anyways I prefer 3 pedals all day everyday, but different strokes for different folks right? my uncle who grew up hot rodding in the 60's and 70's loves automatics in all his hot rods but has manuals in everything else. only thing i like better about auto is im always drinking tea or coffee or soda so it makes it a lot easier to drive
I have anew process 4 speed in my 54F100 custom truck, but the Falcon will have a C4 mostly because my 63 year old body and its joints are not what they use to be after a life time of hard work. The point of building a car is to enjoys it and having pain every time you shift does not help make for an enjoyable drive.
My name is BOWTIE BROWN & I like automatics because iam lazy & cheap. Four speeds are nice when ya don't want the ole LADY driving it.(YEAH , I KNOW .....YOUR OLE LADY CAN DRIVE A 4-SPEED) "AND THE BOWTIE ROLLS ON"
I made my first pass down the strip with a three speed column shift in '57 and raced sticks for years . I have blown up and rebuilt enough T-10s and Muncies that I'm pretty sure I could do it blindfolded. Somewhere along the way I figured out that the only way to get rich Drag Racing was to start out very rich and work your way down and started building and enjoying cruisers and street rods. I have never broken an automatic trans that was built right and they cost about half what a decent 4 speed goes for. They last for years and old knees can still party after a 500 mile day. Don't get me started on bumper to bumper traffic on the Freeways of Houston.
My avatar has a 383 and Muncie. F 100 muncie. The rpu I'm working on is 5 speed. If my knees go up I'm sol.
Muncie M-20 in my T....going to be fully polished along with the bellhousing, with a plexiglass panel in floor... Vroom....vroom....
I've got an M-21 in my coupe. I would not have it any other way for my hot rod. Having said that, automatics have come a long way and are much quicker, more consistent and more reliable than a conventional stick at the drags.
My 18 Spline A833 has been resting for a few years but will soon be transfering torque to the Detroit Locker !
It's weird to hear everyone talk about how pricey 4 speeds are... When you go to sell them everyone says they're a "dime a dozen". I have a Saginaw out of a 68 Chevelle, two M21's...one out of a 69 Camaro and one out of a Nova, a T-10 out of some small block late 60's Chevy, and an M22 out of a 67 Vette that currently sits behind the 327 in my pickup. I always have liked 4 speeds far more than automatics, but sometimes it's nice to not have to shift ALL the time. A also do envy the overdrive mileage some of these 5 and 6 speed guys get, but you can't have it all. The way I see it, not everyone can say they have a Rockcrusher to shift, so there's an upside.
Through the years I have owned both. Four speeds and slushomatics. In my younger years I always had a 4 speed. When I traded I always looked for a 4 speed big engine car. Since we don't have big engine 4 speed cars anymore, Fuck everyone, I build em!! Hahahaha, there I said it, fuck automatics! I am 56 and by God if I can't push the clutch and shift a damn lever I'll walk!! If I can't walk I'll ride in a 4 speed car! Screw fluid drive. There I said it. Join a Honda civic forum if you don't like it. Later. Lippy
BTW: if and when the close ratio M22 starts killing my driving time due to mileage, I'll likely swap out to a T5....if I can find one that can handle the 327.
I was trying not to bring that up Lippy, my digger has a slushbox. At least it's not a glide. That said I took a 95 Dodge 360 magnum, an 89 D150 bell and a 70's A833 O/D and swapped it into the 59 Plymouth Wagon. I used a Ford Escort slave and a 1 1/8" fruit jar m/c actuated by a modified Mazda Miata pedal assembly. Turned out to be a pain in the butt swap. Kinda hurt to lose the pushbutton auto trans but I love the 4 speed in her.
In my 29 model A street rod,390 FE with an old 3 speed toploader.I put a 39 shifter on top so it looks old but hasnt broken yet,,(touch wood).When I go for a skid at the strip,the shifts are sloppy but I wouldnt have it any other way For a clutch setup I used a brake & clutch pedal assembly from a 39 Ford & mounted a threaded rod straight to the clutch fork.Makes a heavy clutch pedal but you get used to it,, Deadbeat
Would have installed a top loader but used ones for my engine were pricey used, in fact the same price as a new one that came with a 1 year warranty. When adding up all the costs, a Tremec 5-speed was the same costs plus I got a 3 year warranty and a 5th gear overdrive for the highway. The other advantage was the shifting linkage was internal vs a top loader and again, hard to find those parts.
My 2 cents is 4 speed all the way, the reason I found this thread was to see if anybody else was having dificulty getting that 3rd peddal in. Glad to see I'm not the only one, but it still leaves me with crowded dance floor down there.
I break more autos than I do Manuals...... Stick shift all the way..... Model A coupe = 39 3 speed top loader out of a merc..... 1967 GTO + 455 + m22 + 4.10 rear = More fun than I should be allowed to have..... But I also feel auto's have their place..... My tow rig.....auto all day.....
Around here even Saginaws seem to be viewed as collectors items to be horded now. I still run stick transmissions but a lot of guys my age suffer from ailments or hip or knee replacements that make it a pain in the ass to drive a fourspeed car any distance in traffic. Back in 1969/70 I street raced against enough 383 Roadrunners to know that at least with Mopars two cars set up the same except for four speed or T flite the T flite will beat the 4 speed by four to six lengths in the quarter every time unless the driver can't drive. I could usually get a four speed car by two to three lengths but never did beat an automatic car even with the same driver driving both cars in one case. Blown up four speeds across the board on all brands plus collector/horder price on the ones that are around don't help when you are looking for one.
these are my thoughts exactly! i even run a manual trans in my racecar. i don't care if automatics are faster. in my opinion "there is no fun in winning a race if you are not rowing your own boat!"
I put a M-21 in my 36 behind the small block. I originally was fearfull of the clutch linkage and was going to use a 39 pedal to simplify things. Ended up with a 40 pedal as the cost was MUCH less and suprisingly enough, the linkage I ended up designing was straight forward and easier that I had first imagined. In the end, I am more than glad to have put the stick in instead of a slush box. As for the wife thing, she doesnt want to drive it any way, stick shift or not. So I was safe to begin with !!! MITCH.
It's not the 1950s anymore. That "standard" vs. "automatic" discussion is ancient history. If you build a hot rod or custom and want an automatic gearbox, that's what YOU build. Always build to make yourself happy, not others. By the way, you have two posts that are virtually identical. Only two. A word of advice, be a bit careful about what you post here. Lots of us have Bic lighters and matches. (for flaming) Enjoy!!
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