The finished product after GM World Class Technician and co-pilot of the Red Dragon, Scott Cordell, finished the assembly process. Cordell made sure to check the tolerances and gear mesh carefully to provide a correct assembly.
“Setting up the proper relationship between the ring gear and pinion teeth is critical for any application. It assures that you are positioning the teeth in a manner so they can withstand the most torque load. In addition, it allows for ample oil flow to assure proper lubrication inside the unit,” says Gwozdz.
“In high-performance applications, you can change oil every 50,000 miles. If it’s purely a race car, you will need to change the oil once a season. Because the Truetrac unit has a pyrolytic carbon veneer clutch, it’s very forgiving to the style of gear oil you can use. A good standard synthetic gear oil or a good aftermarket mineral-based gear oil would work with a friction modifier.”
With the new gears and posi-unit the Red Dragon was able to drive an hour to Kil-Kare Dragway without any issues and make a low 11-second pass in some brutal heat!
By making the change to the Truetrac unit and rearend gear, our goal to make the Red Dragon more fun to drive on the street has been achieved. We can take corners in the car easier now without extreme care or planning, and driving on the freeway is not an issue since we’re only spinning the engine to about 2,700 rpm. The rearend gear will also pull the car down off the rev-limiter at the top end on the 28-inch tall tires, and that is key to some of the future plans we have for the Red Dragon!