Why is it that all I see used in rods anymore are automatic transmissions? Used to be that the t-10 or Muncie 4 spd was almost standard equipment,no one considered the auto. The cars Ive built were all t-10's,but admitedly that was during the 60's.So whats the deal?
my A's got a muncie, but i understand that sometimes u just want a comfy cruiser. my next will be an auto.
They're easy I guess - a cable shifter and vacuum line is about all you need except for those pesky cooler lines...You hit on one of my biggest pet peeves with rods. Its got to have a stick! Also automatics have become more reliable, with a better range of converters and hi-po parts.
I can think of dozens of reasons all of them valid. But here is something to think about that maybe no one is thinking about, the people that were building those muncie tranny cars in the '60s have since then trashed their knees, and hips etc. Face it the fellas building those cars the '60s are now in thier '60s or older.
I would suppose easy and economical to build it that way. Easy to drive, especially around town. Most donor cars that you find anymore have an automatic in them. A little more room in the front seat. Automatics don't have to eat as much horse power as some of the old ones did anymore either. I like gears, but I can sure see why lots of cars end up with an automatic. I use to like a 4 speed in my trucks, then I figured out that screwing around in the woods it was handy sometimes to have two hands instead of having one on the shifter.
All of the above. In olden days, they were classy options, an upgrade. You could ride in comfort and keep your arm around your gal. Besides, you never know when you'll unexpectantly earn the little blue rear view mirror fob and not be able to shift all the time. Gary PS Did you know they also get better mileage when driving in city traffic?
Its nice haveing a free hand to feel up your girl, or just hold a drink. But most of mine are stick shift tho.
All of the above, plus with the right mods. you can just stab it and go and have two hands on the wheel if your ride decides to go in different directions.
I like automatics since I have a left knee that gives me trouble sometimes . On the other hand the 50 Ford Gasser I am going to hopefully start building this winter will have a Ford 4 speed top loader in it with a 1970 Ford 429 . In my 55 Ford I am finishing up right now , it has a C4 but if that trans would go out for some reason , I have a nice 4 speed top loader that will fit right there in place of the C4 ! I honestly don't have a problem with either trans but I am really using the C4 because I got it in a package deal that was just rebuilt with about a 1,000 miles on it . I got that one for $400 with converter and the paperwork from the transmission place that did the work in town about 20 mins. from me . The paper work says it was a $795 rebuild ! I know that's correct because I checked on the price to have a C4 rebuilt about 4 weeks before I bought that trans so it was right in line with the estimate I got a month earlier . It's also common for people to have an auto trans in their hotrods since most all cars and trucks come with an auto trans anyway so they are just use to an auto trans ! Just my opinion ! Retro Jim
Yep, trashed knees, lower back, hips a 1 bad shoulder too and I"m only 57 and I've considered a 700r for my 55 but I just can't make myself pull the M-22 out. I'll put up with the discomfort so I can keep bangin gears cause it would'nt be as much fun and the way the car is set up, it would just look wrong.
Can't tell you the number of times I've been in bumper to bumper traffic and wished I had an automatic... or even a semi-automatic.
I know all the above reasons for an automatic are valid , but w/out the sound of running through the gears, it just isn't a hotrod [I'm 64] dave
Even with a bad left knee , there is nothing better than having 500+ hp under the hood and a 4 speed trans just banging those gears whenever you can ! That's worth putting up with the pain in my knee any day of the week ! On the other hand like porknbeaner said , were aren't 17 years old anymore so we might have the same cars as we did back then , but our body parts are like a barn find that has been sitting there for the last 40+ years . All rusted and worn out junk that needs replaced with new parts ! OH well , life goes on ! Retro Jim
These are all valid reasons ,I guess,but with all the concern and focus on retro and "period" cars it seems to me that the auto shouldnt even be a consideration. The other thing would be the intended use of the vehicle. Back when,nobody did road trips in rods,we just ripped up the area roads and drive in's.We all had enough "gear in the rear" that you could crawl thru traffic w/o rideing the clutch too. I'm not being critical of anyone or thing,its just that Ive been away from the street rod thing for 35 yrs or so,and now it seems to be a whole different game with different emphisis.
Cause i'm '63, 290 lbs, with size 12 shoes in a channeled '27 Ford...barely any room for me, much less a 3rd pedal and a floor shifter. Also, as i was building the car, the wife demanded an auto so she could drive it - turns out, she was afraid of it anyway, and has only driven it 2 or 3 times since I've built it. I can handle a manual all day long - did it for many years. Just flat out don't have room for it in my car.
Some of it is cost & availability. If I can find a toploader out there it will need work. Or I can overhaul a C6 for less than the cost of a couple of toploader parts. There is not exactly a forest of M21 & M22's out there either. And the mopar 833? B
I've had my share of stick shift 3 and 4 speed cars over the years and also a bunch with automatics. Frankly, I can't say one was more fun than the other. I do think in a light, high hp hot rod things happen quickly when you have your foot through the firewall and an automatic gives you the ability to concentrate a little more on keeping the car from getting out of shape. The other reasons some people posted, like the clutch being tiring in stop and go traffic and not having room in some cars for a 3rd pedal, are all very valid too. Don
My clutch leg is gone, I mean I can still walk on it and I can ever depress the clutch in my Willys (jeep) pickup. But it is a stock clutch behind a 283. I actually tried to depress the clutch peddle in a performance car last year and couldn't even depress the peddle one time, let alone drive it. I am thinking about building myself a digger with an in and out box and having one of those big handles like on an old tractor to engage and disengauge the clutch.
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