Rear end problems

[belvedere 67]

I got my 67 belvedere on the road and for the most part its doing good. One issue is the gear ratio. I'm not sure what gears I have but I have a lot of power on the bottom end and the RPMs are about 3000 at 55. Its hard on gas and very loud. Id like to improve it. I've never changes gears before. My questions are. What ratio is the best for a driver and would it be easier to change out the whole rear end axle ,or to just change the gears? Thanks for any help.

 

[Ron H]

I've just been through a buzz saw on having a sure grip rear rebuilt (3 times). This is more challenging than GM/Ford rears as the 1st guy who tried to rebuild found out and me the hard way trashing a brand new R&P set right quick. First, if you do elect to rebuild make for darn sure you have someone who knows what they're doing...this isn't a job for a novice and requires special tools. Given the RPM you must have something around or north of 3:70's my guess. There is a way to factor your gear ratio by rotating your wheel and counting the # of rev's on the driveshaft or yoke as I recall. I'm sure others replying can give you this scoop. I went from 3:23 to 3:55's with my 318 poly motor and this change I found out is a bit further out than I prefer for cruising. High gears are fun off the line; but then you pay for it on the highway. Rebuild will likely be less costly than buying a rear outright...in my case the latter would have saved me a few bucks...