The End of Manual Transmission

[BigLime]

I have been going back and forth too on keeping the 4 speed or maybe going to a 5 speed or auto.

I love the A833 with a pistol grip, but hate it at the same time. 3:90 gears, so 3500 or so on the freeway. Arrr...

I love manuals so it is a hard decision to go to an auto.
Might convince me if I could get a modern paddle shift Auto in there without a ton of rework!!! Unfortunately, good luck getting the paddle shift controls on a stock or resto steering wheel. Any ideas there?

 

[hemidon1]

yes they were 727 tranys and I installed the TKO-600 5-speeds in most of them with the exception of my 67 Coronet that got a 6-speed with overdrive in5th (20%) and 32% in 6th gear--The TKO-600s fit better than the 6-speeds with alot less tunnel mods--and the final gear is ether a 32% or 36% depending on the unit you buy.I like the 5-speeds better with the 36% overdrive as I can actually idle along at 35 to 45 with little to no surging and performance is wonderful.heres some of my 10 cars--white 426 Hemi convertible has the 5-speed and red 67 has the 6-speed--69 Barracuda has a 5-speed--these trans conversions revolutionized how these cars drive--Im addicted and dont want a cure--

 

[hemidon1]

Oh yeh--the 63 Sport Fury convertible was a factory 4-speed car--the rest were automatics

 

[hemidon1]

I buy from Silver Sport transmissions and they are great units--easy to install in B-body cars check them out men--I drive my cars daily and in 2 years Im at break even point and then the real savings start--its like cash back so to speak--

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

I buy from Silver Sport transmissions and they are great units--easy to install in B-body cars check them out men--I drive my cars daily and in 2 years Im at break even point and then the real savings start--its like cash back so to speak

Do you run hydraulic clutch setups?

 

[hemidon1]

Yes I do use the hydraulic clutches if the cars started out as automatics--but my 426 Max Wedge was a 4-speed from the factory so I retained the factory linkage to apply the throw out brg--its only slightly stiffer than the hydraulic actuated TOBrgs and not at all objectionable-so its a matter of choice as to which you use--if using a hydraulic unit be sure the throw out brg has a limiter so you dont push the piston out and loose all the fluid and then you have to pull it all apart to put the throw out brg back together. When I did my 1st conversion there were NO kits and it was a learning curve--most units have delt with that issue and shouldnt be a factor--BUT LOOK and be sure --a few pictures of TKO-600 5-speed over drives I use

 

[hemidon1]

If anyone wants to chat--send me a pm and Ill send you a # to contact me--Im all about sharing info or help--

 

[Kern Dog]

Actually it is a fact-

If you actually think that a 1/3 reduction in rpm equates to a 3X increase in fuel economy, you should let someone else do your taxes.

is what you actually mean to say is that the cars used to have Automatic 3 speed trans and now have 5 or 6 speed manuals? If that's the case, the MPG increase is likely real. My 727 behind the big block only gets 8 mpg.

No, Dwayne. The man thinks that he tripled or quadrupled his gas mileage. This is absolutely impossible. My own car went from 11 mpg to just over 15 with the manual trans swap. That is a huge improvement. Going from 6 mpg to 24 is completely outside the realm of physics and common sense.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

If you actually think that a 1/3 reduction in rpm equates to a 3X increase in fuel economy, you should let someone else do your taxes.

No, Dwayne. The man thinks that he tripled or quadrupled his gas mileage. This is absolutely impossible. My own car went from 11 mpg to just over 15 with the manual trans swap. That is a huge improvement. Going from 6 mpg to 24 is completely outside the realm of physics and common sense.

I hear ya - However, I have heard one other friend running a 6 speed manual 440 with EFI obtain low 20's mpg. Tuning surely involved, not just a gear reduction.

 

[hemidon1]

Back from vacation--now--there is alot more to this than just sticking in an OD tranny--Tire size-- air pressure--types of tires used--rejetting and adjusting the carbs--timing--how you drive--I have flat land in Florida---Gapless piston rings--variable duration lifters--rear gear ratio- Aluminum heads- cam choice--forged pistons--- balancing the lower end and blue printing the rods---these are all just some of the issues ive addressed--Its not by accident that Ive achieved great fuel milage--It was with alot of effort and thinking out of the box--trials and failures- It took years of trying different combos to get here---Ive been doing this stuff since the mid 60s--now to clarify--@ 65 mph I can get 25 plus mpg--@80--around 23 mpg--@ 95 mph only about 16 --so before you dismiss this as BS--maybe you scoffers should try some more effort and remember that just because you were not able to do it--others may have. Big factors were the gapless rings and variable duration lifters. Dont be afraid to try new technology like the lifters and rings--there are some really great helps if your willing to try them. What I build are street driven cars--they are quick and fast but they are NOT race cars--And I love stick trannys.

 

[Photon440]

Back from vacation--now--there is alot more to this than just sticking in an OD tranny--Tire size-- air pressure--types of tires used--rejetting and adjusting the carbs--timing--how you drive--I have flat land in Florida---Gapless piston rings--variable duration lifters--rear gear ratio- Aluminum heads- cam choice--forged pistons--- balancing the lower end and blue printing the rods---these are all just some of the issues ive addressed--Its not by accident that Ive achieved great fuel milage--It was with alot of effort and thinking out of the box--trials and failures- It took years of trying different combos to get here---Ive been doing this stuff since the mid 60s--now to clarify--@ 65 mph I can get 25 plus mpg--@80--around 23 mpg--@ 95 mph only about 16 --so before you dismiss this as BS--maybe you scoffers should try some more effort and remember that just because you were not able to do it--others may have. Big factors were the gapless rings and variable duration lifters. Dont be afraid to try new technology like the lifters and rings--there are some really great helps if your willing to try them. What I build are street driven cars--they are quick and fast but they are NOT race cars--And I love stick trannys.

Well that changes things. You originally gave the impression (to me at least) that you installed manual transmissions in cars that used to have automatics, saying "and these are daily drivers and went from 6 to 8 mpg to 24 to 27 in all of them". If you had originally said that you swapped transmissions AND modified the rear gear ratio AND installed aftermarket aluminum heads AND different pistons AND variable duration lifters AND a cam change AND gapless rings AND some blueprinting, then it would have made more sense. What if you had done all of that, plus the tire pressures and sizes and carb rejetting but still kept the automatic? Do you think the mileage would have improved in that case also?

 

[smallie9]

Human evolution...today all you need are two good thumbs and the ability to look down

 

[Kern Dog]

Well that changes things. You originally gave the impression (to me at least) that you installed manual transmissions in cars that used to have automatics, saying "and these are daily drivers and went from 6 to 8 mpg to 24 to 27 in all of them". If you had originally said that you swapped transmissions AND modified the rear gear ratio AND installed aftermarket aluminum heads AND different pistons AND variable duration lifters AND a cam change AND gapless rings AND some blueprinting, then it would have made more sense. What if you had done all of that, plus the tire pressures and sizes and carb rejetting but still kept the automatic? Do you think the mileage would have improved in that case also?

My point as well.
Misleading posts that leave out far more info than they share helps nobody. Wild claims with no detailed explanation will get no responses from the introverted and quiet members but when I see what looks like bullshit, I'm going to call it out.
Who makes variable duration lifters anyway??

 

[Photon440]

My point as well.
Misleading posts that leave out far more info than they share helps nobody. Wild claims with no detailed explanation will get no responses from the introverted and quiet members but when I see what looks like bullshit, I'm going to call it out.
Who makes variable duration lifters anyway??

The only variable duration lifters that I can think of are Rhoads.

 

[hemidon1]

Rhodes lifters # RHO-RL2018---and Crane cams lifters called fast bleed hyd #CRA99378 and these fit all V-8 mopar engines--Also the Total seal gapless rings changed my compression readings from 160s to 220 psi--massive improvement--now I was only saying how much I like the overdrive trannys--I didnt know you guys wanted to know any more than that--it wasnt a misleading post--it was a general comment ---I love theses trannys and no it didnt change milage by much untill the TKO_600s went in--that was a KEY component. Hope this helps--happy new year