I to the track and i could only get a 16.3. We adjusted the timing and shift points and we now have the car pulling hard all the way to 5500 rpm but once it hits 3rd gear nothing it just sits at 3500, and you can floor it and no response. Could this be because my transmission is locking up? any answers would be much appreciated.

 

thats strange, does it do that on the street (highway)

 

3rd is not as bad on the highway, but when I go from astop at wot when it hits 3rd gear the tach stays at 3000 -3500 rpms and doesnt pull. Its killing my times.

 

does anyone know if the transmission is locking up or do I need to adjust my timing. I am running out ideas we have probably made the car a second quicker by fixing my timing and shifting points but, how much do you think my 3rd gear is hurting me? thanks

 

anyone? I am trying to get this problem fixed before this weekend. thnaks

 

3rd gear doesn't sound like your problem as much as 2.73s and lack of power is.

With 2.73s and shifting at 5500, you're going into 3rd not too far before the traps. It's safe to say you were only on your way to a high 15 at best ASSUMING there was an actual problem in the tranny.
And a high 15 second car pushing 2.73s in 3rd gear will feel like there's a problem because it just doesn't have the power to push the gear on the top. With 2.73s, 4k rpms in third is ~100mph. And a high 15 second car isn't going to come anywhere near 100mph in the quarter. 3500 would be in the mid-high 80mph range, which is exactly what a low 16 second car would run.

Basically, logic tells me that what you are experiencing is completely normal, it all adds up perfectly. I know it's not the answer you wanted to hear, but it's true nonetheless.

 

yes i Understand what you are saying but I was hitting 3rd gear farther before the traps than you are saying. The rpms should still be rising. I might just get a new trans. Now that weve got the timing shift points adjusted. It is pulling hard through first and second, and just doesnt make sense for the car to just die when it hits 3rd.

 

If The car is Running 16 Second ET's, I don't think its Pulling "hard" Through Anywhere...

 

 

that was before we got the timing straightened out. At the track it would detonate off the line and shift at 4900 rpms, and second gear was very weak but now we have fixed that and the car is now shiffting right and not detonating.It doesnt make since how 1st and 2nd gear pull hard NOW, and 3rd just kind of locks up.Also jegs sells something that is suppost to control unwanted lockup. Would this help.

 

My car came with 2.73s. Stock it ran 15.2 @ 90.5mph. I was shifting into third at 5k which was somewhere around 80mph. I crossed the line somewhere around 3500 rpms. Your car is over a second slower than mine was, so you can't expect it to pull harder in third than mine did. And yes, a 15 second car with 2.73s will feel like it's not even accelerating once you hit third, let alone a 16 second car.

A few months later with some mild work done and 3.23s in the back it was running high 14s at 93.6. Then my tranny decided it didn't like to shift into third gear at all at WOT. I'd wind second out to 5500 or so hoping for a shift, and then i would LET OFF. I would only lose about 2 tenths LETTING OFF at the top of the quarter.

Now please explain to me how you think third gear is costing you so much et/power when LETTING OFF instead of shifting only costs 2 tenths? I guarantee you are putting less power to the ground coasting in second than you do bogging in third.

Don' t beat yourself up over the tranny, what you are describing all adds up and makes perfect sense. If third gear was your problem, you'd be running a lot faster than 16.3. ET is all made on the small end of the track. The big end is all about MPH. And a 16 second car doesn't make MPH no matter how you gear it.

 

I still think you tightened down the valves too far. It's exactly what that sounds like. Your car isn't pulling hard anywhere. First and Second feel good because they are lower gears. I don't know what else to say. How many miles does this rebuild have on it? Have you tried a new cap rotor wires and plugs? If the engine won't run under load it's either bad ign. or you wacked some valves or aren't closing them all the way. I'd pull the engine and start over.

 

I am not the one who rebuilt the car. The person beofre me did.What will benefit me more right now, rear end gears, or exhaust. I am on a limited budget since I am only 17 and my parents are not paying for any of my upgrades. thanks.

 

The set-up you have should be good for at least mid-low 14s, even in this heat and with 2.73s. Something is definitely holding you back. I'd concentrate more on tuning and trobleshooting before i worried about spending money on go fast parts.

Between gears and exhaust, gears will make more of a SOTP gain and prolly the best ET gain, butthe exhaust might be almost as good an idea assuming you et it tuned right and running like it should. Depends on how much (highway) driving you do as to which mod makes more sense. 3.73s with a 3sp tranny in a 15 second car would get old pretty quick in my book

 

well I just tried what my other friend who also has an 82 told me to do. He said that some of these transmissions had a sort of overdrive mode. But he disconnected this blue pug to the trans It wasnt the back up lights. Does anyone know what it was. Well we went out and floored it from a stop at 4000 rpms in 3rd gear I was at 95-100. I let it go all the wAy to 5500 in second and 3rd actually pulled. I will go to the track In two weeks to see if we ahve gained anthing form all of our adjustments. My dad wants advance the timing a few points at a time to see how far we can go without detonating, and why would 3.73 and a 3 speed getold? Are you talking gas mileage? thanks for all your help.

 

3.73 out back would get old for a daily driver cause !. ****ty gas mileage, and 2. you'd be winging about 3 grand or higher on the interstate. As for the timing, make the adjustments at the track, when I tuned my car out there, we started at 36 degrees total on my 305, 38 degrees and it pinged like a bitch, actually had quickest E.T's and more mph at 32 degrees total.

 

I dont know what I want this car to yet but what gears would you recomend for performance and gas mileage. thnaks

 

I have a .7 OD w/ 3.42's and I still Spin 3 grand on the freeway...

But we Drive a little faster out here in California )

 

3.42 might be a happy medium for a gear.

 

why do people always say 3.42 for tpi and 373 fro carb?

 

I'm not a tpi guy by a long shot I can only tell you from what I've read concerning this issue. The tpi set-up is a low ended grunt package, I think they say after 4 grand she's maxed out. So by installing a 3.73 gear, especially for 1/4 mi. racing you've winded the motor far before the race is over-runs out of it's power range-basically your not utilizing the power that's there, thus using the 3.42 cogs your staying down where you need it. With a carb set-up it will pull in as much air as it can depending on the size of carb-works hand in hand with what the motor is demanding-plus carb motors have a different cam profile which allows it to make power above 4 grand-maybe not more, but more. So with the carb and a 3.73 you can whine the engine higher and still be making power thus having a broader power range instead of falling off at 4000rpm like with the tpi. If anyone else has a better explanation please reply.

 

But after its modded good that theory goes out the window, a good cam and some intake mods (along with exhaust) and youre making good power in a TPI up to 5500 rpm. a 3.42 is really perfect for stock to nears tock TPIs but when you get the mods going that 3.42 will eventually hold back your ET. I would see how it does now that you have the tranny letting you go on up and go from there. Gears would probably be the best bang for the buck, and since it is a daily driver and such I would be conservative, the 3.42 really probably would be best for you now.
Perry