Hot Rods I heard it once said...

Automatic is a luxury feature and isn't that what we want? nothing spells luxury like Cadillac.... I'll one of both soon..

 

What? You're not supposed to shift gears with an auto?! Whoops.....

 

My '39 Ford toploader will outshift any steenkin auto any day.....

 

Hellraiser, I had to put mine on the column, no room on the floor after all those pedals and my FEET.....hehehehe

 

to me, some of it depends on what's in front of the trans. if it's an engine that takes a lot of work to make the hp-- like a ford flathead, i'll go for the manual trans every time. if it's something that makes abundant horsepower more easily, like a hemi for example, then i'll consider an automatic.

it the motor passes my above automatic test, then i'll next look at application. for example, i wouldnt use a stick with a Cadillac 390 motor in a luxury car. that said, i'd absolutely put a stick with the same motor in a hot rod.

that said, however, these are just my tastes

-scott noteboom

 

I have the best of both worlds!! I have 2 pedals but I am required to shift her into 2nd gear. And man does it shift!! 50mph and both rear tires will squak

 

I have a manual in both rods, and the Roadster on deck is gonna have three pedals. However, I can see the day coming when the Arthritis and bone spurs have a bit more effect and those pedals becomes a chore. A chore I will glady suffer a most of the time.

But I have yet another project ('36 Three Window) that I refer to as my old age car, and am tempted to put an automatic in it just in case the knees and ankles need a break. I'm a plumber and we tend to beat up our bodies, knees especially. At 44, am already battling arthritis and bone spurs in both hands. As many of you probably know, it is no picnic. So far the legs are doing well and I'll shift as long as possible.

The point is, if you see an old guy with an auto tranny, cut him some slack. Might be the best he can manage and still make his rodding experience enjoyable.

Johnnie.

 

i'm too hard on cars with stick. they're too hard on my clutch leg! i love to row gears, though, and there's something about hitting redline 3 or 4 times that doesn't compare with a steady whine of turbines spinning.
that old T had the first "automatic" trans BTW; it operated on planetary gearsets and an oilbath clutch.
why not go both ways? winters used to make clutches for C6's... you could replace a TC with a clutch if you really needed to.

 

i like my 400 auto

 

More fun to drive a stick...until you get stuck in NJ shore traffic on a sunday afternoon. I'd trade a testicle for an automatic when that happens. The debate of which is better is like trying to debating blondes vs brunettes. It's all a matter of personal preference.

I've driven stick cars that are an utter embarrassment and auto cars where I needed to put plastic on the seats. My guess is a lightweight car with a healthy motor, they're both fun to drive, and the decision should be based more on your driving style and the type of driving you do (highway/open road or city/stop and go)

 

...have always had 3 pedals, even in the coupe...but this '56 truck has an auto...man that's a nice change, and it goes like stink.

 

Hey Steve, The Bones Brigade will protect you...........

I like 3 pedals, but my knee's don't. I'm due for a knee replacement soon. But I'll take an auto for the moment. Still nothing beats slammin' gears and slidin' rears.........and drinkin' beer's..........

 

I'm with breeder on this one. I drove the Alcan once and was in a '94 Chevy 3/4 4x4 with a 5 speed. I shifted so much and so often that I wore out the slave cylinder! Ever since I've not liked shifting that much.

That and Momma Gozt doesn't do standards, so every build I do from here on out gets an auto so she can drive it! I mean, shit, if she supports the hell out of me building my toys why shouldn't she be able to drive them too?

 

How about two pedals and a trans-brake button?

That says hot rod to me.

 

real hot rods have 3 pedals !

 

Rodders with crapped out knees are exempt from this contest.

 

Traditional = 3 pedals ! now spread the gospel to hoodlums worldwide !

 

my coupe is a stick m-22 4 speed fun car to drive my other 2 are auto

 

Back in my younger days, I could drive and break a 4 speed with the best of them. A good stick driver could overcome weak links in his drivetrain to make it as fast as possible (or seem so). Wasn't long before I discovered 4 speed parts cost a lot of money (esspecially Mopar 4 speed stuff). I also discovered that with the right parts, an automatic could run just as hard as my 4 speed, and were cheaper to repair/replace. Autos were easier on most other componets also. Add in a wife, kids and a host of other stuff and 2 pedals became the dominate lifestyle.

I have just recently came across a beat to death Dakota with a 5 speed and have rediscovered how much I enjoy shifting. Might have to build a 3 pedal hot rod again, just for fun. Gene

 

Once Ive pushed all the cartilage out off my knee, I'll get a walking stick.

That should also be a handy device to beat some sence into the people that build Cars with those newfangled Auto Transmissions.

( I've owned more Cars with non-Synchro Crash Boxes, than Cars with Slushboxes... )

Edit.

Only kidding...

I build cars with Stickshift tranny's because I like them.

If anybody feels a Automatic will make them happy, they should build it that way...

 

3 pedals, even thou I own a auto trans car, I find it limiting and slow.
Hot Rods need a manual trans.

 

First car I drove regularly on my own was a V8, 4-speed stick, posi rear. I've had automatics that were almost as fun to drive - an early 4-speed Hydro is nice - but there's nothing like shifting your own gears.

Beyond that... to each their own... I'm not a Ford guy but some people like those, too.

 

Funny I've been debating with myself on what to put in the Falcon.
I have both a C4 and a T5 for the 302.
I enjoy the shifting, but Arthritus in my legs and left elbow are entering into the picture, 40 plus years of construction work does take its toll.

jim h

 

There are very few Ronnie Sox's in the world. Fact is most people can not shift as fast as a built automatic.

My brother has a non-HAMB Ford Ranger with a 418W that runs low 11's on 93 pump gas right off the street with only a tire pressure change and the removal of the air cleaner. Has a manual shift reverse pattern C4. 2 pedals, but manual shift....hmmmm....

 

Real hot rods have 3 pedals.
Drag cars have 2

 

Yep, 3 for hot rods and 2 for the family.


Tim

 

The 1st vehicle I ever drove was a 3 speed column shift/6 cylinder Chevy. I "grew up" driving standard shift vehicles. All 3 of my present "daily drivers" are 5 speeds, & I wouldn't have it any other way. I love the sound & "feel" of going through the gears!

 

My last custom was a 4 speed when I bought it. Changed it to an auto so the wife could drive it...it never was the same again for me. Current project has three pedals and I bought the wife her OWN car with an auto. Gotta have 3 for me

 

I may have bad knee's, but i can still shift the gears smoother and quicker than most. Don't put me out to the pature yet, I just don't want to get caught in bumper to bumper traffic for 3 or 4 hours(Pidgeon Forge)just to go 5 miles. I do love to shift gears, and there's nothing better than running through the power band in the curve's of Lake Lure, The Parkway in western NC, pulling off of the turns and breaking loose. Give's me the willie's.......i love it.

And to those who say automatic's are slow.........you need to meet Art Carr, Mark Bowler.......or wait, even me.

 

When I started the only good automatic was the Hydromatic and it was big bucks for a B&M. The Torgueflite seemed to start the change as I remember it.

Don't tell me in the early 60s that you preferred a Powerglide for a HOTROD. It was easy but not preferred. The term slush box was not complimentary.

Streetrodders spend lots of bucks making their cars into luxo cruisers like their daily Cadillacs.

Hotrodders enjoy the sensory imulses that come with loud pipes held too long in second gear for optimal gas mileage. They love the feel of matching the engine RPMs to the selected gear when they shift. They want to tell the car what gear it should be in and not the other way around. They love to down shift using the engine as a brake. (and listening to the pipes) They love driving the car and not just steering it.

I've built both and love them all but I love shifting my HOTROD. My grocery getter is another story.