Trying to figure out what gear I have...
 

When I bought the car last year all my friends told me they thought my car had an aftermarket gear in it. I really didn't know what to think because it was my first stick. I was wondering if its possible to tell what gear is in the car by how many rpms you're at in 5th gear. I seem to remember a program out there that calculated that for you. But I figure since so many of us have different gears I can get a ballpark idea, and atleast know if the guy before me put a gear into it. At 65 miles per hour I'm just above 1500 so I'd say roughly 1700rpms in 5th gear. The guy before me said he never put a gear in the car and he was the only owner. But I dunno, it just seems to run too strong. Its a 90GT 5spd (obviously) with 150k miles on it. Thanks guys. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif

It sounds like you have either 2:73's or 3:08's to me. In my '88GT the tach is at 2000 at 80mph and I have 2:73's. There is a tag on the driver's side door, look at where it says "gear" and there is a letter there.
Mine says "M" which means a 2:73 gear. I forget what the other letters stand for but there are people on here that would know.
Another way to tell for sure is to mark a spot on the drive shaft and a spot on a tire and turn the tire and count how many times the shaft turns with one complete turn of the tire.
Hope this helps, but it doesn't sound like you have anything more than a 3:08 gear


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'82 GT 351W C-4,BBK headers,Carter 625 carb,Comp.Cam,Flowmaster exhaust.
1988 GT...T-5,bone stock

Man thats the best news I've heard in a long time. I can't wait to put a new gear in it now. My girlfriends dad swore up and down that my car had to have a gear in it. I guess I'm lucky it pulls as hard as it does, even with all those miles. Thanks a lot. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif

I just bought my '88GT about 2 months ago and it had only 72K on it!!(Last owners did not drive it in the snow). It has a 5 speed in it with 2:73 gears and it seems to pull a little harder than it should. When I take it to the strip in the spring I will know for sure if there were mods done to it or not.
Maybe someone has done some engine mods to your car. It doesn't take much to add power to these cars.


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'82 GT 351W C-4,BBK headers,Carter 625 carb,Comp.Cam,Flowmaster exhaust.
1988 GT...T-5,bone stock

Well I really don't think it has any engine mods. The engine all looks pretty aged, covered in gunk and such. It looks pretty stock to me. Of course you can't really tell if its completely stock just by looking at it I guess. Other than a K&N and other free mods and an offroad H and borla exhaust its stock to my knowledge. But it still seems to pull too damn hard for what it has done to it. I guess I'm just lucky to have a good running car. Gonna make sure it stays that way too. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif Thanks again.

You would be surprised what just an exhaust system will do for a car.


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'82 GT 351W C-4,BBK headers,Carter 625 carb,Comp.Cam,Flowmaster exhaust.
1988 GT...T-5,bone stock

But I always kinda thought that h-pipe and catback exhause wouldn't matter as much as when you opened up your headers. Those are still stock. I guess I have much to learn. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif

the biggest bottle necks in your stock sytem are the heads, and exhaust.
Do the exhaust unless you got cash for heads.
But get tires and a gear first.
Look in your door panel on the tag.....ax code.....m=2.73.....z=3.08.......e=3.27(AOD only)


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4.10's,long tubes & 75 shot...Goes 12.50's
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