4 speed thoughts

[Bill Pedersen]

The Hot Rod Yearbook #13 that Leon mentioned has a 30 page article on building a T-bucket. There is a lot of detailed info. You may have seen pictures of the car. It was yellow and had the verticle coil springs for the front.

The master cylinder is a 1960-66 Chevy pickup dual unit PN#5467734

The slave cylinder is from a 1965-67 passenger car PN#5460668

This is the pedal assembly bracket

 

[Ted Brown]

Hi Paul, Well let me tell you a story about 4 speeds or any stick trannies.. I have installed maybe 6 or 7 in my life time, in T Street Rods, and have taken every one of them back out and installed an Automatic back in it's place. A couple of the cars were wrecked because of the stick, a couple had broken parts due to the hard shifting of the driver... Sticks tear things up, And a clutch is not as strong as a good Automatic.. If you want the best, get yourself an engine complete with a 400 turbo already mounted to it, like out of a station wagon, or any HD unit... The 400 is quicker out of the gate, and lets you steer while riding on your Rocket.. there is no other street car quicker than a T Bucket, set up correctly that is... They will not even make a legal altered, too much engine set back, perfect for quick starts... But, Let me tell you this also, Forget about making it a Race car, if you want to have an enjoyable everyday FUN Rod to drive.. no matter what you put in them, they are still waaay to fast and quick. Like I have always said, you need two feet to drive a T safely, 1 on the gas and 1 on the brake... nothing left over for a clutch... Nuff said...

 

[oldtman]

I have an original Model T hand-brake on the left side , like on my horseless carriage T speedster. when I put my foot down on the T bucket my left hand is on the hand brake and the right is on the wheel. there have been times that you can't get your foot off the gas and on the brake soon enough. I had a friend that used to drive supermodified's at the old San Jose speedway and he had a tall hand brake like that so I coppied his race car.

 

[Ted Brown]

Yes that is just why one should learn to drive with both feet, one on the loud pedal and the other on the brake, or close to it...

 

[PaulR]

I think for simplicity sake I'll go with the automatic. However, I will be putting in a 4 speed in the next one.

Bill Pederson.... Thanks for the photos... That is how I was looking to do the pedal set-up before I came up with the crazy hamd clutch idea...:lol:

I'll keep those as a reference for the swap to a 4 speed in the future.

Thanks to all for the comments/replies/suggestions.

PaulR

 

[Ted Brown]

The new long T bodies are great for the stick lovers...plenty of NORMAL leg room, needed to operate a shifter/clutch correctly and comfy and safetly above all...
You can have the sticks, I will always stay with a good turbo, the only draw back is.. Turbos you can't push to start... and it takes some practice to learn how to get around real good in Snow... it can be done, as My Dad taught me a few tricks in that department.. Thanks Pop, RIP But a shifter tranny in a short bodied T Bucket, not a good idea... just my own thoughts and experiences on this..

 

[Martin]

Your points on the down side of a stick are all valid, but... I want to use one just because I think they are more fun to drive, and after all, fun is the point. I like smoky burnouts at least as much as the next guy, and I live out in the country where there is plenty of room to do that sort of thing when the urge strikes, but for the most part my driving habits are somewhat conservative, especially in traffic, and I dont plan on doing any racing of any kind. I also plan on building my own body so There will be plenty of room for all the pedals.

 

[T4TWO]

IDK if anyone else has mentioned it before. But, what about installing a M22, 4 speed trans in a bucket?

 

[der Spieler]

I think I would prefer to go with a T5. That would move the shifter to the center and out of your way. The area to the left of the tranny is pretty busy already with the master cylinders and pushrods and all.

 

[gudgyz]

IDK if anyone else has mentioned it before. But, what about installing a M22, 4 speed trans in a bucket?

M22's have a pretty tall 1st gear at 2.2 to 1, i know T's are light but you would need seriously deep rear gears to make it nice to get moving, and then the rear gears kill you on the highway. I ran a M21 in a 3200lb sedan behind a hot 350 with 3.25 gears, slip the clutch to get moving, stall or wheel spin otherwise, but good for 75mph in 1st gear. Dropping back to a 4.11 rear helped but killed it for long trips.

I you feel you need a manual get a 5 speed, lower first gear and OD 5th make it much easier to live with.

 

[bobscogin]

Looking for some feedback on an idea I've been cooking up in my head. Since I'm getting my engine this coming Friday (WAHOOO!!!), I'm now looking at transmissions. I was originally going with the 350/350 automatic. Now, after seeing the 4 speed that the guy used in his t bucket (on youtube with BC from Spirit), I'm leaning in that direction. I'm thinking of a hand clutch on the gear shift stalk...
PaulR

Paul, other than an intro, this is my first post but I may have some input. I originally set up my T frame for a 4.3L Chevy V6 / TH350, and then decided to go manual. I mocked up the build with a Saginaw, and found that there just wasn't room for the traditional left side mounted shifter. Inside, the stick came up under my right leg, and under the car it interfered with the master cylinder. So, I began to investigate options and decided to use a T5 manual (internal shift rail, stick on top center) from a Camaro/Firebird. I installed an S-10 tailshaft installed to properly locate the shifter. The difficult part is the clutch pedal/linkage. I managed to find room to install the pedal with the master cylinder under the dash, and used a bellcrank to turn it 90 from the conventional position. The master cylinder is a 3/4" bore Wilwood and the conentric throw out bearing is a Howe Racing unit. Regarding your idea about putting a clutch lever on the stick -- personally, I don't think it would work too well considering the clutch force and limited travel you'd have. Go for a pedal actuated clutch if you decide to go manual. This project was not simple, and I'm fortunate to have the machine tools and welding equipment, along with a little "out of the box" thinking to achieve it. It was worth the effort. Having a stick shift hot rod is a blast! Let me know if you have any questions.

Bob

 

[bobscogin]

I think I would prefer to go with a T5. That would move the shifter to the center and out of your way. The area to the left of the tranny is pretty busy already with the master cylinders and pushrods and all.

And you get an overdrive top gear. I used a T5.

Bob