Any way to lower gearing in 3spd 2wd auto tranny?

[Guest Brettm57]

I want to set up a 3 speed auto in an '85 hatch for the drag strip, and would like to gear it down some more. Will a manual tranny ring gear and pinion fit in the auto cases? I believe they are geared lower. What books I have don't show it very well, but they show a set of gears connecting the output side of the tranny with the input shaft of the differential. And if I found the right numbers, the manual transmissions are geared lower through these gears than the autos are. Will these gears interchange? Or will any of the 4wd gears interchange? I want to stick with an automatic, but I would like to get it geared lower. If anybody has any experience at all with Sube tranny internals and can advise me on this, or have any other ideas, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

PS: This car HAS to be able to beat a Chevy Cavalier, it's a matter of personal pride!

[Guest OH Noah]

If this car is a 2wd, then you may have the option of swapping a 3.9:1 diff into it. In fact, the diff section of the tranny just bolts on, so you can swap the whole assembly if you want to.