After spending a couple grand and 40 or 50 hours doing the swap from auto to six speed I would do it again for twice the time and money IT KICKS BUTT

 

to be honest, i'm really not sure which is the most reliable. personally, i never cared to consider it, for the manual was the #1 most important aspect when buying mine. i mentioned in another post, if all vettes were automatics, i would never buy one (which would really blow, because i love them dearly and they've been THE dream car all my life)....so for me its 6 speed, or no speed! :cheers: :chevy

 

All I know is, if money were no object, I'd own both! :thumbs:

 

Although I have an automatic, I would have to say stick for the Dana 44.

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned the 700R4 auto trans. I'm on my 2nd '89 automatic. On the 1st one the 700R4 went out at 65K miles. Transmission shop (good one) said there were a few upgrades avail as from the factory they weren't heavy duty enough.

When I found my current '89 Coupe, I specifically asked the owner if it'd had the tranny rebuilt. He said he wasn't gonna mention but since I asked he said yes about 4K miles previously (total miles on car was 100K.) That was a definite plus.

Unless later 700R4's have been redesigned for heavier duty (# of clutches, better torque converter), most will fail under 100K miles.

As far as manual or auto, I'd say "depends on your driving". If it's stop and go commute, get an automatic. If it's go, go , go, then 6 spd

Good luck whatever you choose :cheers:



[Modified by ZR-71, 8:46 PM 11/18/2003]

 

It's all about personal preference and what you want to do with the car. You can't go wrong by picking the one you want. Just be sure either one is in good condition.

Dick

 

Your conclusions are based on owning two cars? You're reaching here.
My 93 auto, has 109,000 miles orginal trans and water pump, and opti.
My 86 has 140,000 on the original trans.

How long a auto trans lasts isn't built in at the factory. Snow will kill one fast.
Burn outs will too.
Fluid changes pro-long a tranmissions life span.

What you've got here is a study of two. Not enough data for a fair verdict.
I've owned 10 Corvetttes and I've never had a trans fail.
A properly miantained 700r4 will go 200,000 miles.

 

Have you ever driven a 4+3? :confused: How can I say this kindly... speak for yourself!

The "4+3" consists of a Super T10 4-speed and a 2-speed Doug Nash designed planetary overdrive unit. The T10 4 speed has been in use and in a state of improvement since the 60s. From what I've read on here, and in my experience, the overdrive unit causes most people trouble, because:

a) the owner ran it for 120,000 miles and never serviced the fluid (name a tranny that won't burn up after this).
b) small electronic component failure that are easily replaced, and not difficult to diagnose, using the procedures stated in the factory service manual.
c) they blow $2500 on some clueless moron at AAMCO who has never seen one before

In 1986, GM improved on a design weakness, the direct clutch washer which often broke after significant clutch wear, but they also downgraded to weaker clutches.

I don't have experience with the ZF6, but there are some drawbacks that I am aware of:

a) noisy (straight cut gears - strong though)
b) 1st to 4th skip-shift (but can be overcome with $15 aftermarket part
c) rebuild kits are 10x more expensive than the T10's, and difficult to find(but I have no idea about their reliability)
d) the flywheel used with them can't really be resurfaced, and is expensive to replace.

:steering:


[Modified by CentralCoaster, 9:49 AM 11/19/2003]

 

Or you could just buy a low-mileage automatic and do the proper maintenance. ;)

I bought a Rolls Royce, because I knew I couldn't keep up with 25,000 maintenance intervals on a Corvette. I mean, come on.. that's like every 5 years!

 

700s are pretty weak compared to the 350 and 400 series.

 

:lol: Nevermind. 4+3s were only used till '88. :crazy: :bb

BTW, get a stick. You sure can't chirp the tires into 3rd gear with 200 rwhp and an automatic. :D

 

test drive both types see which one you like. if you are going to just drive it i suggest and auto. if you are going to race it get the manual. also if yo are going to go over 500hp go with the manual. it's pretty much preference or availability. GM tranny hold up well. if it's a manual you only really worry about the cluch and the auto just worry about 3rd gear wearing out.
I have an auto only cause it was the only vettein my price range at the time. I'd love to have a manual but also it's convinient to have an auto in rush hour traffic. either choice you'll enjoy driving it.

 

Quote
________________________________________ ________________________
Your conclusions are based on owning two cars? You're reaching here.
My 93 auto, has 109,000 miles orginal trans and water pump, and opti.
My 86 has 140,000 on the original trans.
________________________________________ ________________________

My conclusion comes from talking to a guy who has worked on transmissions for 30 years. If the 700R4 was very reliable why would they need "upgrades" on rebuilds? Maybe by '93 the upgrades were designed in.

With "proper" maintenance and non abuse, most any tranny will last long. But the '89 era ones didn't seem to last as long as they should. It wasn't just mine, I've heard this from other owners.
:seeya

 

700r4 needing upgrades? You can get a upgrade for just about any auto trans. Shift kit, clutch pack, etc. Most upgrades are the Police and taxi clutches, servos, shift kit, etc.

I sold my 86 with 140k its got over 155k now with the orginal trans.
The 700r4 is so stout that theres a kit to install it in the Mustang.

The 700r4 is a good transmission. The AOD in the Mustang is a weak trans.
So what trans does your trans man say is good? None? The C6?

 

Just today I asked this same question of a GM service tech at the local GMC dealership. I thought his response was insightful enough to share. First, if an "older" person such as myself is looking for a relatively trouble-free weekend cruiser, stay away from sticks. Reason: in his capacity as a mechanic he has worked on many vettes owned by different people. Sticks tend to get driven harder. Thus, even if the trans stands up to the abuse, other components may not do as well. This is a generalization. But still something to consider.
His feeling is that the 700R4E is a good transmission and fairly easy to work on. He stated that he recently replaced one for a customer at a total cost, parts and labor, of just over $1700. In contrast, the manual with the dual mass flywheel can cost over $2000. for parts and labor to rebuild the clutch. He freely states that this is when using genuine GM parts. He has also done rebuilds for less with non GM parts, and he feels that the non GM parts are often perfectly satisfactory for their intended purpose.
He may be an isolated example of a GM mechanic who feels that vettes are basically straight-forward chevy's with a unique body and suspension. In any event, he sure made me feel better about buying a 14 year old car.

 

That, truly, is the only way to go :D

As stated before, the condition of the car and its prior use and maintenance are much bigger factors. Both my cars were driven hard before I bought them. Neither has had any trans trouble.

 

I have a auto 85' and i would give anything to do things over again and pick up a manual.