zephyr gears worth the trouble

rhphotord

rhphotord

Senior Member
Still trying to learn new(old) things every day. What are the advantages of using Zephyr trans gears over the Ford gears? Thnaks
 
Can be going faster in 2nd gear wound out before you have to shift into 3rd. At least that is what I found in my avatar roadster. I see no more trouble installing a LZ set of gears in any box then Ford gears. What "trouble"?
 
The main thing for hot rods is they are stronger because of less torque multiplication.
In the old days they were all there was for a reasonable price to help keep the transmission together under racing conditions.
With certain mods to the internals of a box with a 25 tooth set,
you could button shift it and gain 1 tenth in the quarter.
The 25's worked very well for road racing because they made 1st gear available as a racing gear for slow speed (60 mph) cornering. It was quite possible to gain 1/2 second a lap just by changing from 28's to 25's and being able to use 1st gear.
 
Pete said:
The main thing for hot rods is they are stronger because of less torque multiplication.
In the old days they were all there was for a reasonable price to help keep the transmission together under racing conditions.
With certain mods to the internals of a box with a 25 tooth set,
you could button shift it and gain 1 tenth in the quarter.
The 25's worked very well for road racing because they made 1st gear available as a racing gear for slow speed (60 mph) cornering. It was quite possible to gain 1/2 second a lap just by changing from 28's to 25's and being able to use 1st gear.
Click to expand...


With the right rear end gear ratio (4.11 or even 4.44) for torque off the line, zephyr gears were great for drag racing because when you shifted up the closer ratios allowed you to keep the rpm up in the higher horsepower range. Now that I am a cruiser and not a drag racer, the 3.25 rear and 28 or 29 tooth cluster are much better suited.
 
Thank you. Seems the 25 tooth gear set is highly desirable but basically the LZ gears are an over priced option. Seen some selling for the $500 range.
 
Pete said:
The main thing for hot rods is they are stronger because of less torque multiplication.
In the old days they were all there was for a reasonable price to help keep the transmission together under racing conditions.
With certain mods to the internals of a box with a 25 tooth set,
you could button shift it and gain 1 tenth in the quarter.
The 25's worked very well for road racing because they made 1st gear available as a racing gear for slow speed (60 mph) cornering. It was quite possible to gain 1/2 second a lap just by changing from 28's to 25's and being able to use 1st gear.
Click to expand...

This is the reason!
 
Here's a comparison of stock Ford 29T main to 25T LZ gears.
Left part of picture is from Vanpelt and the right from Tremec as noted with the links shown.

499315
 
Last edited:
rhphotord said:
Thank you. Seems the 25 tooth gear set is highly desirable but basically the LZ gears are an over priced option. Seen some selling for the $500 range.
Click to expand...

BTW, they can be "hurt" as well . . . ask me how I know these things. I have a 25T cluster that looks like a chewed-on corncob . . . teeth knocked off in a few places. Makes my heart sick!

Anybody have a good 25T Zephyr cluster they're willing to part with??? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Had a complete set in very good condition from a side loader '41 Lincoln Transmission almost 2 years ago that I sold on the auction site for $650.00 buy it now to a Lincoln owner on the east coast. He also purchased the universal joint specific to Lincoln's for an additional $90.00 as they are also in demand. Still have the case and side cover if someone needs one. On the flat area above the inspection plate Lincoln's serial numbers start with the letter H, although starting in 1940 the case may look identical to a Ford case. Found the transmission at a local swap meet and thanks to Fordbarn knowledge was able to figure out what it was.
 
I have a highboy A roadster with a quickchange and a '49 merc three speed with overdrive. I'm running 4:30 gears and with the standard Ford gearset I was shifting into second before I could even pull onto a main road, it was like having a truck granny low. I put Zephyr gears in it in the spring and it's great, vast improvement for my car.

Everyone's setup is different, but if you've got a low rear it's certainly still a good option. Most guys don't run overdrive and favor a higher rear gear and taller tires these days for more highway speed, which makes the Zephyr a useless addition.
 
Many years ago when I was young and foolish, involved in street/drag strip racing, I put LZ 25 tooth years in the trans of my '36, engine a well built 59AB.. Big mistake with a 3.78 rear axle ratio and a Columbia. The car was very badly over-geared. I went back to a 28 tooth gear set with the Columbia which made for perfect all round gearing for occasional street racing and general showing off.
 
deuce_roadster said:
Racing with a Columbia seems like asking for trouble!
Click to expand...


Never had any trouble racing with my Columbia, transmissions were a different story.
I hooked the Columbia up with a toggle switch so I could control when it shifted, quite often I would shift to low over, turn off the power to the shift solenoid, then continue the race in low over which was just a little lower than normal second gear.
Rolling starts would be done in low over to second over, one shift and not a lot of wasted time burning rubber. I could pin the speedo at 100 mph in second over.
Of course my 3.78 gear ratio with 28" + 600 x 16's was a big help, most cars had 4.11 or 4.33, so they got bragging rights as to how much rubber they could lay out, my car was long gone while they were burning rubber, showing off their manlyness.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top