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Author Topic:   top loader question
kewljay223
Gearhead

Posts: 363
From: Long Beach, California
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 01-23-2004 04:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kewljay223   Click Here to Email kewljay223     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
i have the top loader with the overdriven 4th gear. lame question but how do you drive this? is it three gears and the 4th is to pass people for a short time or can i cruise in the 4th gear on the freeway? i should get the car on the road in a couple months and drive it for the first time and i dont want to throw it in 4th and hurt something. thanks.

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BLstangin
Gearhead

Posts: 765
From: St. James, MN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 01-23-2004 05:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for BLstangin   Click Here to Email BLstangin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You can drive in 4th,that is what it is made for, especially in an overdrive toploader, that way in reduces your crusing rpms, giving your better gas mileage. Basically 4th is for cruising down the highway.

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1970 coupe restored with the help of my dad. 306 with 600 holley, Weiand Stealth intake, headers, Comp cam, harland sharp roller rockers, kb pistons, 11:1 compression ratio, pertonix ignitor 2 with matched coil, lakewood bellhousing, 4-speed toploader, and 2.79 open 8" rear. Soon to be 9" 3.50 trac-lok
1986 f-150, 5.0, factory towing package with original c-6 trans

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kewljay223
Gearhead

Posts: 363
From: Long Beach, California
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 01-24-2004 01:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kewljay223   Click Here to Email kewljay223     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
ok, then i dont understand the point of the overdrive. i thought overdrive increases the rpms for a burst of speed. at least thats what it does in an automatic.... is this a better toploader because of this? i dont know. please explain.

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3F05Q
Journeyman

Posts: 65
From: Stockton, CA, US of A
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 01-24-2004 07:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for 3F05Q     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Kewljay,

All overdrive refers to is the gear ratio being a smaller number than 1:1. Most trannys top gears are a 1:1 ratio, or simply 1. When a transmission is referred to as having an overdrive it means that in the top gear the ratio continues to decrease even more and the Output shaft of the tranny will spin faster than the input. Such a ratio would be something like .8 or .75. In practicality transmissions all go from 1st to 4th or 5th and so on with progressively smaller ratios. 3:1, 2:1, 1:1.
An overdrive would be more like this 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, .8:1. Automatics do the same. Overdrive will drop the RPM even more just like another gear, and it's result is better gas milage for those long hauls, just as BLstangin said. I really hope this helps you out, and doesn't further confuse anyone. Perhaps there is a better example out there that someone can offer.

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Tire squeal. It's just the tires screaming "Yay."

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kewljay223
Gearhead

Posts: 363
From: Long Beach, California
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 01-24-2004 11:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kewljay223   Click Here to Email kewljay223     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
ok.this makes sense now. thats pretty cool though. so in reality, when an auto kicks the rpms up when you smash down on the gas, it goes to a higher gear which isnt overdrive like everybody says. thats where i was getting the confusion. now my other question is.... does this mean my ecceleration is worse because the first gear is diferent?

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RonnieT
Gearhead

Posts: 827
From: Port Allen, La. 70767
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-24-2004 12:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for RonnieT   Click Here to Email RonnieT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
kewljay223

An auto will downshift one gear for acceleration when the accelerator pedel is depressed, if you have a automatic overdrive transmission it will downshift out of overdrive first, then if wll downshift to 2nd gear depending on the vehicle speed.

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Ronnie
69 mach1 351W-4V engineless at the time!
70 Torino GT 351C-4v with a "shaker"
Mustangs and More Member #23

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