Pre mid 60's most autos were "slush o matics". since then they have become performance transmissions that perform well and are a lot easier to install than the old mechanical linkage. Having said that I do have a muncie, a Ford T-10 and a top loader under the bench with a th-350, th400 and a glide ready to go.
My sport roadster has 13" wide of space for pedals. I wear a 15 shoe that is 5" wide. Do the math = hitting to pedals at the same time. Hence, went with a AOD. It was that, or get certified in hand controls for the handicapped. LOL
Absolutely! I was going to say where have you been looking? There have been more stick equipped hot rods built in the last decade than there ever was before! The serious low point in this deal was the seventies and early eighties when EVERY "hot rod" built had a Turbo350, 'cause that is what the then new crop of mail order parts manufacturers made mounts for. When I put my '48 together at the begining of the ninties, my buddies helping me convinced me to put a 727 touque flite in it. I hated it for about 9 years. A "home improvement" loan in 2004 gave me the best inprovement I have ever made to a car - my TKO600 Tremac!
I hate autos... All mine are sticks weather muncies or t-5's to the 6 speed t56 in the Comet I love shifting!!! Autos are for customs or cruisers not Hot Rods! Plus my old lady cannot drive a manual trans so she wont be able to steal the cars
I love a 4 or 5 speed, but if you're starting from scratch an automatic is less than half the cost. Trying to find even a rebuildable Muncie is an expensive endeavor. The peripherals like scattershield, clutch and linkage drive the price up even more.
LOL you don't have to be certified here. I have designed and begun collecting pieces to build myself a hydraulic clutch that uses a cycle type of lever attacked to the stick. My neurologist said that when my leg goes into the brace which is emenent I still won't be able to depress a clutch with it. I have a B&M hydro for one of my cars, I know that it is not traditional but it will be fun to drive.
If a guy buys a car with his money, builds it with his money, who is anyone to say what should be considered? The concern and focus on retro may not be what they are worried about. Some of them may even have seat belts in their cars!!! Everyone can and should be able to build what they want.
Rich Rogers ''Yep, trashed knees, lower back, hips a 1 bad shoulder too and I"m only 57'' same reasons for me, too, being all crippled up at 50 ain't no fun had to sell a few cars l really liked, couldn't drive them 'cause l can't drive a stick anymore. Later
Certainly is personal choice, but since I built my first car I've always had a clutch. My '55 C and B Gasser was a Muncie M-22, my current '32 Roadster has a '39 Ford box with 25 tooth gears, a Muncie in my coupe and a Richmond 5-speed in my race car. I guess the fun of shifting is more important than comfort for me. I'm of the old theory that Hot Rods have three pedals. I've talked to many guys that wish they'd put in a manual gearbox when they built their cars instead of the auto.
It's funny because on this side of the Atlantic manual gearboxes have always been the norm up until fairly recently, and even now they are seen as an option. One of the things that is always stoked our interest in the American automobile is the "luxury" of cruising with a bench seat and auto box, one hand on the wheel the other around your girlfriend's shoulder as she snuggles up nice and close. Paul
My first automatic, an air-cooled PowerGlide, was in a T Bucket I bought in 1989. That sold me on them so all cars since have been automatic. I wouldn't turn down a standard shift car though.
I want a manual, but until I can afford to do the swap, I'm stuck with an auto. I am accepting donations, though I'm not holding my breath for any money from those who think I should have a manual.
Currently building a "three pedal" rod. I have to agree that with trying to find room for clutch and shift linkages, automatics are easier to fit into a rod. But That's not the only reason old timey rods didn't have automatics. They were nothing compared to todays trannies. We all remember the "Dyna-slow" Buicks, 500 pound "Hyde-magics", and "Touque-frights". Remember we all called them "slushboxes". They were all notorious for problems even in their repective mom and pop mobiles. Even the two speed Powerglides leave something to be desired against todays autos. Then the GM 350's came out with a respectable automatic and the rest is history. As for me, I still love to row my own in a hot rod, but if I was building a sled-cruiser it would have a "slushbox".
I have to use people I know as examples,because I havent been to a car show since about 1966. That will change this summer,but an old friend of mine in toledo has a 32 and a 34,both are sbc with autos,a guy down the road up here has a 40 cpe ,same way. reading posts here,Ive not heard any mention of 4 speed cars,some old school 3 spd top loaders,but no t-10/muncies. I am going into this new rebuild of mine wanting to keep it t-10 , so this thread is a survey of sorts!
Personally, I like manuals and have them in both my hot rods. My perspective is from growing up in the 60's when the difference between rods, dragsters, and show cars was sometimes vague - some cars were called "show & go." I usually liked the "street & strip cars" best and they usually had manuals as I recall. That said, most of the Willys gassers had hydros, so if I were building a '40 Willys coupe for the street today, I would probably go for an auto. If I were building a cool slammed 50's Caddy or Buick, it would have an auto with bench seats (T&R of course). For "new" trucks, I definely like autos, great for towing, etc. But I have seen a real increase in manuals in the hot rods lately, like others have said. Goes along with the more traditional styles that are being built. But, everyone should build what they like.
My A has an M20 in it because it's a 60's Style build, but my other cars have earlier 3 speeds because they are built to feel like earlier hot rods.
Speaking for myself, I am currently building a 50 chevy, I have little money to spare and would like to drive it. I depend on what parts are laying around mine and my buddies garages to keep the cost down when I can, so when it came to my trans my buddy gave me a th350 that was sitting collecting dust. If anyone has a 4 speed laying around to give away I would gladly go that route, that just isnt the case by me. The auto trans seems more common to find and much less expensive, so for us guys on a cheep budget most of the time have to settle for a two peddles rather than three.
Availibility, cost, convenience, more durable in higher HP applications, rarely miss shifts, but I still love a 4 spd.
my hot rods tend to be sticks, however my current project is--I think--going to be an auto. mostly becasue I found a great deal on the adapter here AND already had the 700r given to me. otherwise it would have been a 5 speed. in my case it's a matter of cost and convenience.
When I was a punk hoodlum the highest compliment you could give a drag racer was, "he makes that four-speed sound like an automatic".
Don't know about the rest of the world but Manual transmissions are pretty hard to come by around here, plus the added cost of clutches, throw out bearings, linkages, etc. More $$ and trouble than it's worth in most cases.
I had a ball driving my first car -- Chevy Impala with 283 and the Muncie ( got that installed when the column shifter tab broke and couldn't find a shifter to fit). But that was back when driving was fun and knees were young. Now I'm driving to get places and knees are "aftermarket". The truck I hope to build to be my daily driver is gonna have a 6-speed auto.
I ditched the Powerglide for a four-speed in my Camaro, have a three-speed in my '61 Falcon, and am putting a 3-speed OD in my factory-Fordomatic-equipped '62 Falcon. So I definitely prefer sticks - especially over vintage automatics. However, I'm secretly grateful my wife has insisted on an automatic when we drop a V8 in the '61 Falcon for her. It just looks far more complicated to engineer a four- or five-speed swap than to just fabricate linkage and coolant lines for a three-speed auto. If I had some kind of full-size fifties car built as a cruiser, I'd probably lean automatic there as well, because it better fits the character of those cars.
I just happened to have an auto laying around so might as well use it, plus its easier to drive at my age.
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