I was with a group of friends the other day and we were discussing 4speed verses automatic. my elky has a 4 spd and my 52 chebbie p.u. has a bone stock 350/350,with ps ,pb. I was thinking of putting a auto in the 59.getting older,leg starts to quiver when mashing the clutch and all. well it was a balmy 60 degrees today so I go out and finally fixed the 59. been down since SEPT. just really don't have time with new job and elderly parent to take care of. anyway,got elky fixed took her out, had to merge on to I-65 for test run. DAMN THAT FELT GOOD! going down the ramp to merge into traffic, let that baby wind out ....... aint no automatic going into my elky,not for a while anyway. now if I could just find a 5 speed! both have their good points( AUTO/STRAIGHT), but dang I was......... well ya'll know!! SMILLIN!! I put a lot of miles on the elky,A LOT.leg does get a little week in traffic. I think i'll just throw her up into neutral, and keep on rowing!!! anybody got a good 5 speed for sale????lol
I think that It would be a bit much for me these days to have a manual daily driver, with the city traffic and all these days. But, it's really nice to have one around to take a spin when you feel like it. It really takes you back when you haven't done it in a while.
Hot Rod cover car in 59 with the title Fastest thing on the road---335 horse 4 speed El Camino---wish i still had mine oh hell i wish i still had the 4 speed in my ol vette
You need to drive it every day to keep the quad muscles built up. I had a very heavy pedal pressure clutch plate in my '64 Ford. The 1st couple of weeks, I'd get the leg quivering thing, after that my leg got built up. Bob
I currently have a chopped, slammed, and "Z'ed" '40 Chevy 2 door sedan with a Hilborn injected, rollered 496" BBC, beefed 700R4, and Ford 9" 3:70 posi. If I were to have a second hot rod it would likely be a 4 or 5 speed. Had a '66 Nova with a 383" stroker and 4 speed. It was a ball to drive. But if I only own one hot rod it would have to be an AOD of some kind. Tom
First car I owned was a 59 El Camino with the factory 348 and a converted Hydramatic with floor shifter. Bought it from a boat builder that used it to tow trailered boats. Shifted hard and went thru a couple of rear ends. Changed it over to a 3 speed (didn't have much money back then) and drove it for a few years before selling. Looked like the older brothers car on the Wonder Years, down to the chrome reverse wheels with baby moons.
Wtf is an automatic , never ever heard of one , even if I were poor as a church mouse, I'd have at 3 speed stick, but prefer a 5or6 speed. , no fun unless it's got 3 pedals !
Hot rods have three pedals. Since I'm only 68 years old, my latest Stude pickup build is a Borg-Warner 3-speed overdrive. The Stude Hawk under construction is getting a T56 6-speed. The Sunbeam Tiger has a TKO 5-speed. The NHRA has always been a bit weird about tranny acceptance. Few to none of the '59 El Caminos were delivered with the Borg-Warner 4-speed stick or the GM Hydramatic 4-speed automatic, but they were allowed to race in stock class with those trannies. I even saw '56-57 sedan deliveries running a Hydro-Stick because someone found a loophole where they could be registered as a truck and GMC offered the Hydramatic. jack vines
funny,guy here in Decatur had a 59 elky. But trailer hitch was on the front bumper so he could move boats around in his boat dealership.
This hit's home in another way. Meaning. I had the chance to buy a Sag 4 speed with 2:54 1st that had been fitted with the OD from a Sag 3 speed. Man, talk about passing up old school modern if you get my drift.
HI; Why don't you change the clutch to one with a soft peddle, did that in my Peterbilt, then I could drive it with my NEW bionic hip. NOTHING like a "4 speed record changer" Chris
That ain't no heap, even more beautiful with the 4 speeds, good luck on that beauty. Cosmo in the '49
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