[special-K]

I drive 60. Could go faster like I used to, but guess I'm used to O/D these days and now it feels hard on the truck. Perspective... back when no one had O/D it didn't bother anyone, and the speed limit was 70. In the '90s I remember buttoning up my '71 Custom Camper after doing the timing chain and no-lead head job, hoping in it, and driving at 75-80 down I-95 to Myrtle Beach, SC. I ran that truck another ten years (original 350) and now have the engine on a stand ready to drop in something else. O/D was out there yet automakers ignored it. Vehicles were built to drive on the 70 mph freeways in 67-72. They can run all day long and it doesn't hurt them. Then came the improvement of O/D, which lowers RPM at a given speed to reduce wear on engine and that is what we are used to. Unfortunately, the tense general public took to using O/D impulsively to drive faster and now earlier stuff seems too slow. They are wearing their engines the same as with no O/D. You also see these people driving across parking lots at 30-40 mph and passing on the double yellow line when following someone obeying the speed limit. Just happened yesterday. The front car was doing 40 in a 30 through this cluster of old houses along the road. Dumb and thoughtless.

Running 50-60 series rear tires doesn't help the situation either. If your trans is good, I'd go with a Gear Vendor set-up. I'm all over the place in my '72 K2500 w/4.10s and think how nice O/D would be. I get 70 mph out of my '95 Suburban with same gears/tires at same rpm my '72 is doing 60. The truck is all original in nice shape, it costs a lot to go O/D, and in the meantime I just enjoy it in the RH lane. I only drive the Suburban 70 when I'm in a hurry. It really likes 65 and I get 2-3 more MPG