I am building the car to please me, I fully know when I post the build on here I will get silly puke faces and comments about ruining a vette,

I am trying to decide which will please me more a stick or automatic,

I believe I see the trend here, pretty much everyone wants a stick in a car driven for fun once in while and an automatic in a car driven for daily life,

I guess if I am really honest this car will be driven very little, hit cruises and shows and this or that errand during the week,

When I drove my 66 custom vette back around 1990 it was a daily driver as in everyday, I worked a lot back then, ran a night club, the car has no AC no heat and a blupping cam,
It had a 4 speed, and I can do all the cool tricks, sitting at a red light on a hill eating in the car...lol

I didn't beat that car and we got along fine,
But flash back to my 72 BB that was around 1980 and I tore up 2 gear boxes in that car, nothing more than getting on it, and not all that hard,

So whats the story on these 6 speeds seems if a person wants a gear box that is the one to have,
Does it fit without chassis mods?
How much HP will it handle?
What are the costs?

Many thanks

 

Wake up. It is time to shift gears. All my tire boilers have been 4 and 5 yankers. Business vehicles autos. I have passed on purchasing alot of cars because they were automatics. However it is your custom, not mine. Do it your way. Gearbox it $2000+.

 

Definitely. You got it right when you said this:

Not everyone, but I believe a majority. I want auto when I am just getting place to place. I want manual when I am driving for fun. Ironcross is right though, auto is better for drag racing, and probably better for most people when roadracing.

This has probably done nothing to help you decide which will make you happier.

 

Sure classic corvettes you want 4 speeds.... but how many of you out there have a wife/girlfriend/buddy that has never pushed in a clutch... I had a clutch in my old S10 pickup.... trying to sell it was a nightmare... I kept dropping my price to way below wholesale before someone would even come look at it... my 6 speed C5 back in 2003 just would not sell either... I had to keep dropping my price to below wholesale again to get anyone to look at it.. same cars/trucks with Automatics sold for thousands more...
the world wants automatics...

 

+1

Even the new paddle shift can be fun...

 

Manual all the way. Unless you have a bad left knee and it's painful to use a clutch, then go the auto route.
It's just plain fun!

When we bought our first 1990 Honda Civic hatchback, my wife had never driven a manual. I tried to convince her the manual was a lot more fun to drive & got better milage. She took a 3 hour class on her own to learn to drive a manual and never looked back. We've always had at least on manual car since.
My DD VW Passat is a manual and a blast. Her Odyssey is a auto, but had asked the Honda salesman if you could get it with a manual!

Personally I would not buy a Vette with an auto. Kind of defeats the purpose of a sports car. Might as well drive a Caprice with a big V8.

If I had the cash, I would go with a 5 or 6 speed OD tranny.

 

Manual all the way. I even got a manual in my saturn because I wanted to feel like I was driving. It becomes second nature, don't quite understand how everybody always complains about shifting.

And when it comes to racing, is there any other way?

 

...only one of my seven cars(trucks included)is an automatic and the only reason I don't convert that car to a 4spd is because it's an NCRS 5 Star Bowtie/2 time Bloomington Gold Survivor car.

...my silver '75 coupe I converted to a 4spd about 5yrs ago.

...manuals are for men, automatics are for women.

 

It's a 2 seat sports car. Shifting is part of the experience.

 

try to buy a new silverado today with a manual... unavailable...

 

with Boston trafffiac Ill stick to an auto all day long

 

Count me in with the clutch guys. There's just something fun I get outta rowing a stick in any American muscle, back and forth. Especially since buying this Vette. Like piloting a V-8 powered mechanics creeper with big brakes.

I like it so much that I too, made the switch from 4 to 5 gears just so I can get on the super-slab and cruise like modern vehicles.

Twisting that old 350 in the 3400 to 3800 rpm range just to maintain speed and watching the the fuel gauge always heading towards empty made that choice easy. I'm building mine for cross-country cruising while the gettin's good. If it sees the occasional auto-x or drag race, then it is what it is. If I want to get specific about racing, then I'll develop a racer to compete.

Until then, this one is just an attitude adjustment I need to make when the timing is right.

I can hardly wait to get up into the mountains on a nice day and "feel" my way around towards some greasy-spoon for lunch, clutching and shifting all the way.

 

I have always liked manual gear boxes.

A young guy asked me about manuals vs. autos because all his buddies had autos & they were trying to get him to switch from his manual trans. to auto. He decided to keep the manual.


One time a Chevy manual gear box guy wound up a Chevy auto. & had to buy a 69 Mach 1 to get a manual fast for his other car.

There are manual gear box guys & auto. guys...
PS The auto. can be easier on the rear end in a high power setup.

 

Orlando.... lotsa traffic, lotsa tourists.Lost souls in Lexus SUVs making three lane blitz moves for the exit they won't realise is wrong until they wind up 30 miles out of the way at the next turn around. I would install a stout 4 speed modern auto and invest in the best brakes I could find. Whichever member stated that a stiff clutch sucks in traffic is way right......a well built 700-4r or a good 200 r4 with lock up converter would fit the bill nicely.

 

Add my vote for the AUTOMATIC transmission. Just personal preference......better for dragracing and I don't want to do extra work (shifting and foot shuffling) to drive my car. Besides, I use a foot for each pedal and don't have enough feet to drive a stick.

 

You didn't think I was going to leave you alone on this did you?

I think this the absolute best oberservation you have made to this point.

It IS hard to find the right donor car and yes since you can't order a "used car" you do need to keep the "musts" to a bear minimum. I don't think something like the wiper door should even be a consideration if you find a car (one less thing to drive you crazy when it's going to be a custom anyway).

You can add me to the list of it should be a "gear box" guys also. You may want to keep in mind though that some of these 5 and 6 speeds can get pricey by the time you're done. If you're not going to build a nasty motor with mega power you can save some money by going with a "take out" unit. You said it yourself that this car will be driven very little. To me that means when you do drive it - it will be for fun. So you need to pick the trans that is the most fun for you. While we are 3 to 1 voting for a stick shift car if you want an automatic that's what it should be.

I think you have a very clear vision of what your "ideal" custom would be. I also think you realize it may be impossible to forefill ALL your goals. If you have to make concessions along the way that's OK. You just can't conceed on the "musts" otherwise you won't be happy and even worse wind up loosing interest. I'm also sure that once you get started that's not going to happen. Just think of all the laughs you're going to get from looking at all of these .

I can't wait.

 

There are no automatics in my house. That includes the wife. Can't wait until I can get it together to convert to a 5spd. Had special order the Pickup to get a 5spd. Manual is the only way to go.
Wait until you have to have a modern day Auto fixed and see that $4000 dollar bill. I can ovehaul a manual for a few hundred bucks. And clutches go at least a 100,000 for me. I doubt if your auto will last that long.
But the bottom line is what you think is best for yourself.

 

manual all the way!My 75 L82 is my DD,and wouldn't have it any other way.It does become second nature.I can shift perfect while holding a hot Starbucks,answer the cell,and still have a kite cig going.It does become a "given".There's no thought...you just drive.If I had a newer vette...I would go auto,cause I would give it to my wife,but the 3 C3s that I gave here...the nose is too long,and she doesn't multi-task very well at all....nope.

 

Aint nuthin like a good strong turbo 400 with a shift kit to snap your neck and chirp the rear tires grabbing 2nd off a light with very little effort. I more often than not shift my auto "manually", just for the control.And fun. I think I am also getting a little lazy in my old age. Bottom line...I just LOVE to drive my vette.
Good luck with your custom.
David

 

I voted a gear box as that is what I am running now and will be getting a 5 speed eventually. Should be getting it right now as the Canadian $$$ is quite strong but being off work for 4 months (surgery) the $$$ are pretty tight.

BUT I had a 71 LT1 with an auto (shift kit) and it was the second most funnest (I know poor grammer) car I ever drove. The first was a 4spd MGB. That auto with a 3500 stall shift kit was a real blast to drive.

just my .02

shmoky