do automatics have less value then 4 speeds? And do you think an automatic is less desirable than a 4 speed? I would think that an automatic mid year might not be driven as hard as a 4 speed through out the years. Just a question I am putting out there, looking for your opinions.

 

In a word ... yes. This has come up several times on the forum. Unless you have some monumentally rare car that has to keep its automatic for historical sake...or a 'hot-to-trot' buyer with health problems that can't shift....the price will be less.

 

Rock, my best guess is 5k less and I would think 1 out of 25 would drive an automatic over a 4 speed.

 

Great bargain. You can convert to 4spd for $1k! OK $2k, still a bargain. I like my newly converted 4spd to PG. I'm not a performance driver. I bought the car because I liked the looks of it. I nearly purchased a 36 Ford with modern drive train and chromed out 53 flathead instead. The guy wan't too much though.

 

I am sure if you have the parts laying around you can do that convert if you do the work, but try buying the parts and paying the labor and see if you can do it for a grand. Check ebay for prices on autos or sticks and see the difference.

 

Do I need to say something here, or just keep quiet?

Tom Parsons

 

Speak!!! Always like to hear your valued opinion.

 

This is a question I have answered for my self just as a serious shopper but not like an expert: Yes a 4sp has more value and more imprtantly cuts a large segment of potential buyers that have no interest in autos out of the picture.
-My question is if you found an auto that is a good deal how much would it cost to have a 4sp installed, not by me but by a mecahnic. From the little I know I have heard about $3000 parts and labor. Is that reasonable guestimate? And if that's a good ballpark, where would you find a good 4 sp tranny.
-Thinking further, wouldn't the old auto have resale value? Then again, if it was the original auto you may want to keep and store it for resale vaue (to sell with the original car) down the road. I occasionally see cars that are modified in some way that are sold with the orininal parts in a box so that the buyer can return it to original condition if desired which helps preserve value.

 

You can't even buy a rebuilt muncie for $1k.

 

I think most comparisons of stick vs. Powerglide prices may be flawed. Average stick prices include high-performance small blocks, while automatics were limited to 250 or 300 hp. The more powerful engines bring more bucks, and their manual transmissions are along for the ride.

I suspect the percentage of big block automatic installations was much smaller than the roughly 10% that went into small blocks, but don't know for sure.

 

I think the posters above are already taking that into consideration. It's absurd to compare the value of a 67 auto 300HP with a 67 435 (which could only be had with a 4sp). I know that when I was looking for a Sting Ray, I would not ever have considered an Automatic. Since most people buying a fun car are of like mind, that is what reduces the market for autos.

 

Please do speak, thats why I put this out . I have found two real nice cars one with a three owner documented history. They are both automatics though. I think that takes a lot of the fun out of then drive

 

If they are really good deals why not do a swap?

 

Then why even consider these cars? If a lot of the fun is working through the gears, why pay 90% and only get 50% of the enjoyment? Better to pay 100% and get full enjoyment out of the cars.

 

Personally (and I'm old enough to remember when the Corvette was brand new in 53), I think the Corvette has become luxury status symbol for the snooty folks who need a "look at me" car for their image. Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya, I know that the later cars have all the whistles and bells, power, braking, steering, handling, etc, etc, etc features that could not even be imagined on the older cars. They also have all the convenience items required by the yuppies, blond beauties and wannabes. It's my perception that MOST (pay attention, I said MOST, NOT all) of these owners are NOT, repeat, NOT performance car drivers! Yes, I said performance car. The image of the Corvette has (for the most part) been a performance car (even the early 283/1x4bl carb/PG Vettes were a moderate perf car), and it was for the performance minded driver. Not so much any more.
I'm a performance driver (and ocassional crusing driver) and I want the maximum control possible from a car. You GET that control with a 4sp (or a 5sp or a 6sp), you do not get that total control with an auto tranny. People, including myself, WILL PAY the extra $$$$ for a 4sp car over an identical auto tranny car. Some, not all, auto trannys WILL SHIFT, NO MATTER WHERE THE GEAR SELECTOR IS POSITIONED, and NOT where you want it. And last, the enjoyment of driving a 4sp car (I use 4sp as generic for 3sp, 4sp, 5sp, 6sp) is lost with an auto tranny car.
And, then there are those folks who state that an auto tranny shifts faster than a 4sp. BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take a ride with Tom Parsons, and I'll show you how fast a properly adjusted 4sp can be shifted! Keep in mind that I grew up in the days of the power shifted muscle car era. Sometimes it just makes me want to puke when I see how some people shift their 4sp cars.
ABSOLUTELY, I'll pay more for a 4sp car, plus, a Vette with an auto tranny is just as wrong as 2 boys having sex!

Tom Parsons

 

I'm in the same camp as Tom....I've hit the Pertronix 5,500 RPM rev limiter more than once and a manual tranny is a must in these cars IMO. I do miss my 'ole BW T-10 4-speed since installing the 5-speed OD TKO-600 but sure appreciate the lowered RPM's at highway speeds. Even after 2,500 miles of use you just can't whack the TKO into gear like the 4-speed. The rail based 5-speed requires a little more thought and effort each time you shift gears than the original tranny.

I had a Powerglide auto in my '60 Impala and abused the crud out of it but it wasn't nearly as much fun as a straight stick. I used to like to leave the Powerglide in Low until about 60MPH then put it Drive and let it upshift!

 

I had a Powerglide auto in my '60 Impala and abused the crud out of it but it wasn't nearly as much fun as a straight stick. I used to like to leave the Powerglide in Low until about 60MPH then put it Drive and let it upshift![/QUOTE]

Now thats the wayto have a little bit of fun driving a powerglide!

I agree with what everyone had to say. I got no thumbs up for automatics. As far as fun cruising goes, running through gears is so much more fun. Anyway if anyone is looking for an automatic 64 or 65 vert, they are on Long Island, contact me I will foward you the links

 

Tom, I'm an old drag racing, power shifter from way back as well. That may explain my knee problems BUT, unless you're running a Lenco or other planetary tranny, auto's do shift faster AND are more consistent. That's proven at the drags every week-end. Of the 16 Corvettes I've owned, only 1 had an auto. They sure are nice when you're sitting in traffic but I still like goin' through the gears.

Jim

 

Um, no, that's why I had two paragraphs, the first commenting on small-blocks and the second on big-blocks.

Of course a 250 hp Powerglide was cheaper than a 340 or 365 hp four speed new, and the same holds true for comparable condition used cars today.

A 250 hp four-speed '63 or '64 was within a FEW dollars of the same price as a 250 hp automatic, since both transmissions were optional (over the base three-speed stick) at about $200 each. The low-po stick shift is in more demand and brings more money today, but not nearly as much as a solid-lifter car.

 

My 63 coupe is a 4 spd, my 68 roadster is a TH400 automatic.
Chose 'em both and love 'em both for different reasons.
I know it is just my own personal thing, but to me the C2 is a car I want to drive like a performance car, mash the gas, and row the gears. I would not have considered an auto tranny when I shopped my 63.
However, on a nice day, I like to drop the top for a leisurely cruise in the C3 roadster without having to bother with shifting. I can drink a cup of coffee, fiddle with the radio, put my elbow up on the door and enjoy it. Not to say the car doesn't get on it when I want it to. But it offers some things the 63 doesn't and vice versa.
I think there are buyers for both.