[Formulajones]

When these cars were new they came with a tiny tire most of the time barely measuring 26" tall. That helps tremendously getting away with a horrible effective gear ratio. People today, me included, install taller larger tires.
The problem with a stick shift is if you're already dealing with a lazy effective gear ratio like a 2.54 with 3.23's, it only gets worse with a taller tire.

Hence the suggestion to go 5 speed and even up the rear gear a smidge. With a 2.87 1st gear your low end problems go away and with a .68 overdrive you gain highway cruisability better than youve ever had before