Can someone with a Pinto de-coder tall me what the Y-Code Rear Axle Ratio is?
According to a Ford 1980 car shop manual, the axle code Y stands for a 3.08:1 axle ratio. If there still is a metal tag on the axle, it should also show the axle ratio as a number.
Awesome, thanks! I will check to see if the tag is still there. My concern is how the engine and tranny are going to perform when mated to the 6-cylinder Mustang rear end in the trike project. I don't know the axle ratio of it but I do think the tag is there but may not be able to read it. Not in real good shape. Maybe I can make a rubbing of it and hopefully read it.
Typically 6-cylinder Mustangs had lower final drive ratios (numerically higher), so it should work well with the 2.3 and C-4. I sent a note to the previous Mustang owner to see if he still has the driver's door and if the tag is still there he can tell me the axle code. I hope it's lower than 3.08 so it is a little snappier.
Snappiness can come in many forms. I have SBC 350 Studebaker with a very low 1st gear (3.06) 700R4. Even with 3.08 rear gears and tall, 225-60-16 tires it launches quite well. The worse part is that 4th (overdrive) is only good on the freeway and is about 1,700 RPM at 65 MPH. Otherwise around town it is three speed.
My Turbo Pinto has the 3.97 1st gear and also winds out fast. Initially the 8" rear I put in had 3.00 rear gears. If it was all about power runs and "feeling" the turbo I actually liked those gears. I'd just slowly push the pedal to the floor and the car seemed to endlessly accelerate. HOWEVER, during everyday street driving it was a pain. The sweet spot on any gear was off from the posted speed limit. One gear was too high and the other too low. I went to 3.40 and everyday driving is far more pleasant. That said power runs are just not the same. The car gets to the 5,500 RPM limit where it weezed over far too soon and instead of the perpetual acceleration with the 3.00 gears it just seems to go out of breath quickly and I have to shift.
An even worse example was my Datsun 510 that had a 3.90 rear and 215-50-13" tires. I was shifting into 3rd gear before I crossed an intersection. 65 MPH on the freeway was 4,000 RPM. Thankfully I was able to find an early 240Z with 3.36 gears and it made all the difference. You could feel the torque of the engine pulling the car where previously it was like a 10 speed bike in 1st gear going down hill where the riders pedaling couldn't keep up.
So, I say all that to say the trike will probably be lighter than a car and the presumed 3.08 gears might actually be rather effective. I had an ancient Volvo 544 and a Honda CB77 (305) and the shift to second gear with those vehicles were some of the most pleasant experiences I have had driving.
My trike has the 6-cylinder Mustang rear in it and I plan to keep it that way. I don't want to swap the rear with the Pinto rear. I an giving the body with rear axle and suspension to a local Pinto owner. He may need it for his driver. If the previous owner of the Mustang still has the door tag from the Mustang (he says he does), I will know the ratio of what is in it.
You could also count the pinion yoke revolutions that make one rotation of the tires.
That's exactly what I plan to do when I get it back from the weld shop. At some point when I change the rear end lube I can count teeth and know for sure.