Transmission

Asked by GuruXYWQN Oct 08, 2018 at 09:56 AM about the 1976 Chevrolet C/K 20

Question type: General

I am planning on buying a 1976 Chevrolet c20. It has a 3 speed manual
transmission. The owner says that it's not best to take it down the highway at
70, since 55mph is about all it can do. He says it's because the truck is geared
very low. Is there any other reason for the vehicle to be acting like this?

1 Answer

103,445

Do you know what the rear end gearing is? If it has really "short" gears (3.73, 4.10, etc.) and no OD, then highway cruising is going to be a challenge. There may be a metal tag on rear axle or pumpkin with gear ratio stamped on it, or you can manually spin rear tires with vehicle jacked up and count revolutions of drive shaft and tires. In short, "short" gears were not meant for today's highway speeds, they were meant for heavy load hauling. If you want to make this tuck more of a cruiser find a tranny with an OD or swap out rear end gears for something "taller" like 2.73 (just don't expect the same jack rabbit start with those gears tho.)

2 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    130
  • #2
    GuruBG3PK
    Reputation
    120
  • #3
    Kari Goen
    Reputation
    90
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford F-250
4 listings

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.