Gearing?

[allbetterinabit]

Hey guys, I'm going to be dropping a 3400 into my 1995 olds cutlass supreme and I'm considering a five speed manual to go with it. The only 5 speeds that I should think about using would come from fieros and other such cars, so my question is: what would the differences in gear ratios, axle ratio's, final drive, etc be between it and the 4t60e? Would the gearing be compatible for efficient opperation? Would I even be able to use first gear, lol? It just doesn't seem like it would work too well coming from a much lighter car with a bit less power and totally different gearing. The fiero only got an epa estimate of around 28 on the highway I believe, so with shorter gearing, wouldn't my car be even worse off? Thanks.

[Superdave]

i had a mildly build 3400 in a cavalier last year.. with the stock HM282 5 speed it was Very fast, still got great gas mileage as well.. that's a 3.61 final drive. the HM282 can handle just about anything you throw at it.


right now i'm running a 3.94 final drive HM282 behind a 3500 and it's almost a bit much, 1st gear is useless. Depending on my track times i may switch back to my old tranny...

here are the ratios...

V6 HM282 (Muncie)
1st 3.50
2nd 2.05
3rd 1.38
4th 0.94
5th 0.72
Axle 3.61



and the one i'm using...

1991-1993 W41

1st 3.50
2nd 2.05
3rd 1.38
4th 1.03
5th 0.81
Axle 3.94

[bszopi]

And here are a bunch of other ratios...

http://60degreev6.com/showthread.php?t=25036

[allbetterinabit]

What about the 284? I might lightly boost my engine (around 7psi) later on. The 284 came on the dohc 3.4s right? Wouldn't that be a bit tougher? Are you familiar with that tranny as well?

What about the ratios for the 4t60e?

I'm just trying to find the best setup for my car. You must pardon me, I'm anal about this stuff

[Superdave]

aftermarket for the 284 is nearly non-existant.. the 282's have been put behind nearly 500lbs of torque and hold up fine... plus there are a ton of aftermarket clutches for them.

4T60-E stuff is here: http://60degreev6.com/forumdisplay.php?f=75

Also located on the left side of your screen

[sharkey]

have a look at the 282 section for the gearing list. the best bet would be to find a w-body that is 5 speed, everything should pretty much bolt right in.

i run a stock j-body 5 speed (the first ratios listed above). first gear is actualy kinda long with my motor in a 2600lb car. im swapping to a 92-94 quad 4 ho tranny (the 2nd set of ratios, except 5th gear is .74 instead of .81). i have driven a treez24's car with that tranny (he ran a 13.9 n/a) and yea, thats short, but it ssure gets up and going in one hell of a hurry

[IsaacHayes]

Nah a first gear being long is my 1st going to 46mph at 5500rpm and 2nd at 87mph.

[allbetterinabit]

I'll look into the 282. Thanks.

Was it a stock 282 that held up to 500 lbs of torque?

I thought the only w-body 5 speed was the 284?

[IsaacHayes]

Yeah I think the 284 was all the w body got... But if the donor is in good shape swapping it over should be the ticket. I'm not sure if the 284 and 282 share the same axels. If they do then if the 284 goes out put a 282 in there.

[sharkey]

the 284 was behind the 3.4l dohc only. w bodies in the early 90s did get a getrag 282 with the 2.8/3.1 and even the quad 4 ho. the q4 tranny wont bolt to a 3400, but other parts from it are usable, like the shifter, cables, mount drivers side axle, ect.

[allbetterinabit]

Is this swap something I could gather the parts for and then have a local shop do? I'm in the military so I don't have a terrible amount of free time.

[Superdave]

the 284 was behind the 3.4l dohc only. w bodies in the early 90s did get a getrag 282 with the 2.8/3.1 and even the quad 4 ho. the q4 tranny wont bolt to a 3400, but other parts from it are usable, like the shifter, cables, mount drivers side axle, ect.

the quad 4 tranny will work, you just need to swap on a V6 Bellhousing. That's something i'd have a shop do though.. i did mine and it leaks tranny fluid

[sharkey]

then you didnt seal it right.

you can use the quad 4 tranny by swapping out the bellhousing, however you would need to find another tranny to get the correct bellhousing from. depending on the year, the w-body quad 4 wouldnt have the desired gearing.

[allbetterinabit]

So what's the consensus here?

Where is a good place online to find used 282s?

[RedBird]

www.car-part.com