Hi Mike,
While I have a 3-speed, Top is still 1:1. With the 28% OD and your
gears, 80 MPH is 3,200 revs and it'll go right by 100. My speedo has
been recalibrated to both the diff. and my tires and is dead on. I've
done about 4K miles with that set up and absolutely love it. I do have
pull in 3rd over but I also have several engine mods.
The last time I came home from the Oregon border, we had a ball. Once
you get into the middle of nowhere on I-5, everybody does 90. So here's
my little red BN1, top down, running right along with all the big buck
crap. Then we hit the Grapevine climb and I put my foot in it. I
slowed to 85 but was delighted to watch the big bucks disappear in the
mirrors; ya just gotta love that ol' British torque! When we hit the
top I told the GF: "Watch, they'll all come roaring by me on the
downhill, just to prove they can." And here they came, some well over
100 just to make up for the lost ground. We grinned the rest of the way
home! :-)
Bill Barnett
Santa Ana, CA
'53 BN1 #663
M Lempert wrote:
> I just got my BN2 back yesterday from a major service. The front end
> steering components were a tad loose and needed rebuild. This is the
> tightest it's been since I've owned the car. I always had some amount
> of shake - initially it was severe and due to bad wire wheels; then it
> only vibrated at over 60 mph. Last year I installed a bigger sway bar
> with urethane bushings, which made a big difference in handling, but I
> suspect that might have accelerated wear of the already loose joints.
> It became too much of a problem during my trip to Conclave.
>
> At the same time I had my 3.54 (already in a spare pumpkin)
> installed. I originally had it reserved for my BN7, but that marathon
> restoration is still underway, so I've lost patience with waiting and
> decided to go ahead and install it in the BN2. My original plan was
> to put the 3.90 from the BN7 in the BN2. I was a bit concerned with
> going from a 4.11 to 3.54, especially since I have a 28% OD. All the
> reports I've received from others who made the change have been
> positive, so I went for it.
>
> I believe I do notice some loss of low end acceleration, but not very
> much. I'm aware my speedo isn't accurate anymore, so I've had to
> estimate certain results. I can comfortably take 1st over 20 mph,
> second also is longer, and when hitting third during semi-aggressive
> acceleration, I'm somewhere around 60 before shifting to fourth.
> Fourth gear is very comfortable for all driving and I don't go into OD
> unless cruising the highway. It seems that both third and fourth
> gears might actually pull better now. In fourth with OD it cruises
> effortlessly at 75 mph. There is little pull in this mode, but a down
> shift to third (in OD), even at speed, provides all the power needed.
> With the new front end work I'm running very smoothly and the engine
> sounds happy with a pleasant muffled growl. I'm ready for next week's
> trip to the Southeastern in Georgia.
>
> Just for the record, this was not an advertisement. And yes, I DO
> have a personal interest.
>
> Regards,
> Mike Lempert
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