[Dave Rodak]

Thanks again for your kind comments. The transmission / differential issue has kept me up at night.

Leaving tire diameters out of the equation, I'm intially using a TKO and the factory supplied 8.8 with 3.73's. First gear is pretty useless with the TKO/TKO II ratio of 3.27. I considered the TKO II and a rear diff ratio of 3.08 or 3.27 so that I could comfortably do some highway cruising. It would also provide a better "split" than the stock setup. However, I really like the new TKO 500/600 offerings because of their gear splits, increased torque ratings and the published first gear ratio of 2.66 in the Ford TKO 600 version. These tranny's are supposed to be available in March '04 but I've been told the model I desire will have a delivery date closer to November '04. Hence, I went with the economical stock setup for now. I also considered the T56 but it takes some fabrication to install these in SPF's. I'm going to drive it this summer with what I've got and make this next winters project. I'll also be able to compile some comparitive data on drivetrain loss with these different combos.