I am in the process of building a ruckstell rear end. I plan on using all new ruckstell parts. I haven't taken my stock rear end out from under my car as of yet and don.t know the condition of my ring and pinion gears. My question is, what ratio gears should I go to if I have to replace my original ones. I'm not interested in more speed just hill climbing ability. The present 45mph is fast enough for me.

For the hills 4:1. that is what I run in three of mine. Don

Since you are in the not so hilly part of Tennessee, I'd suggest standard gearing. The Ruxtell low should give you a good ratio for climbing hills. A friend of mine has several cars with Ruxtell rear ends with standard ratio ring and pinion. His cars climb steep hills like a mountain goat, and run well on the flat. My Tudor has a Warford with standard ratio rear end. The Warford low is very similar to the Ruxtell low and she also pulls steep hills well.

As John recommends ,Std ratio will be fine.

A Ruckstell uses the same gears as a stock Model T. My last two T's I bought both had 3-1's, and I don't care for them.

When you think about it, knowing that the Ruckstell was the ONLY accessory that Henry recommended and approved of, it would seem like if either Henry, or his engineers, felt that anything other than the standard gear ratio was needed with the Ruckstell, he'd have said so, and would have listed optional gears (optional ratios) along with his Ruckstell parts listings. FWIW,.....harold

I've used a Ruckstell with stock ford ring and pinion in the California Coastal Range, Sierra's and Rockies; it has performed fine. Some of the grades have been ridiculous steep... I've seen no need for any other ratio. My car is very close to stock; I run on magneto with domed pistons and a stock low head and original aluminum intake manifold. I'm running Stomberg OF carburetors now, but the car performed great for years with just an NH. I've not found a hill I couldn't climb without trouble.

Gary - You'd be a good Model T guy to ask,.....with the type of demanding driving you do, and with experience with Stromberg OF carburetors on a car that originally had an NH Holly, how do you feel about any change in performance? I know that one advantage of the OF is the "set it & forget it" feature of the high speed adjustment, but other than that, how does the performance compare? I know the OF is a better carburetor, but also much more expensive. Would you make the change again if you had it to do over?

Harold, I won't answer for Gary but one customer has bought 7 OF's from me, one for every one of his T's and one for an extra. Wouldn't run anything else. Nothing compares.

Harold; I bought my second Of after running the first for a year... if I had more than 2 cars I'd have more than 2 OFs! It's a bit pricey for me to have a spare, and they're so dependable I don't need one. The set and forget is a great point, as is the over-all performance and reliability. I always shut the gas off and let it run dry, and I use a fuel stabilizer if the car will sit for months, and I've never had an issue. I think Stan rebuilt my first one about 6 or 7 years ago and I've never had any trouble.


I'd do it again!

Guess that pretty well says it all! Thanks Gary, and Stan, I'd tell you to put one "on hold" for me while I'm saving up my pennies, however, by the time I accumulate enough "pennies", that beautiful rich color that your OF's always have will have turned all dull again! Anyway, some day,......harold

P.S. Just curious Stan,....back "in the day", if a "T" owner wanted a Stromberg OF put on his car, where'd he get it? Would Ford install one for you, or did you have to go to some independent garage, or, maybe to a Stromberg distributor?

Hey, I just realized that I keep cluttering up Bob's Ruckstell post here, so please,....if anyone has anymore Ruckstell info, opinions and/or experiences, don't let me get in the way!

I think it depends on what kind of car you have and what speed you drive, as well as the load. I have a '26 Touring with Ruckstell and standard gears. When I'm out cruising by myself with the top down, I'd actually like to have a 3:1 to lower the cruising rpm. But add a couple passengers with the drag from the top up, and the stock ratio is just fine. If the car was a couple or sedan, I think I would stay with the stock ratio. While I like the Ruckstell, I'm considering going to a Warford or similar on my next project.