High Speed Ring and Pinion

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Are high speed ring and pinions available for a 1931 Pierce Model 43? If so, who offers them? Would they be the same for all 1929 ? 1931 Pierce models? If available, I assume that they would be 3:54?s. Is that ratio a bit much for a 366 cubic inch Pierce on anything other than open highway driving (especially after experiencing the mountainous Massachusetts meet)?

Thanks,
John

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Hi, John,

The 3.54 gears were originally supplied by Phil Hill. I don’t believe that he has any left.

The current supplier is Phil Bray and the ratio is 3.85 I believe. This is a little better compromise if you live in mountainous areas.

I have a 3.54 set installed on my ’29 133 Club Sedan and we can cruise comfortably at 60 mph (in the flat midwest). Our original gear was a 4.58 so this is like another gear in the transmission. The coolant temperature is significantly lower and of course the mileage is better.

The Phil Bray gears will fit your ’31 without any modifications. Phil is a member and is in the directory.

Bill

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John, I installed one of the Phil Bray units in a 1930 Model C sedan I had. It turned a rather slow car into an excellent driver and I was very pleased with it. The ratio was,I believe, 3.87 to 1, still leaving plenty of strength to pull long hills.

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Hi John,

We also have a Phil Bray gearset in our ’31 differential. It runs fine and allows good highway speed at reasonable engine RPM. A well tuned 8 cylinder has pretty good torque and will still pull away from low speeds, even in high gear.

I agree with Tony, it makes the car more roadable and reduces the engine noise, and as Bill points out, improves the, shall we say, rather modest fuel mileage!

Happy Motoring

Chris Diekman

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Bill, Tony and Chris,
Thank you for your ring and pinion comments/information! I will Contact Phil Bray.

Sincerely,
John

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