3.55 ratio from what?

[Tonyw]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find out what vehicle the 3.55 diff ratio came from, the Mk1 & 2 Cortina's I thought but apparently not anyone know where this ratio as fitted?? I would have thought an automatic car perhaps? TIA

Tonyw

[stugilmour]

Tony:

I understand the optional 3.555 C&P using the 32/9 tooth count was manufactured by Lotus from Ford blanks. The more readily available 3.54 using a 39/11 tooth count was originally fitted to the Escort RS2000 and the Capri. I just bought a 39/11 on eBay UK for 200 GBP, although shipping to Canada as quite dear. Haven't fitted it yet.

HTH

[lotuselanman]

Hi,
I can help you with a 3.55 diff center.
Ex Australia for $100 Australian, much less than UK prices.
Can get you a price for freight if you give me, Country, State, Post or Zip code.
[email protected]

[Baggy2]

Hi - the Mk2 Ford Escort 1.6 automatic had the 3.55 diff - the one I had was on a W reg car - dont know about other years
Regards
Baggy
Just noticed you're in Australia so probably dont know what W reg means - I think its around 1980

[Tonyw]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies not sure how hard it will be to source one here in Aus as these cars were not very common but with the current exchange rate it may well be worthwhile sourcing from the UK or USA.

Regards,

Tonyw

[robertverhey]

Tony

A common fitment to 2 litre escorts here in Australia, not too hard to come by, you should pay somewhere between $150-300 depending on how canny the seller is.

Robert

[elansprint71]

Isn't Les offering one for 100$?

[lotuselanman]

Hi,
In reply to my previous message stating 3.55 diffs were around $100 and plentiful in Australia.
This was as result of a conversation with a person whom I thought was up to date with prices and availability here in Australia.
I now find myself in the embarrassing postion of having to refute my previous message.
No, they are not available in vast quantities and the price is way above that stated in my original message.
Having contacted the person who gave me the erroneous information and being told "Ah nothing available," I checked with a couple of suppliers whom I should have consulted originally. My mistake.
The cost of a 3.55 centre is from $250 to $300, I did obtain a price of $100 for a CW&P as a single item of unknown quality.
Apologizes to those who contacted me.

[summerinmaine]

As a brief aside, is a C&P (or CW&P) the same as what us Muricans call a ring and pinion?

[gerrym]

Hi, it seems this thread has two different themes:-

1/ What was the original fitment, ie donor source of the 3.55 CW&P

2/ What to pay today for a low ratio CW&P and where to get it from.


The answer to the 2nd question as has been stated many times before on this forum, is to go for the 3.54 ratio CW&P which are reasonably common having been fitted to RS2000s. Obviously this will cause sleepless nights for the originalty perfectionists. What to pay is a function of supply and demand and so far the supply is reasonable so the prices aren't too extreme. By the way, as far as I know, no one is remanufacturing quality 3.54 CW&P sets (but there are plenty of new low ratio CW&P sets on the market).

The answer to the 1st question possibly remains unanswered, except one person here claims that Lotus had them manufactured bespoke for their own applications "from blanks". Sounds most unChapman like so it would be interesting from the historical point of view to see what documents exist to substantiate the view. On the observation that a 3.55 was fitted to a mark II Escort automatic, the dates are out by more than 10 years so not much to be gained from this observation.

Regards
Gerry

PS, 3.54 versus 3.55 all to do with teeth count

[alan71]

Burton sell a 3:54 for ?212 plus VAT.
http://www.burtonpower.com

Alan.

[Galwaylotus]

As a brief aside, is a C&P (or CW&P) the same as what us Muricans call a ring and pinion?

CWP is a crown wheel and pinion. It is also called a ring and pinion.

[gerrym]

Alan, the Burton price puts a ceiling on what a genuine RS2000 CW&P will sell for. It doesn't necessarily address the quality part of my post.

Regards
Gerry

[summerinmaine]

My two pennies from my Jeep experiences (two diffs = twice the fun):

I would never buy a used CW&P. You will never get the teeth matched up correctly on a different carrier, and you will experience gear howl, premature tooth wear or (most likely) both. Plus, you should run a dye test to inspect for cracks, and even then you can't be sure that the metal is not fatigued or weakened through abuse.

Plus, unless you are a skilled mechanic and have certain special tools, the task of assembling a diff from a CW&P is not to be undertaken lightly. Every time I pull a diff to inspect, I simply remove the cover and use various tools and tricks for as thorough an inspection as I can make, and run dye tests for cracks and wear patterns if I'm uncertain. I never disassemble unless forced to, and then re-assembly I leave to a pro.

Plus, over here at least, the cost of having a reputable shop re-gear your differential easily exceeds the cost of a new CW&P gearset, let alone a used one. So why would you pay that much (assuming point no. 2) to install a less than optimal part in terms of longevity and proper fitment? You wouldn't install a used clutch disc just to save a few pounds, right?


Again JMHO.

[stugilmour]

The source of my understanding that the original 3.555 32/9 was manufactured by Lotus from Ford blanks is my new Brian Buckland book, page 591.

Should have perhaps been clearer regarding the C&P I bought on eBay regarding price. The 200 GBP price included the required pinion seal, crush deal, selection of bearings, all new condition. I think the only additional parts needed are the axle seals, which are IRS specific so seller did not stock. Figured it was a pretty good deal, as few British sellers will ship to Canada. I was only bidder!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT


As to getting a complete diff, that was my preferred route. Couldn't find a seller that would ship to Canada. The source cars (Escort & some Capri's, as per Buckland again, but he does not give model years) were not sold here. Figured buying and assembling here is best way to go, but YMMV. Agree this is not an easy job, and getting it done professionally by a 40 year guy who did the TC rebuild and is confident he can do the job, bluing, etc.

HTH