Bull: A 2 pedal car is not necessarily a girls car. Some day when you get old the convenience of a column shift automatic trans car will become more attractive. Especially in a car like a 32 Ford.
Whew! Glad I have a truck with two peddles. Last I checked, I'm still not a girl! If my knees were twenty years younger, it'd have three.
Three pedals always made me happy. My missus not to much ( abusive ) My shop has an assortment of both. I fear however that my right foot might be taken away. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. My daughter does fine with three.
How about Clutch A Matic , Any one using one on Street driven Vehicle? Its been Over 40 years ago since I drove one with & only @ drag strip
Except for a handful of diehards, 'traditional' driveline choices are firmly in the rear-view mirror by and large. Even Vern Tardel puts T-5s in his builds. Finding rebuildable cores (and parts) for most transmissions 65+ years old is becoming a near impossibility, much less their inability to withstand even moderate increases in power in many cases. Three pedals for me. Simple, if it breaks it'll be obvious what it is. No trans controllers, special linkages, mushy high stall convertors or coolers needed for street use. And with the availability of manuals with 600 ft-lb torque ratings, all but the hairiest street motors (unlikely to be traditional in its own right) can find something that'll live behind it.
I prefer 3 because when you convert a flathead to 12v you can still clutch bump the motor when you kill the starter bendix.
Hmmm I guess when my 57 Vette used to run mid 10's it was not a real hot rod . I hope to put a stick in my 31 A PU with a Hemi. as I want it more traditional and it will only have about 200HP My 28A PU has a auto and with about 400 HP is a hand full as it is . Its pretty cramped in there and Im sort of glad I went auto on it as I drive it a lot and it see traffic . I can light the tires up pretty much at will with no clutch . The 23 T project will likely get a auto as there is no foot room really and while it can be done its very tight . On a very early traditional car like what makes this place a stick is what Id expect to see.
I doubt poo sticks to chrome so you may be onto something there @DDDenny. AS far as @Moriarity 's girl joke, I have only 2 pedals in my Olds, but if you roll up on me on the street with a 4 speed, I'll be showing you my awesome aluminum W-27 rear end cover. I'll be waiting at the next light to discuss girl stuff.
Don't know about the girl thing... My wife taught me how to drive a stick well before we were married and for many years we had 3 pedals in our daily drivers. (OT...Her favorite was a 260Z.)
I've had 'em both ways. In my most recent case it's a matter of economics. I'd love to have a manual transmission, preferably 5-speed, in my car but I would've been starting from scratch. Flywheel, clutch, bellhousing, pedal assembly and linkage setup would all have to be found and purchased and that's without the transmission. Had access to a 350 Turbo, a master rebuild kit and a buddy who's done trans rebuilds for years and it was ready to go in with a brand new torque converter for less than the clutch setup and flywheel alone would have cost. Yes, I'm a cheapskate.
I converted my manual to an auto trans, and also replaced the faulty mechanical "stomp starter" (Chevy 6) with a solenoid job. I liked the foot starter, so I converted the clutch pedal so that now switches the power to the solenoid, with a cut-out so I can't hit the starter if the engine is already running. So I have a 2.5 pedal set-up.
I’m cheap. Got a pile of old orphaned 3 speeds and parts. Most are OD. Most people don’t want em. Plus a pile of FWs and clutch parts. Junk people were either giving away or I purchased at scrap prices. I’ll take em could give 2 craps less if some dude’s ride is faster.
I’ll see you’re 2 and raise you 1. A manual is more fun for me. For years almost everything I owned was a manual. Unless you are a Ronnie Sox clone an auto for any given performance level is going to be quicker. See @Bandit Billy post. That being said my latest project I really wanted to go manual but between the cost and added work I’ll have to be OK with an auto. I remember the first really good auto set up I saw. In HS a guy had an OT Chevelle with a column shifted auto with a high stall converter shift kit etc etc. To say I was awestruck would be a lie, I was beyond awestruck I remember thinking WOW No f ing way. It was quick really quick. Dan
My daily is an automatic just because Chevrolet no longer puts manual transmissions in Silverados. Papaw has 3 pedals and Little Truckdoctor’s 1951 Ford has/will have 3. He bought a four speed to put behind his SBC when we swap it. Plus, when the manual transmission breaks, I can fix them. Automatics are full of Black Magic and every time I disassemble one, I end up with a transmission full of Neutrals.
The Jalopy Journal
