Personally I wouldn�t worry about the higher gearing.  BIG NOTE....if third
is going you may not have long at all.  My tran started with the 4th gear
kick that I realized immediately what it meant.  Dug for a week on a tran
and then on the way back from picking up a tran from the other side of town
(Painters grinding) I lost third halfway back and 4th just as I pulled off
of the highway for the last 6 blocks to the house.  2nd gear to the house.
I was used to tran going bad over longer time than that.
jimt

On 5/19/05 4:20 PM, "james@icebox500.com" <icebox500@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> So, 3rd gear is a grinder now and its time to consider a new transmission
> (before it gives up the ghost in the middle of nowhere).
> 
> I have a 2.1l that is pretty healthy at this time but has 120k on it. It is
> possible that in the future I would consider a 2.3l upgrade from Go Westy.
> 
> That said, after talking to Lucas, it seems that the smartest(?) move would
> be to buy a new stock 4 speed transmission with a higher geared final drive.
> In combination with 15' wheels, this raises the transmission ratio about 10%
> based on what I've read and my conversations with Lucas.
> 
> I guess I'm tossing this all out there to get opinions on what I'm
> considering. The cost of the transmission built as described is about $1,950
> after core charges are credited. This doesn't seem terribly out of line
> though I've seen transmissions range from $895 - $1,500 in various places.
> 
> I use this bad boy as an occasional daily driver, for going on trips that
> mix highway with 2 lane, and for whatever else pleases me.
> 
> Thoughts? Cheers? Chides?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> James
> 
>