New Caprice - Discussion forums

Thanks for that info Eric, I have read the 3.45 install threads which is why I started thinking about the swap in the first place. I had the 2.93s in my 96 b-body and it ran great for 17 years in Indiana....flat. But when I got back home in WV I wished I woulda pulled the trigger on 3.42s. And, there was a time when I was going back and forth 3.42s/3.73s.

My car will be a daily driver and as far as fuel mileage I'm not getting anywhere near 300 miles to a tank, about 15.3 mpg with the 2.92s. My thought was because I live here in WV and most of my driving is uphill and stop & go seems logical to think that with a bit more gearing I might pick up more fuel mileage. The vehicle wouldn't work as hard to get rolling and get to speed.

For this reason I was thinking about the 3.27s, more gearing but not enough to hurt mileage worse than it is now.

Thinking about your comment concerning going up by .5 or it's not worth it. I think if you are on the upper end (higher numerical)that may be true, i.e. 3.73s to 4.10s, I could see where there isn't much to be gained, diminishing returns. However, on the other end going up .35 would move the operating RPM range up to where the engine will make more power off idle.

I'm probably over thinking this and either gear set would be a good improvement. I hope this conversation keeps going as more guys make the swap.

Jeff,

Clean the MAF & TB. All of a sudden our Tahoe PPV went from mid-18's to high 13-'s. I hosed the MAF down, and the MPG immediately jumped 1MPG. I'll be cleaning the TB this weekend, but expect a similar improvement, no matter how my wife drives it.

3.73's in a B-body is just about perfect. I'd expect the 3.45's to be a real plus to a L99 Caprice. Heck, 3.23's would probably really wake the car up, especially with a converter.

Well, I thought I had read the threads, but I went back and looked again and I completely missed Eric's thread on his swap.

I haven't read the links to the write-ups yet, but that is for tomorrow. Thanks again Eric for bringing it to my attention.

Whoever said the 3.45 gear is what the Caprice should have had from the beginning is RIGHT. My car is cammed/exhaust/CAI/ZL1 torque converter, and the car feels like it lost 1000 lbs with the new gears. It was a bit of a pain doing it on jackstands vs. a lift, but wasn't terrible. I'm making a 140-mile round trip to my tuner tomorrow, so I'll see how it works out. Of course my speedo is off by about 15mph, and the car doesn't exactly have the shift points correct, but I can already tell that the mod is WELL worth while.

I wonder if the old 2.92 diff is worth a few bucks?

Brandon,

Who's the tuner you use? Thanks.

Luis Perez, aka Speedmaster. Same guy that did my cam/exhaust/converter. He's done a lot of G8 work, so that made me comfortable letting him do it. I always hit him up on facebook messenger. He lives in Alvin, Tx.

https://www.facebook.com/Speedmaster747" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess his cell listed is correct, but I've never used it! (786) 344-9742

Alvin, wow. That's literally just down the street from me.

Face plant page says content unavailable, though.

Try this one: 747Garage@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/747Garage" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; worked! I think I know where that place is. We pass it on the way to MSR-H when we run down there. Thanks. I'll keep this in my pocket for _when_ I need a tune.