What did most of the guys run for transmissions in the gasser classes? Did they run 4 speeds or Automatics? Trying to figure out what to put in the Henry J. I have to admit I was thinking about running a 5 speed so that I could put a little gear in it & still be able to cruise but I do also have a overdrive here as well. I just kind of wanted to stay period correct if I could even though I know that a 5 speed isn't period correct. What I'm meaning is the type of trans (Auto or manual) that most guys ran back then.
Any Hydro will do, They ran alot of other stuff but when the B&M Hydro came along it was all over for the three pedal set. Personally I'm running a Toploader behind a blown Chrysler, but that's because I hate Automatics. Real Hot Rods are more fun with three pedals. Tim
4 speed! In the Willys in my album back in 64, they had blown the T10 and while they were waiting for parts they put a 3 speed in it, my father went to make a pass and in the excitement of staging forgot it was a three speed, put it in first which was now reverse and launched.
Yea, those Nash 4+1s were hot in the golden years of gassers, you know, like '63-'68. Yea, yea, thats it, yea.... And glides, yea powerglides yea, yea, thats it, thats it, yea, glides....And lencos too, yea, lencos thats it yea, lencos, lencos yea, thats it, thats the ticket, yea... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ucJN8cRDqM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
cars under 3000 lb will be quicker with a glide vs. turbo 350 or 400, automatics are more consistent manuel trannys are definetly more fun but do punish your drive train more
Was going to say that I agree, 4 speed automatic-ish transmission. Clutch-Flights and Clutch-Turbos also became popular transmissions, later in the game. Something that I discovered in a lighter car if you build a torque monster that maybe does not turn 7K you can get by with a taller gear and still drive it on the highway. Or you can run taller tires on the highway and switch to shortr tires at the track to gain a little in overall gearing.
Well... to quote Dirty Harry..."A man has to know his limitations". I was never really that good with a four speed so I run an automatic.
On the street it doesn't matter a whole lot and the row your own gears are more fun if your clutch leg is up to it. On the strip all other things being equal between two cars my bet is on the one with the built automatic. I used to street race against 383 Roadrunners quite a bit back in 1969 and Could beat the four speed cars by a couple of lengths and the automatic cars usually beat me by a couple of lengths and the amount they beat the four speed Road runners by matched with what I experienced. Do you want fun or do you want to win?
Mine was built and run with an M-22 Muncie and that's what's in it today. It ran a short period of time in the 80's with a PowerGlide and it was much easier to drive (stayed straight) and more consistent, but we put it back the way it was originally built - a 4 speed!
Most local gassers ran 4 speeds in the 60's around here. A few Clutchflites and Clutchturbos a little later on. All other things equal, a 4 speed should be a little quicker than an automatic. Don't believe it? Look at the NHRA indexes and records for the manual and automatic Super Stock classes (Stock too).
Doug Nash , inline shifter ,thats what I have, pretty dadgum tough !!! Parts still available, Richmond gear, not too bad to work on once you split it and study a while !!!! About the same money as a REAL M-22 rock crusher , much easier to change ratios in !!!!
Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, and the staging lanes were full of gas class racers, automatic transmissions were preferred by most of the fast guys in the upper classes. The balance between traction, consistency, and horsepower made them the hot setup. In the early 60s, Hydros were the deal; by the late 60s, Torqueflights, TH400s and C6s became preferred. Lots of cars in the lower classes used manual transmissions. With less power, the lower parasitic losses were an advantage; traction and durability problems were lessened. Some still ran automatics to get better consistency.
^^X2, almost all of the blown cars ran autos. Panella, Bob Chipper, and Hrudka are the main blown 4-speed gassers that spring to mind, autos outnumbered them by a huge factor. But then the majority of HAMB "gasser" guys dont know who Ken Dondero, Chipper or Hrudka are anyway, or care.
^^Damn straight. He was a master, right up there with Stric, McCandles, and Sox. I have some video of Dondero in action, as well as the famous in car movie footage of Strickler at the '64 US nats in the Dodge.
I read an interview with Dondero once and they asked him how he could shift a blown car with a 4 speed when most people said you couldn't do it. He told the interviewer " I didn't know you couldn't do it."
My 2 cents to the original question.... it depends on the era, and it depends on the class... or horsepower of the car... In the early '60's, the big boys were pretty much all using modified Dual-Range Hydramatic trannies (a la B&M Hydrostick) when the stickshift tranny and clutch choices they had just couldn't hold the power and kept breaking. However, 1965 came along with a turbo 400 and some other stuff, and the late '60's were marked by the use of Clutch turbo's and clutchflites, etc. Low-power gassers probably used stickshift throughout the early '60's.
My personal opinion is I love driving a stick compared to an Auto. I think an Auto is boring to drive. Further more I'm not as much concerned about consistancy because I will drive it mostly on the street. The reason I like the 5 speed idea is because I can put a little gear in it & still be able to cruise with it. Then if I want to take it to the track I can! If this was going to be an all time race car then I would maybe say go with an Auto for more consistency. NOT TRYING TO START SOMETHING HERE, this is just my opinion!
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