426 hemi/keisler 5 speed...best gears?

getting ready to restore my 71 cuda vert. i have 426 hemi w/ keisler 5 spd. i have an 8 3/4 with the following pumpkins already built: 4.56, 3.91, 3.55, 3.23. i also have a dana 60 w/ 3.54. what to do???? what is best choice based on anyone's experience?

thanks in advance!
mike

Most important question is: What do you want to do with the car?

Second most important question: What diameter tire are you going to run?

Suggestion: If you are looking at sticky tires and/or hard launches, I'd ditch the 8 3/4" all together.

I am going to run a 60 with 3.55 gears. This is a 572 hemi and a A833 with the 3.09 first gear with 27" tires. Oh do the upgrade and install the dana 70 ring and pinion with a powerlock in the 60 housing. Tim

Tire diameter? Do you have the .64 5th gear ratio or the .82?

i am going to run a 275/60/15 tire. i will have to check on the 5th gear ratio. i wont be drag racing the car by any means. i think that i should probably put the dana 60 in there...because it would only be appropriate for "badness". just wondering if i should change the gear ratio in the dana. how hard is that and what all dana 60 gears will interchange. most of my experience is with 8 3/4.

yea, helps to know what OD is in your TKO. if you had the .64OD, I'd say go 4.56 on your gear ratio! but 3.91s on car tires would probably be fine with the .64OD.

if you have the .82OD, then I'd say keep your 3.55s.


I had a big block Dakota with the TKO600, .64OD, and 4.56 gears on 28" tires.

I could cruise the highway at 70mph and only turn 2400 rpm.

for a hemi 5-spd combo, I would highly suggest using the Dana, but on street tires the 8.75 should last as long as it never hooks up.

If using the .64 unit.....
run 4:10s...with 27.5" tire you will do roughly 80 around 2700-300 rpm....and more gear will be too much...and less is up to you....

use the overall chart to figure out what you want your cruising speed/rpm range..

Put the dana in it and leave that ratio in it, no matter waht size tires You can always run it in 4th or 3rd gear for hill climbing or curves insted of running the motor at a higher RPM in 5th all the time BTW, ALL OEM Hemi 4 speed cars only came with the Dana 60