the gearing inside...