Here's one you might like and I know it is all about ones personal tastes,

Sorry...My dad got me calling a manual tranny a "gear box"

For 20 years I have dissed manual trannys and hunting for gears,
I have always been an automatic fan, I had a 4 speed in both my 66 and 72 vette and in hind site I liked it, but always wished they had been automatics,

Now I have this new project in the works and for reasons that escape me I really think it might be "fun" to run a gear box, while I want to build a daily driver I no longer drive daily...
I know little about the modern offerings, 5 speeds 6 speeds..etc,

So tell me what I can do, lets assume my donor comes with an automatic, I heard it's not hard to swap over to a gear box but which gear box to use and some prices would help me,

Cheers,
P.

 

Daily driver an automatic. The fun car is a sports car it should have a manual. I have had a stick fun car for 30 years. Converted a few from auto to stick. I would not do a 4 speed ever again now that I have driven 5 and 6 speed OD transmissions.

 

There's nothing like taking full control of all gears. I have a 4 speed on my vette, but haven't driven it because when I got the car it needed the bumpers and the brakes needed to be rebuilt, but I'm almost done fixing it. I can't wait to get it running. Right now I drive a 78 Z28 with an automatic transmission, but I added a TCI manual automatic valve body, so I'm still in control of the shifts.

 

My daily driver is an automatic (but Its a company owend car) Not my choice. I love a "gearbox" car over any automatic. A manual gives you the feeling you are somehow connected to the drivetrain.

 

I'm also in agreement. My only automatic is the daily driver Grand Cherokee. The Vette was a no brainer, I wouldn't have bought it had it been an auto. While I have no first hand experience, It seems like a conversion from an auto to manual wouldn't be that hard given the availability of swap kits, but if you're buying a new project, why not just make sure it's a "gearbox" one.

 

It's hard enough for me to find the "right" donor without placing too many "musts" on the options list,
This donor is a trade off, I badly wanted wiper door, but what if a perfect for me 73-75 conv' popped up that was say a big block I would have to decide would I rather have the BB over a wiper door, which would you pick?

So do you guys believe that in some cases a gear box will out sell an automatic, meaning do you think some buyers would pass for no other reason than the car is automatic?

 

Yes, I did. I wanted an original BB car restored blue with black interior, I found a car 390hp Lemans blue, black interior, Auto trans, restored to a high level. I could have had it for 22k. 25 was my limit, Or so I thought. I see my car now on the net Blue, Black interior, Manual trans, original 400hp tri-power car, restored @ $39,999. My first thought was its too much. Then after a week I called and we made a deal at 37k. I just couldn't deal with myself if I had purchased the 22k auto car. It would never had sit right with me. So I spent more just to have piece of mind. I have yet to second guess myself on this buy.

 

Some random thoughts, tales and observances.. "If I paid more than $50 for it, it da&&ed sure better shift for itself!"... a redneck best friend. My 1977 will have an auto because even though I have tried periodically throughout our 20 year marriage, my wife still cries and freezes at the controls of a manual shift anything. I was raised on manual transmissions, but as age 50 approached I started liking the idea of simply planting the right foot and hanging on. If I were to build a 1969 Camaro (the ONLY year to own) it would have a 4 or 5 speed... or a 1967 427-435, just because they really should. Do you wish to "style" with the car, drag it, or pull 600 foot powershifting 3 gear smokeshows with the 468 and Richmond 5 speed? It's really up to you and your vision... we're just cheerleaders to your dream.

 

Thanks for that one, allow me to share Some random thoughts, tales and observances..of my own,
I am a little younger than you, not much, when I was hitting all the local cruises in the late 70's I recall one bumper sticker, "I would rather eat a Sh%t sandwich than drive an automatic" lol, the sticker belonged to this jackass of a guy who had a bad to the bone buick turbo 6 lunger that was spanking BB's right and left,
So after much hype when the local drag strip had street car day mr jackass was spewing and bragging that he would beat them all, he missed a shift and lost to a 14 second pretty much stock 78 Camaro,

I was always a cruiser, never much of a street racer, to hang with the guys I did my cars had to be fast but I didn't use that power and I always wanted the automatic for cruising,

I have heard all that in touch with the car, the rode or whatever and I just didn't care,
I didn't want to look for gears, but now I just dont know....

So now I am doing this last project, perhaps it will never be 100% finished but it's the last for me,
It's a custom of course and I will be running a BB with at least 4-450 HP
And I might swap in a gear box if it comes with an Automatic but I wonder with how I plan to use the car would auto actually be better for me, I just don't know so I posted this thread to get food for thought,

 

So start with whatever the donor comes with, achieve your vision and let the car tell you what it wants. Why stress over such a thing until it is alive and living in your garage?

 

For me, there is no fun in a self-shifter. Owned manual shift cars all my life. Had ONE auto and sold it in a year. Nothing better than double-clutching from third to second and nailing it. The sound alone makes it worth $$$.

 

If you like all that monkey motion of shifting and clutching plus dont mind getting beat by a similar HP engine with a Turbo, by all means bang away....But dont complain where you get beat by a auto trans....

 

There are more "gears" in the box with an automatic than in a manual transmission. Both are effective. Selection is a personal choice...so why argue about it....

 

Stress, not at all , this is fun for me, when I do a build I reaserch and then reaserch some more, health limits how much actual work I can do when I can so I learned long ago if I have it pretty much worked out in advance then my build goes way faster and way smoother, cheaper too as I make far fewer mistakes,

 

I would worry about finding the correct flares... whether I needed offset trailing arms to clear my favorite rims.... 396? 427? 454? More? Wiper door vs BB 1974? (Get the BB... wiper doors are just eye candy.). Color out and in.

NOT whether I could scare up a set of swing pedals and a TKO kit, or a 200-4R and a loose convertor... a week's project at worst. You have bigger fish to fry!

 

Lol...are you poking at me?
Correct flares??? I have been doing 'glass over 30 years and my bud is a veteran of working for people Like Barris and Greenwood,
Flares are no worry, I don't really like the off the shelf L-88 or ZL-1s ( mud flaps )
I will take L-88 Flares and mod the rear lower edges to give some kick out,

Okay..it won't be me doing the resin but I will be there,


I don't believe I will need offset trailing arms if I use the same wheels and tires sizes I used on my Wide body I built,
I doubt I can find good used Tru spokes in the size I need so I guess I will run Torque d's which I believe are the most beautiful wheel ever on any C3,

BB means what it comes with which in most cases is a 427 or 454, if I bought one I guess it would be the base 502.

Color in and out..again I think you are poking at me again, It doesn't matter what colors it is, I am doing a radical custom the colors it is now have no bearing when I get done with it,

When did I say I was worried about scaring up pedals, pedals are a phone call away,
I said I never liked gear boxes and wanted to know from people who are on that cutting edge what options there are with them....

I hope you didn't get the misconcepton I have never done a radical build before, I have done many...

 

Slow down, I'm not taking a run at you... I only wanted to point out that in the large scale... like choosing a body mod package, selecting rims, and deciding on a paint and interior color scheme... or an engine build... that transmission selection could be decided after making and executing ALL of these other choices. If unable to decide up front what your preference was my suggestion was only to drive the first-iteration "finished" car with whatever tranny it came with... then decide if it is correct for you, or needs change. I am truly sorry if you thought I meant to somehow belittle yourself, or your thought process as you work this build through.

 

I was more less joking you were poking at me,
Tone got lost in type,
I could tell by your replies to me you have not been up to speed on all my build plans,
And I admit I post one tid bit here another tid bit there, I don't want to do a build thread until the donor is here, finding a donor isn't hard finding the best donor for me isn't easy,

This post was more about fun and to see what fellows tried and true would say about gear boxes over automatics, and for some of the gear box savvy fellows to tell me what is out there and at what price,
But that all got lost,

I really wanted to learn about modern gear box options but this thread seems to be going like buddies talking at a show or cruise,

So I can high jack my own thread,
My build,

This build will be old school in heart and soul, but take some advantage of modern goodies,
I want a convertible, and wiper door so 68-72 but research shows I should be able to add wiper door to a 73-75,
Body kit I have, a Motion Mako Shark, modified to suit me with custom flares, modded hood scoop and "special" headlight treatment.
I plan to run the car rat rod style for a spell in wet sanded black primer,
Interior will be a mix of 80 style and custom,

I am known to be long winded and that is as short as I can say it, I am leaving out a lot,


Good nite all!

 

In all that, just don't lose sight of the one most importsnt thing-
The only one that your car has got to make happy is you.

If I was going to do a build up like you're after, I think I'd have to go with a manual trans. Probably a 6 speed. Keep the tall gears for performance, and still have to OD to get down the highway without needing a wallet like Bill Gates.

 

I won't replace my 4-Speed Manual in the Vette with an Automatic. I won't replace the automatic on my Suburban with a manual, ever. It's just the matter of how you use the car. Vette is purely for fun and manual adds to the fun. However, in everyday traffic which often involves traffic jams and stuff, it isn't really very comfortable to sit in there with a manual transmission and a hard clutch like the Vette has. Suburban is just perfect there with its comfort and auto trans.