[The Champ]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

At least auto's are faster in the 1/4

After 50 or so year's - technology finally caught up to the simplicity and effectiveness of the manual transmission.

NASCAR still uses manual transmissions for a reason.

[Stuckinda60s]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

At least auto's are faster in the 1/4

Quicker, not faster.

[b-man]

[Tambo]

Originally Posted by GOAT WHORE

Ya know in some other country's you need a special lisence to drive a manual, kind of like a motorcycle endorsement.

Like in the State of Queensland, Australia where I live. If you have a manual licence you can drive any car, but if you have an auto licence then you can only drive an auto.
You need a different licence for a motor cycle, truck, bus, semi etc. etc.

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by The Champ

After 50 or so year's - technology finally caught up to the simplicity and effectiveness of the manual transmission.

NASCAR still uses manual transmissions for a reason.

Yeah... drop it in 4th and never touch the shifter again

[Alf ista]

Originally Posted by Tambo

Like in the State of Queensland, Australia where I live. If you have a manual licence you can drive any car, but if you have an auto licence then you can only drive an auto.
You need a different licence for a motor cycle, truck, bus, semi etc. etc.

Same thing here. About 95% of cars are manuals, maybe more. Most people would be confused by an automatic and would have to be told to put it in D and ignore your left foot!

[Stuckinda60s]

I love a 4-speed. Coming off the line is a challenge and every full-throttle shift is a challenge, as well. That makes 4 challenges every race. When I was racing one, I'd come off the line at 4,000, lock my right foot to the floor and just bang gears. I was pretty consistent, but snapped U-joints, axles and driveshafts.

An auto is easier on drivetrains, on chassis and frames and easier to be consistent. They're also less likely to cost you an engine because of a missed shift or failure.

That said, I still love a 4-speed and have them in my street cars.

[71SportRagtop]

PA weather is SO weird. On Tuesday it was snowing and yesterday it was in the low 60's. Since I figured it would be the last warm sunny day before winter kicks in, I decided to take my 68 Firebird out for one last good ride.

I took my car out along some of the winding country roads that surround Peace Valley Park which is 1/2 mile from my house. I rolled my windows down and drove my car along those winding roads. Since it was my last run for the year, I was maybe a little heavy on the GO pedal. You can tell me how consistent and how easy an automatic is to drive but NOTHING and I mean NOTHING beats driving your 4 speed Musclecar along those winding country roads.

The day I drive an automatic Musclecar is the day I turn in my man card.

[arbys]

Originally Posted by 71SportRagtop

. You can tell me how consistent and how easy an automatic is to drive but NOTHING and I mean NOTHING beats driving your 4 speed Musclecar along those winding country roads.

I took my 4 speed out Thursday before I put it away for the winter and you're right NOTHING, BUT NOTHING beats running it through the gears especially on the winding roads grabbing the gears that YOU select.

[Sidponcho]

Converted my last 2 Pontiacs to 4 speeds. Can't imagine it any other way

[mgarblik]

I live in Ohio and a few days ago I took a long last ride in my 68 400 Conv. Firebird that looks much like the one in post 128. Looked 17 years before finding a 400 4-speed conv. I could afford. I would not have considered buying one with an auto. I am sorry to say this guys but I had a 65 GTO with the 2-speed auto. It was one of the most miserable muscle cars I have ever owned. It did shift from 1st to second at 80 MPH though.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by arbys

I took my 4 speed out Thursday before I put it away for the winter and you're right NOTHING, BUT NOTHING beats running it through the gears especially on the winding roads grabbing the gears that YOU select.

Please explain to me why you can't select the gear YOU want with an automatic, I do it every time I drive my 05 GTO and have over 90,000 miles on it since I purchased it new. I've been driving my automatic equipped cars upshifting and downshifting them at will since I bought my 69 GTO automatic in 1973. All my performance cars and race cars previous to this were manual transmission, usually 4 speeds.
I have no idea why there's this notion that you can't drive an automatic the same way you drive a stick, sans the clutch pedal.

The argument of not being able to shift for yourself is non existent period. If I drive an automatic, or a 4 speed manual, I shift it. If I feel lazy I just put it in drive and let the transmission do it's own thing, thing is I can have the choice to do it myself or not if I choose to, you don't have that option with a 4 speed manual transmission.

George Hurst designed the His and Hers shifter and Pontiac started using it in GTOs. It was so you could shift for yourself, or let it run through the gears by itself. Pontiac evidently wanted to save some money and in 69 they started outfitting their performance automatic cars with their own design of detent shifter. Did you people fail to realize that most of the shifters can be shifted one gear at a time by just exerting some pressure to the right to use the detent shifter Pontiac provided just for this purpose? I guess if you've never shifted an automatic manually, you have missed out on 50% of the advantage of having one.

[lust4speed]

Shifting an automatic up and down through the gears is like taking a shower with your raincoat on.

Oh, wait a moment, that comparison was for something else...

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

I live in Ohio and a few days ago I took a long last ride in my 68 400 Conv. Firebird that looks much like the one in post 128. Looked 17 years before finding a 400 4-speed conv. I could afford. I would not have considered buying one with an auto. I am sorry to say this guys but I had a 65 GTO with the 2-speed auto. It was one of the most miserable muscle cars I have ever owned. It did shift from 1st to second at 80 MPH though.

Mike, that's one of the most miserable, poorest excuse, for a performance transmission ever put in a musclecar. Pontiac knew it was a weak kneed excuse, and in 67 went to the T400 in the F and A body. Just swapping my 67 Le Mans 326 from the T300 to a T400 made the car an entirely different machine.

Coincidentally 67 was the year the detent shifter was offered in the GTO so you could still have the option of manually shifting it, now that there was a real transmission under the floorboards, not the 2 speed slip slide cousin to a powerglide. Also with the T300 W/O A/C you got the 2.56 axle, great performance gearing for a musclecar with a 1.76 low gear transmission. The reason the early 2 speed GTO was a complete dog but would upshift at 80 MPH as noted at WOT.

[justincampbell]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

At least auto's are faster in the 1/4

It drives me up the wall when people make statements like this. Sure, some of us(myself included) cannot get the full potential from a manual trans in the 1/4. However, you find somebody who is really good with a 4 speed, and I'll bet on them any day against an auto.

Dave Strickler for instance

[1967Tempest]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Also with the T300 W/O A/C you got the 2.56 axle, great performance gearing for a musclecar with a 1.76 low gear transmission. The reason the early 2 speed GTO was a complete dog but would upshift at 80 MPH as noted at WOT.

Tempest too.. When I found out that the ST300 was 1.76 first geared i was shocked. I did swap to a better converter which helped, but still a dog off of the line. Why they put that trans in such a heavy car is beyond me.

When the TH350 went in the car it was night and day. Car was a bullet compared to ST300!

[Brewster]

Paul, so what was this car about??? A Body but what year, options, color combo...

[Brewster]

Oh, and for the record you'll love the 4 speed!

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by justincampbell

It drives me up the wall when people make statements like this. Sure, some of us(myself included) cannot get the full potential from a manual trans in the 1/4. However, you find somebody who is really good with a 4 speed, and I'll bet on them any day against an auto.

Dave Strickler for instance

Dont be so butthurt.


You have to powershift like a boss to compare to an auto

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

Dont be so butthurt...You have to powershift like a boss to compare to an auto

Why yessir, I do believe you may be referring to "The Boss" Mr. Ronnie Sox, the 4-speed drag king, yes?