^^^-----Perfect example of what I described in my earlier post....^^^^^^^......
Now back to the subject... From what you have described soo far I personally would go with a 3.73 or possibly even a 4.11. I wouldn't really want to drive 45 mins to the track with a 4.11 but since you'll be trailering it... GO FOR IT.... I wouldn't hesitate to drive it that far with a 3.73 though.
I drove the 71 with a 455 to Daytona and back (5 hours each way) with a 3.55 gear on more than one occassion.
Most won't like my response but here it is anyways................If your gonna trailer that baby to the track for that 45 minute haul, like Chris Van stated, 4.10 are great....I say go 4.56 if it's just gonna be a "around town" cruiser..Hell back in the day the old "A" body cars came from the factory with 4.56 gears, ....well some of them did anyways....But more realistically, I would say 4.10. I can tell you a few years ago I had a th-400 in my car with the 3.73 gears and it was ok.... I say throw in a beefed up 700r4 in that b*tch and run 4.10 and this way you can drive it to the track in o/d 8)
My experience with a 461 olds and 4.11's was pretty negative. I had 12 inch wide slicks and could smoke them and tach my engine out anything under 35-40mph in second. I recommended a gear around 3.23 because that is all you will be able to use. Throw a 4.11 in it and you will spin bad every time you try to launch. The track is tackier than the street of course but you will still spin bad with 4.11's. You are putting down major torque with an engine that has a low redline. 6K is all you should need to get maximum performance out of that engine. Being that you said it is 450ish HP it is a pretty mild 461.
My experience with a 461 olds and 4.11's was pretty negative. I had 12 inch wide slicks and could smoke them and tach my engine out anything under 35-40mph in second. I recommended a gear around 3.23 because that is all you will be able to use. Throw a 4.11 in it and you will spin bad every time you try to launch. The track is tackier than the street of course but you will still spin bad with 4.11's. You are putting down major torque with an engine that has a low redline. 6K is all you should need to get maximum performance out of that engine. Being that you said it is 450ish HP it is a pretty mild 461.
My experience with a 461 olds and 4.11's was pretty negative. I had 12 inch wide slicks and could smoke them and tach my engine out anything under 35-40mph in second. I recommended a gear around 3.23 because that is all you will be able to use. Throw a 4.11 in it and you will spin bad every time you try to launch. The track is tackier than the street of course but you will still spin bad with 4.11's. You are putting down major torque with an engine that has a low redline. 6K is all you should need to get maximum performance out of that engine. Being that you said it is 450ish HP it is a pretty mild 461.
His traction issues were on the street (I don't remember if we ever got to the track with that car) But thats still ridiculous to be blowing slicks off at a 30mph roll :idea: IMO the most gear that thing needed was 3.42, maximum :!:
The 461 in my 83 hooked just fine with a 10.5" slick, 4.56 gear and had way too much converter for the torque monster. Put the same engine in a 72 442 also with a 28x10.5 slick, 4.11 gear and a much tighter converter more suited for the combination and had no traction issues there either. Mind you this was at the track and I can honestly say that I don't think I ever tried either one on the street.
The 71 will blow the tires off at a pretty good roll with the hard BFG street tires but that's to be expected from those tires.
Just curious..... how much air were ya'll running in thoes 12" slicks??
How much cam do you have? Ported bigger valved heads? Not how much can it rev to but rather at what rpm does peak HP occur? Do you run a 28.0" slick? Find this out and you can get a more specific and accurate answer as to optimum gear otherwise the general answers you have are generally right. 75% drag use correct?
Most pump gassed cammed Olds 455s are past peak HP by 6,000 rpms. Keep in mind when you do drive it on the street the large diameter bearings of the Olds 455 don't like excessive rpms for extened periods of time. They create excessive heat and wear faster at best. So either gear & drive accordingly or add a seperate oil cooler and a good oil temp guage or end up rebuilding her sooner.
Why do so many people want an easy answer instead of the information/method to find and prove to themselves the best answer for themselves.
cam,hydraulic, 272/284 duration 484/512 lift,K.B piston 30 over i think it is 10 to1 or 10 to 5 flat top,timing chain is a double roller,heads have been a little port& polish
GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
