Featured Technical Two pedals or three

The first car I bought at 15 years old was an automatic. The second car was also an auto but I changed it to a 4 speed. Every car I've built since has been a stick.
Currently building a 33 5 window with a Cadillac and turbo 400. . . . . Don't tell anyone

 

Every vehicle we own has 3 pedals. I've only had 2 automatics in my life. When I make fun of someone else's automatic I really am kidding, to each there own.

Phil

 

Here we go, all the guys with a clutch sticking their chests out waiting on a medal acting like they belong up on Mt. Rushmore lol
I have automatics, one is manual shift only, the others I can leave it in "D" or lock them in manual mode.

I used to drive truck in the city for a living, probably pushed that clutch pedal 6,000 times a day for decades. The last thing I wanted to do was push a clutch and shift gears to go home, I've had multiple surgeries on my left knee and for the past six years I have to get injections in it every 90 days.
So for any of you chest thumpers that think I'm a pussy for having automatics remember that I've shifted more gears than you'll ever shift driving around in your wannabe he-man macho machines.

 

Collecting parts to convert my 56 from 2 to 3 if that answers the question… But, my fast(er) car has always been an automatic with a 4000 stall too.

 

I’m loving this Anyone with bad knees or hips would be foolish to have a manual IMO. I’m speaking from experience had both hip done and for a year and half driving a clutch was pure hell and probably not the safest thing.
Video of my hero Ronnie Sox shifting

https://www.google.com/search?q=ron...ate=ive&vld=cid:690f82fd,vid:GVnKfozgS14,st:0

 

Was A 3 pedal Rodder Racer until I found cubic inches & Torque ,
Then a few broken M22 many 21s
Before 20
Most average 4&5 speeds,450 tq is max

 

learn't myself how to drive at 16 with a six cylinder and 3 on the tree in my 49 chevy. later my good buddy got a 56 Chevy with a 4-speed. I drove it out to what was at the time farmland and the junk yards along with Fremont Dragstrip so he could learn how to use a clutch.
he told me to do a burnout so I did and when I shifted I got my first of many second gear scratches.. I was hooked!
later I got an OT car with a big block and 4 speed and had more fun in that car than any other car I have owned since.
that was in the old days when muncie 4 speeds and posi rear ends could be found at the junk yard. I broke one of each. stick shift is just more fun.
good times!

 

As I’ve had soft cartilage in both my knees since I was 18 years old two pedals work well for me.

 

I build low hp crap

the 3rd pedal makes it more fun
A 235 and an auto kinda sounds boring. And expensive

My bus is auto though.

Told a guy it was stupid low cause my knees were bad
Traffic and bad knees changing gears is fun

 

True on Big Trucks ,
Going to bust some Nuts ,
Running into quite a few Cdl drivers ,
That Can Not drive Stick ,
Because they do not know how ,
witch I am a custom of Manual ,
I thought a Family member not to long ago how I drove truck ,
Only using Clutch when take off ,
Took drive Test , instructor wanted to Double clutch , Then went for drive Job
Company wanted double clutching also
In there Manual trucks.,

Back to Hot Rod , Race Rod
I will eventually get back to havering a Manual.
G Force
Jericho
TKX
Lenco
B & J

 

The same BS, different day.

A guy has to be pretty quick at shifting a manual trans to out shift a properly set up automatic transmission. The hard reality is, very few can actually do it. The guys that can't actually out shift that auto transmission feel a need to belittle those that drive the faster shifting auto transmissions. That attempt at belittling the drivers of the automatic transmission is even less effective these days then it was in the 60s.

I've had both manual and automatic transmissions (still do have one of each that I usually drive). Thirty years ago I could shift a manual 4 speed trans pretty fast (and the Mopar Hemi 833 trans was pretty tough), but I was not nearly as fast as those auto trans could shift, even back then. These days, my left knee, and the really slow, internal shaft, shifting 5 speed continues to tell the true story, most manual transmissions shift much slower then a properly build automatic transmission.

The 5 speed is more fun to drive, until my knee starts hurting, then its not so much fun anymore. When I finish a 500 mile road trip with the automatic transmission in my truck, I'm in a lot less pain then I am after driving that same 500 mile trip in the manual transmission car.

 

How about the best of both worlds…..

 

Ronnie Sox’s kryptonite, how are they on the street?
Dan

 

Believe it or not the transmission I posted is advertised as a street version.

 

I’ve always wanted a stick hot rod. My old coupe was an automatic, my V8 Corvair is a TH425 automatic. If I ever finish my 1917 RPU, it has a 5 speed. Exciting but not motivating

 

Lenco S T 1200
New around 8k ish
It can be used with Converter
Or 1-6 clutch in Can ( Bell housing)
Other Options a Slipper

 

I hope you clocked those screw heads on the shifter boot so they match

 

Amazing how pushing a clutch seems so much easier now

 

the "belittling" is not a real thing, it's all in fun. nobody really cares if a person has an auto transmission.
went to an all Mopar show yesterday, in my world every Cuda, Superbee, GTX, Roadrunner etc in the show was much more cool when I saw that pistol grip sticking up from the floor. same with any other high performance factory car regardless of make.

 

61s are always more fun when you row them, lol

Most of my vintage stuff is all sticks. Since they are fun weekend and non every day rigs its a nice thing to go through the gears. My 33 is an auto but that was for when it was bracket racing for points everywhere. Hard to beat the consistency of a automatic shifting when your drag racing. Both have their place and sometimes its just nicer to have a auto depending on what your actually doing.

 

Few other High Tq & Hp
Manual gearbox ,

 

Unless you are 78 frigging years old with a left knee that gripes every time you push a clutch pedal and two of my rigs are 3/4 and 1 trucks with 4 speeds and heavy clutches and the plan for the 48 is a stick behind the 292 but my knee is campaigning for an automatic.

Yuppers, the guys who only drive to the coffee shop and back once or twice a week with their stick and don't do hours on end in traffic working a clutch are always the ones who bad mouth guys who run automatic because their knees survived jumping out of helicopters and off sailboats and years on end on concrete floors. I love the idea of having the 5 speed I have for my 48 but my left knee is a lot happier when it doesn't have to push a clutch pedal on the way to somewhere where I will be walking for several hours.

 

How about neither?
Direct drive, no clutch, only in or out. Use the starter to warm up the engine. Kill it and engage the box. Get the push truck to get you rolling, turn on the magneto, then the fuel. Make sure you are pointing in a good direction! And hang on!

 

Looks like Mark got a rise out of a couple of you fellas. LOL. He's just pretending to be an asshole. Although, he does a pretty good job of it.
I'm sure there aren't many of us who actually think that we're any better or manlier cuz we're bangin' gears. It's just a preference or sometimes necessity dictates. Fact is, I'm just a little concerned about how smart I'm gonna have to get to set up my clutch linkage. I'll handle it. But you know... it's not the easiest thing in the world. Another thing... I'm 68 and I hope I can still work the clutch and the shifter when I finally get the darn thing on the road. Better start exercising.

 

Tell us how you really feel .,.

 

You painted a picture there sir! My dick did that turtle thing as my sphincter slammed shut. Good post. good post.

 

Mine can pull way more logs out of the woods than those wimpy drag cars

 

Man pedal for me.