Know what's funny... I think B&M used to offer a fluid converter couple at one point in the 60's. As in... something that looked like a torque converter but I don't think there was any transmission. Not sure how it worked. I believe it was intended for dragsters only, not door cars.
The "Torquemaster"? The lettering wasn't even dry on Prudhomme's car before that thing was back on the shelf!!!
Yeah, that was it. I think I have original literature for that around here somewhere. Probably should be framed and hung in a drag racing museum, hah!
Thank you for actually doing a little reading and not just being a mindless sheep that jumps on the "Automatics are faster/more consistent" bandwagon Larry! Youre absolutely right that they do e.t. and mph faster for a given combo vs an automatic,but nobody seems to want to hear it...lol I guess the bottom line is,a stick is the hot setup,and an automatic is for the guys who cant get the hang of bangin' gears...
Toploader would be my choice, for a sort of period correct..If my uncorodinated human form could power shift one @ 7k then most can..289 and 5.14 gear..And I drove the car all over hell..Gas milage wasn't awfull, around 15 mpg, as with 5.14's you didn't have to shift much driving around. Speed limit was 55 then though.... More better IMO would be a T5z...First gear of 2.95 means around 4.11/4.57 gear and 5th would be equal to 2.79/3.10 rear gear..And since speed limits now seem to be 70/75 you [your engine] should be comfortable.. The above two trans probably have the most gear combo's/face plating options availible, spendy but avilable...I'd do whatever would make you comfortable [or your wallet], bottom line is its your car..
My Dad ran C/Gas with his 1934 Ford Coupe from 1964 to 1967. He used a 3 speed out of a late 50's chevy. Abundant and inexpensive! He says the guys with the hydros were almost untouchable.
School me on down shifting my doug nash 4+1 that has been face plated.There has to be a way to down shift it,I just havn't figured it out yet and don't want to destroy the gear box learning how. Anyone have any real street driving experience with this tranny.
Ran a Fairbanks clutch-turbo in the Willys in my avitar, loved it !! trans is still working in a 600 cu. in street driven Chevelle ! Chris
Seems that there were as many hydros as 4 speeds back in the Gasser days, but the hydros really came on later, and the 4 speeds were much more dominant early on. I ran a Muncie 4 speed in my C/G '55 Chevy.
Down shifting a faceplated tranny takes some getting used to, but try blipping the throttle to match what engine speed would be at the mph you are going for the gear you want to down shift to. Make sense?
I like you but that is actually an uneducated remark. I was going to say dumbassed but like I said I like you. Several defining factors when it came or comes to choice of a transmission. Era, class of car for instance maybe what you are looking for, are we talking blown gas or gas coupe/sedan for instance or cam wars cars or??? Then we should probably ad budget and personal preference into the equation like in does the owner/driver prefer to row gears or is the owner/driver highly sponsored or is it a porknbean car. The question is way open ended but I can tell OP this, a 5 speed is not going to get it if he wants to remain perion correct for any period or type of gas class car. A 3 speed with an OD may make the trip for a porknbean car as a porknbeaner may have used what he had but it would not be a long lived tranny if he was running in a class higher than about E or D gas. If the owner of said 3 speed OD car was serious and enjoyed rowing gears he would be looking for a 4 gear to get an edge on his competition and for reliabilities sake or at the very least full syncro 3 speed. I was running a full syncro 3 speed in the late '60s early '70s for instance. But the guys that were winning were running automatics and close ratio 4 speeds. As has been said the B&M hydro was popular, mostly with the big engine cars. Back when the hydro was popular a small block powered car naturally aspirated just didn't have the guts to pull the extra weight and more then likely would have been running a 3 speed or 4 speed. I did drive a J gasser once in the late '60s that was running an injected 394 (olds) and a gutted 3 speed sag. It had only 2nd and 3rd. But is was not my car and the guy that drove it had driven it that way for ever. It was a scary SOB by the way, but scary in a good way, and it was obsolete as hell. The owner was building a blown mountain motor with a 400 turbo for it at the time.
There will always be something inherently cool to mechanically-minded fellows about engaging/disengaging the transfer of power with your left foot and right hand . . .
This is where it is at man right here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I am in the same boat here. I ran a 1965 period correct m20 Muncie for a few years but I decided that I wanted to be able to motivate with the car. I put in a TKO 600 with a .64 overdrive. The first four gears are awesome with the 4.56 rear end gear. The fifth gear is just as awesome. I drove the Chevy to California from Canada last year 70 mph 1950 - 2000 rpm 25miles to the gallon without the crazy wear and tear of what it would be like running the old Muncie. I kept the old shift ball and oem hurst shift arm and most people still think it is the four speed just because of the shift pattern on the ball. Sometimes someone will notice that the shift arm is at the top of the tunnel on the Chevy and ask what transmission is in it but most often people just comment that it is nice to see a survivor 4 speed stick car taken from the track and put back on the road. Usually I tell them what I did. Sometimes with the goldchainers I just nood and laugh to myself. Jay
3 pedels for me without doubt. I broke 3 doug nash units..........cost alot of doe Got a liberty 5100 series......cost alot of doe but saved me trans repair If you want a clutch, get good stuff the first time..... Sidenote.....I have been "thanked" many times by the spectaters for bringing out my manual and pullun gears HARD........The fans know whats cool and what they like click the picture/////
I personally love 3 pedals and always have, but on the strip there's no denying the sound of a blown gasser motor screaming through the first of the four gears in a B&M Hydro. The first of the four gears was really low so 9000 RPM happened in milli-seconds.
During the early days at MOKAN [62-67} the blown gassers ran hydros and the rest ran 4 speeds. The only powerglide that I remember was in Action Joe's 6 cylinder roadster. Pete
Old Thread. Poor guys like me ran what they had or the best they could afford. My 55 chevy wagon will continue to use the stock type 318 Muncie. Why? It has a pretty steep first gear. And Ive got a big pile of them. It don't make me cry when I destroy one. Ive got 4 speeds but they are too valuable to tear up. and a three speed can be as much fun as anything else.
Run a Muncie 4 speed in mine. Stick cars are so much more fun to drive and watch at the drags. Great feeling banging those gears!!!!
I happen to have a clutch C-6, complete with handmade ratchet shifter, that was said to have come out of a Logghe car- I have had it since around '78. Built around a truck input shaft and fork, like a big-spline toploader. No plans to use it, if anyone has a need
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