Superformance MKII, Riverside Racer 289 FIA vintage race car

[1795]

UPS just delivered my new close ratio top loader from Dan Williams Toploaders (2.32, 1.69, 1.29, 1.0). Brought it inside to sit in the den until the weather breaks. The barn is a little leaky and I do not want to let the transmission get rusty during the thaws. If anyone is wondering, 1795 is the year that my house was built and the barn is about that old too! Everybody had taken most of the good monikers and I was getting frustrated with having to think up new ones, so I settled on 1795.

I will keep things updated as parts come in, probably should have waited a little before starting this thread, because there will not be a lot to post for a while until the roller gets here. I will be purchasing a race seat, fuel cell, fire system, fuel pump, tires, etc. along the way so that once the body is here I can go to town.

Dan does nice work and is a fund of knowledge. Just remember, if you call him to have a nice comfortable seat because you will be on the phone for a while; he does like to talk. A really friendly guy.

Jim

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by 1795

UPS just delivered my new close ratio top loader from Dan Williams Toploaders (2.32, 1.69, 1.29, 1.0). Brought it inside to sit in the den until the weather breaks. The barn is a little leaky and I do not want to let the transmission get rusty during the thaws. If anyone is wondering, 1795 is the year that my house was built and the barn is about that old too! Everybody had taken most of the good monikers and I was getting frustrated with having to think up new ones, so I settled on 1795.

I will keep things updated as parts come in, probably should have waited a little before starting this thread, because there will not be a lot to post for a while until the roller gets here. I will be purchasing a race seat, fuel cell, fire system, fuel pump, tires, etc. along the way so that once the body is here I can go to town.

Dan does nice work and is a fund of knowledge. Just remember, if you call him to have a nice comfortable seat because you will be on the phone for a while; he does like to talk. A really friendly guy.

Jim

Great choice of transmission Jim (I'm using one in a 289 as well). What tailhousing did you specify?
There are a lot of us here who look forward to build threads like this! Looking forward to the rest of the story as it unfolds.

Cheers,
Glen

[1795]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Great choice of transmission Jim (I'm using one in a 289 as well). What tailhousing did you specify?
There are a lot of us here who look forward to build threads like this! Looking forward to the rest of the story as it unfolds.

Cheers,
Glen

Glen,

I was not quite sure what tail housing to specify, so I described my project to Dan and he has a lot of experience building top loaders for race applications, and was also familiar with Superformance cobras. He suggested using the tail housing that is on this transmission. It is a 17" tail housing for a 28 spline application. What length tail housing do you have and what is the length of your driveshaft? From what I can see the extra length (as opposed to a 14" or 15 1/2" tail housing) is at the end of the tail and should not greatly effect shifter location.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. What reared ratio are you running and are you using a close ratio or wide ratio top loader?

Jim

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by 1795

Glen,

I was not quite sure what tail housing to specify, so I described my project to Dan and he has a lot of experience building top loaders for race applications, and was also familiar with Superformance cobras. He suggested using the tail housing that is on this transmission. It is a 17" tail housing for a 28 spline application. What length tail housing do you have and what is the length of your driveshaft? From what I can see the extra length (as opposed to a 14" or 15 1/2" tail housing) is at the end of the tail and should not greatly effect shifter location.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. What reared ratio are you running and are you using a close ratio or wide ratio top loader?

Jim

Hi Jim,

My Toploader has a 14" tail housing. I can then have a longer tailshaft which means that alignment of the geabox and diff. is not as critical.

My Toploader is a WR and my rear end ratio is a 2.92:1 I haven't worked it out, but my first gear ratio will possibly be similar to your CR with lower diff ratio. Hey, it's a very light car and it can easily handle it, right?

Cheers,
Glen

[1795]

Glen,

Yes, I will have a shorter driveshaft, but it will be manageable to install. In my humble opinion, having had a wide ratio top loader in my ERA, the wide ratio is much better for the street. You car must cruise nicely on the highway with that rear-end ratio; almost like an overdrive.

Given the power to weigh ratios that we run, any combination of transmission and rear end is possible.

Cheers,

Jim

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by 1795

.....In my humble opinion, having had a wide ratio top loader in my ERA, the wide ratio is much better for the street. You car must cruise nicely on the highway with that rear-end ratio; almost like an overdrive.

Given the power to weigh ratios that we run, any combination of transmission and rear end is possible.

Cheers,

Jim

Totally agree....however most think I'm crazy running a 2.92 diff ratio