Survey......Man.Trans. VS Auto's?????

[Screaming Metal]

Hey guys....read the tread about the brake booster and remote clutch cylinder under the floor.......I had thought about going that route.....but since the little buckets are so small anyway.....are there any guys out there on the board thats running a 4 or 5 speed manual? And if so....how does it compare to the automatics....

 

[Ted Brown]

I have installed only a few, and let me tell you, they are a %e*# of a handful to handle, try steering, clutching and shifting, all in a super light OPEN ride, that is not long enough for all this to happen at once.. I took ONE ride, and that cured me of wanting to EVER AGAIN ride in a stick T Bucket, was Thankful to make it back to the shop in one piece give me a good 400 turbo anyday, stonger than any clutch, and quicker out of the gate, and does not break things like the stick does... Just Me here..

 

[Screaming Metal]

I have installed only a few, and let me tell you, they are a %e*# of a handful to handle, try steering, clutching and shifting, all in a super light OPEN ride, that is not long enough for all this to happen at once.. I took ONE ride, and that cured me of wanting to EVER AGAIN ride in a stick T Bucket, was Thankful to make it back to the shop in one piece give me a good 400 turbo anyday, stonger than any clutch, and quicker out of the gate, and does not break things like the stick does... Just Me here..

]

Yea...I figured they'd be a beast to drive, I ca imagine the nightmare of the linkages under the floor. I was just thinking of the cylinders might make it last cramped under there.........I'm gonna be running a turbo 400 myself...

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

A Powerslide with a manual valve body works for me. I was told I had to go the manual valve body way due to the blown big block wanting to eat the standard ones.

If I could have had one that did the shifting for me I would have gone that way too.

I cant actually see any good reason to try and fit in a clutch pedal in a bucket.

 

[donsrods]

I have a 3 speed stick setup (floorshift) in my 27 and drove it almost daily for 7 years. I liked rowing around town. My 23 has a TH350 and I have to say the automatic is pretty pleasant to drive, plus most T buckets don't have enough foot room for 3 pedals. The main problem is that when your foot is glued to the firewall things happen so fast that shifting manually can be a little challenge. With an automatic you just punch it and hang on for dear life. :lol::lol:

Don

 

[Ted Brown]

Don, this is where most fail in a street race.... With an automatic you just punch it and hang on for dear life. :lol::lol: That one word = punch gets most cars in trouble... and that is how most people drive, even Doug Cook used to drive that way, in the old Days... Punch it and wait for it to give you a wild ride... The real trick is to just push the pedal nice and smoothly to the floor, no snapping here reguired, as that usually gets the tires loose, and that really hurts the first 60 ft.... by then a quick car is GONE... Color Me Gone, remember that one? :lol:

 

[TRoadster]

If you want to run a manual transmission then I suggest you use a hydraulic throwout bearing to save a little room. I think most like autos because they are more self contained meaning no extra linkage and pedals to take up space. Not much room under or above the floor of a stock t bucket. Now if you widened the body some.... If you want to be a little different then go manual... it's up to you. I'm using an automatic in my track t.

 

[Wild Mango]

Your bucket got an auto,
Your scooter got a clutch,

End result is still the same.

Drop the Hammer, sit back and let 'er rip!!!

Hot Damn, that is livin'!!!!

 

[chop]

whatever you can get to fit. My bucket is the first auto in a hotrod I have had in a long time. But after my drag racing career I am more then happy with an th350. TCI hardened innards, manual valve body and a 3800 stall converter. It shifts faster then I could work a clutch.