3spd lenco vs glide

im tinkering with going to a clutch 3spd lenco instead of my ati sg4 i realize that a glide is alot easier up keep but im thinking my car would be alot faster with the old style tranny , i could run a 2.60 or so 1st gear and that would make the 60' be bas a$$ when compared to the 1.80 on the glide, just wanted to get some opinions or past experience on this topic im running a 540 bbc blown maybe around 1400-1500hp 2550lbcar

 

Lenco

"Old Style Tranny"?? Lenco started making them in the 1970s and still make them today, they are standard equipment in almost all Top Alcohol Dragsters and Funny Cars. Now, Power Glides have been made since 1950 and I think they stopped making them in 1970. So which is the "Old Style Tranny". Just one of my my pet peaves, Lenco vs PG.

Do yourself a favor and move to the Lenco! Good Luck!

 

with an old old smokey pontiac 706 and 1 small kit which was making about the same power and a 2.60 low 4 speed CS1 and an old steel hays mk 12 clutch in a heavyweight steel can, and 4.30 rear with 34.5" tyres, i went 6.98 @ 200 on my first try the car was about the same weight maybe 50 lbs heavier it was an 89 vintage bickell ex ps cutlass 1.06 at 60 off the (open) trailer..... how times have changed

 

2.60 1st in a 3 spd? No expert but isn't that a little to steep? I would think a 2.05 -2.10 maybe. At least from what the experienced guys have said.

Corey

 

heavy car and low power compared to what most here run, Im assuming (probably wrongly)this is a door car due to the weight quoted, in a lightweight altered or dragster with this power id go numericaly lower for sure
we ran 2.04 with a full spec blown pro mod with a 4.56 rear
what he hasnt mentioned is his rear end ratio... that could change a lot....

 

hello

yes its a door car and 4.56 rear 33" tires

 

that first gear shift will be very quick may be a bit short with that rear end id look at a longer first gear 2.30/2.40 but youll need to rev hard to make the speed with that rear end and small tyres
can you swap for a 4.10 rear end?

 

not planning on it

just put the 4.56 in so its gonna ride a while

 

is this an 1/8 mile car?

 

yep

yep 1/8 mile

 

ok sorry we dont do 1/8 mile in england and i assumed it was 1/4
in that case your gear should be ok for speed but that gear with a 2 60 ....guess you need to try it

 

how fast

I thought it was 1/4 mile too. This is not a good plan for the eighth. In the 1980's this would be the way to go. You're going to add weight and the 2.60 is way too low.
Your 1.80 low and 4.56 is not bad. If it's slow get the engine or converter happy.
When I ran a glide they were junk. Lencos are tough but they are heavy maint. hogs.I'd never run a clutch and the bruno and lencodrive are a pain also.
If you're glide lives ok stick with it. If you get faster you'll eventually want a 486-500 rear and 1.30-1.50 low.
How fast is it now? Whats the 60ft?

 

bruno / lenco

Ive been running a bruno w/ a 3spd CS2 lenco in my 2200hp TD for 5 years, been trouble free.
Launch off a button, air shift the lenco. Easy stuff.
Use a Coan Mega converter. Flawless.
Wouldn't trust the best glide over 1200 hp...
Just my 2 cents
Clif

 

look at the 1/8 mile pro cars ...almost all converter cars ...tell you something?

you need a good converter and a two speed, weather its a converter drive lenco or an auto

if this was 1/4 mile id say different

whats your goal et wise?

 

In all these years I have never understood the need for a gear change just to run the 1/8th mile. Hoping someone can explain the why of it.

IF you get your best 60 ft with X gear why would you change that to gear Y just to run the 1/8th?

 

1/8th

The simplest explanation is ADRL cars are turning 10000 rpm or more at the 1/8th stripe.The converters lock up tightest and the cars go quickest.
basically you run the same starting line overall gear ratio but you only have 2 gears so if you don't have a low rear ratio the rpm drop is big at the shift.
I ran a 2spd with a 456 rear vs a 486 and the 456 slipped the converter so bad it turned the same rpm at the stripe.
The fast cars are rear geared to redline at the stripe and low gear ratio is determined by the track conditions and overrall combo of the car.

 

Ahh, ok. The first gear is adjusted so as not to mess up the initial hit. Makes sense.
I guess where I became mystified is when Joe blow does the rear gear change with his chevelle and no other changes. Never saw the point in that.