4-speed over-rated?
Pro
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 594
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From: Gotham City CA
Originally Posted by UKPaul
Dean,
I kid you not! A mate is a mechanic at a local garage & a few years back an old lady brought in a new, low mileage car complaining about a noisy engine & lack of power. They went over everything & couldn't find a thing wrong with it (bet you can see what's coming!). Eventually my mate asked her to take him for a drive in it & tell him what the noise was. So she stuck it in first gear & off they went up to the 30mph limit. And she stayed in 1st, didn't realise that there were higher gears to use
At first it's funny, but imbeciles on the road are what cause accidents.
Never driven a manual Vette & my Vette is the 1st auto I've ever owned. Advantages of an auto are that drag starts take no skill whatsoever (lights change, press right foot down, point it in the right direction, drink coffee, puff on cig/look at scenery) and, er, can't think of anything else. Disadvantages are the way they can sometimes change up/down right on the apex of a bend (can be dodgy) & they automatically change down under heavy throttle (this can be an advantage, but it's a pita if you like listening to the sound of the exhaust when the engine is at low revs under heavy throttle in a tunnel or climbing a steep hill). Changing down from "top" when trying to gently accelerate on a highway can also be a pita, particularly with loud pipes when a cop is following (that's not good, not good at all
).
Can't believe that GM fitted a cranky old g/box in their sportscar (maybe they did? I've not driven one), but some of the older, more worn cars I've had (rusty old wrecks to be honest
), had awful gearchanges. Quite often this was simply due to wear in the linkage from the stick to the g/box, especially in ones that used a lot of rubber to isolate vibration from the gearstick. Another one had horrible gearchanges which turned out to be due to worn out baulk rings in the synchromesh (or whatever the name is for those rings). And then clutch problems can show up as g/box propblems, especially if it's dragging due to a warped plate, etc. I'd get a test ride in another manual & see if it feels the same, it could be that the one you drove had some "issues". Personally, I'd prefer a manual (if I want to run at 5000rpm in 2nd, or 2000rpm in 4th under heavy throttle then I can), but they're thin on the ground here & prices reflect that (plus stick shifts have generally had a harder life due to people running at 5000rpm in 2nd, or 2000rpm in 4th under WOT 
).
I kid you not! A mate is a mechanic at a local garage & a few years back an old lady brought in a new, low mileage car complaining about a noisy engine & lack of power. They went over everything & couldn't find a thing wrong with it (bet you can see what's coming!). Eventually my mate asked her to take him for a drive in it & tell him what the noise was. So she stuck it in first gear & off they went up to the 30mph limit. And she stayed in 1st, didn't realise that there were higher gears to use
At first it's funny, but imbeciles on the road are what cause accidents.Never driven a manual Vette & my Vette is the 1st auto I've ever owned. Advantages of an auto are that drag starts take no skill whatsoever (lights change, press right foot down, point it in the right direction, drink coffee, puff on cig/look at scenery) and, er, can't think of anything else. Disadvantages are the way they can sometimes change up/down right on the apex of a bend (can be dodgy) & they automatically change down under heavy throttle (this can be an advantage, but it's a pita if you like listening to the sound of the exhaust when the engine is at low revs under heavy throttle in a tunnel or climbing a steep hill). Changing down from "top" when trying to gently accelerate on a highway can also be a pita, particularly with loud pipes when a cop is following (that's not good, not good at all
). Can't believe that GM fitted a cranky old g/box in their sportscar (maybe they did? I've not driven one), but some of the older, more worn cars I've had (rusty old wrecks to be honest
), had awful gearchanges. Quite often this was simply due to wear in the linkage from the stick to the g/box, especially in ones that used a lot of rubber to isolate vibration from the gearstick. Another one had horrible gearchanges which turned out to be due to worn out baulk rings in the synchromesh (or whatever the name is for those rings). And then clutch problems can show up as g/box propblems, especially if it's dragging due to a warped plate, etc. I'd get a test ride in another manual & see if it feels the same, it could be that the one you drove had some "issues". Personally, I'd prefer a manual (if I want to run at 5000rpm in 2nd, or 2000rpm in 4th under heavy throttle then I can), but they're thin on the ground here & prices reflect that (plus stick shifts have generally had a harder life due to people running at 5000rpm in 2nd, or 2000rpm in 4th under WOT ).
Pro
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 745
Likes: 0
From: Miami Florida
every 4 speed chevrolet car i ever had i immediatly swaped the stock shifter for a hurst super comp and put on the shortest stick that i could on it and still reach comfortably. with that combo a healthy muncie is a dream to shift. im kinda liking my 700R4 currently with a shift kit and 3000 stall. i only wish it would hold 1st longer. anybody know how to do that?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by rastadr
every 4 speed chevrolet car i ever had i immediatly swaped the stock shifter for a hurst super comp and put on the shortest stick that i could on it and still reach comfortably. with that combo a healthy muncie is a dream to shift. im kinda liking my 700R4 currently with a shift kit and 3000 stall. i only wish it would hold 1st longer. anybody know how to do that?
Yeah, drop the shifter down to 1st gear on the detent. Then when you hit the RPM you want to shift at, slide it up into either 2, 3, or OD.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 787
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by OregonVette80
I don't care what you guys say. 
I am 6'4" and did a lot of test drives of C-3's before I bought my 1980 AT. Of all the C3 4 speeds manual tranny's I drove, my size 13 shoes could barely fit into the small pedal space. Not only that, my knee's where up by my elbows, looking like a bafoon & uncomfortable as h#ll too! My car just got back from the dyno (rated at 374hp) and for a 350cu in. engine, the automatic works great. I can cruise easier and it still squawks the tires as it hops into second gear (yes, even with an automatic).
I say "Automatic Tranny Baby!"
AP
I am 6'4" and did a lot of test drives of C-3's before I bought my 1980 AT. Of all the C3 4 speeds manual tranny's I drove, my size 13 shoes could barely fit into the small pedal space. Not only that, my knee's where up by my elbows, looking like a bafoon & uncomfortable as h#ll too! My car just got back from the dyno (rated at 374hp) and for a 350cu in. engine, the automatic works great. I can cruise easier and it still squawks the tires as it hops into second gear (yes, even with an automatic).
I say "Automatic Tranny Baby!"
AP
Not so fast....I have size 13's and can use the pedals just fine.
I chock this one up to the same misconceptions as those saying a tall guy can't fit in a vette. Believe me, it's a crock, I would know.
There may be no performance difference in a lot of cars, but there is a very noticeable "thrust" of the car in each gear. Very fun.
Pro
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 745
Likes: 0
From: Miami Florida
hey durango matt, why would you say that? clearly you have no clue that 82 shifters start with 2 and you cant hold one with the shifter. even if you go to aftermarket shifter that physically pulls the linkage as low as possible one only lasts a few moments.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by rastadr
hey durango matt, why would you say that? clearly you have no clue that 82 shifters start with 2 and you cant hold one with the shifter. even if you go to aftermarket shifter that physically pulls the linkage as low as possible one only lasts a few moments.
Sorry, but it worked in my '77 with a TH350 and in my other '77 with a TH400. You're right I have no clue about an '82 but I wouldn't think it would work any different.
Also, on my shift plate I have a 1, 2, 3, N, R, P. If I put it in 1st, it stays there until I take it out.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
From: San Diego CA
Originally Posted by rastadr
hey durango matt, why would you say that? clearly you have no clue that 82 shifters start with 2 and you cant hold one with the shifter. even if you go to aftermarket shifter that physically pulls the linkage as low as possible one only lasts a few moments.
However! The transmission WILL shift in to second on it's own, eventually, when you floor it with it set to first. My TH-350 does it and my 4L60E did it, too.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 4,176
Likes: 7
From: Jennings LA
Originally Posted by rastadr
every 4 speed chevrolet car i ever had i immediatly swaped the stock shifter for a hurst super comp and put on the shortest stick that i could on it and still reach comfortably. with that combo a healthy muncie is a dream to shift. im kinda liking my 700R4 currently with a shift kit and 3000 stall. i only wish it would hold 1st longer. anybody know how to do that?
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Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Kalway
That's actually an easy fix. Cut the rubber bump stop out and you can put it in to first. I did that on my '95 Z28, gave me the 1st selection back.
However! The transmission WILL shift in to second on it's own, eventually, when you floor it with it set to first. My TH-350 does it and my 4L60E did it, too.
However! The transmission WILL shift in to second on it's own, eventually, when you floor it with it set to first. My TH-350 does it and my 4L60E did it, too.
Okay, two ideas. I never have tried to leave it i n 1st longer than the transmission would have let me...which means I was shifting it up before the trans would.
The other idea is that ironically, none of my Vettes have ever had a kickdown lever. None would down shift when I floor it, and I had to manually down shift for that 'Passing gear.' That may have something to do with why it wouldn't shift out of 1st unless I pushed the shifter up into 2 or 3.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 535
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From: Southaven MS
Originally Posted by rastadr
every 4 speed chevrolet car i ever had i immediatly swaped the stock shifter for a hurst super comp and put on the shortest stick that i could on it and still reach comfortably. with that combo a healthy muncie is a dream to shift. im kinda liking my 700R4 currently with a shift kit and 3000 stall. i only wish it would hold 1st longer. anybody know how to do that?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 826
Likes: 22
From: Chicago Area
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
That happened to me once when I was in a big manual truck with a heavy clutch. man I couldn't walk right for a week...
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Scootin_Z
I think I know where you were going with that...
I have no idea where he's going, but I hope he doesn't have some kind of a political grudge against me now. That's just stupid when you have hard feelings against someone based on political views. I usually just stay out of politics anyway.
Good one Paul but you left out the young boys part
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
MikeFullerton - Another thought. Do a Hyd Clutch swap from a mid-90's truck, and you'll be shifting like it was a Honda. That and make sure all the linkages are clean and refurbed with new bushings.