Granny gears are only on 4-speeds and typically a ratio around 6.6:1
They're prettty much wound up at around 3-5 mph. You can put a truck in granny, let out the clutch and idle along in stopped and go traffic w/o having to use the brakes.
Or maybe idle along through a pasture slow enough the hands to load hay :-)
I've walked beside my '68 W200 in an open field [not for too far ]. It has
the 6.68:1 first gear and I had it in 4-Low [4.88 axle gear ratio].
John
Ive set mine up in those gears, stuck it up against a telephone pole, got out and watched it spin all the tires at idle on asphalt
Jeff,
Don't be scared of the Auto install.
I've got a 68 with a 727 strapped on to a 505 stroker.
A 727 behind the 318 will outlast your grandkids.
There will be some fitting and fabrication and drive shaft work to get it done, but it'll be a big payoff down the road.
That said, with the small block, there's no reason not to go with the 46RH Mechanical or 46RE electronic, which is basically a 727 with overdrive and a locking converter. This will resolve any need to swap the rear end ratio (most likely the 3.91)
I'm having a 46RE built for my 505 now and expect to go from 8 miles/gallon to around 12 or better.
Hit me up if interested in more info and I'll send you pics of what my install looks like.
I just got back to this thread. It was almost free and painless to put by manual tranny back in. Had some trouble with the throwout bearing because the machinist didn't press the bearing on completely and I didn't notice it until I had installed it but should be good now. I can't justify the time required for me to convert to an automatic - yet. Since I'm not a mechanic, every single action is a research project. Maybe later - post retirement :-)
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