Gearing

[Crispy]

Hi,



I have a 1976 GMC War Wagon. It's a Canadian issue ex-military pick-up.



As far as I can tell, it has a 1 ton rear end and a Dana 44HD 3/4 front end.



I changed the 203 chain drive transfer case to a 205 gear drive a couple of years ago and it works fantastic. My next challenge is to gear the front and rear ends so as to not hold up traffic! 80KM/hr is as fast as the truck will go. I'd like to change the gears so that I can use the truck on the highway but need to know the following:



01) What gear ratio should I look for?

02) How to ensure a matching set as the front & rear diff's are different

03) Where to look in Canada or the US



Thanks in advance!



Chris Peabody

Moncton NB

Canada

 

[big_truxx]

01) What gear ratio should I look for?
02) How to ensure a matching set as the front & rear diff's are different
03) Where to look in Canada or the US

hello and welcome to CK5! What tire size and your main use (daily driver trail etc) mainly dictate what gear ratio you would want. And why are the front and rear different?

 

[Shaggy]

Leave the gears as is, put bigger tires on. You'll go faster AND look cooler.

 

[Crispy]

Just the way it was made

Hey Mad Scientist,

I'm guessing 3.73's are the way to go as I want to run the truck on the Highway. I have had the vehicle for about 4 years now, but have not gotten to use it as much as I want due to the low gearing.

We took the cover off the rear diff this weekend and found that it has 4.55 gears.

You would have to be familiar with these Ex-Military vehicles to understand why the front end is smaller than the rear. It's just the way they were made. Nothing on this truck is normal! The frame is thicker, the cab is reinforced, springs are heavier, etc, etc.



Chris