Folks, I'm moving along with my 351 project in my 52 f1. I'm about to make a decision on weather I should go with a c4 or a car 4 speed. The auto will be easier the 4 speed potentially more fun... I have manual steering and stock suspension with 235/75-15's so it's really not a street machine. Mostly it's will be a summer driver. My thought on an auto would be one less thing I'll need to do going down the road. but the 4 sped screams hot rod truck. But I'm sure I'll get tired of that after a while(my daily is a 6speed)

any thought one way or the other???

 

it's personal preference . i like the old t98 four gear in my truck but dohave a t5 for a future upgrade . i considered an auto but not with my flatty . i think it'd ruin what she is / was to go auto in my case . it's more fun to shift the gears too . and as a truck driver i feel it gives me more control over what the vehicle is doing to decide what gear when . also my old girl is , as i have said , the perfect vehicle .... manual trans , manual brakes , manual steering , no power options , no a/c , end result ........... NO ONE WANT'S TO BORROW THE OLD MANS TRUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

the 4 sped screams hot rod truck. But I'm sure I'll get tired of that after a while

I'd say you answered your own question.

Opinion tho? Auto trans are for people who are 'shiftless'

 

IF...you go auto, I really like the idea of a AOD trans because you can use like a 3.70 or lower gear in the rear end to have the grunt off the line/burn the tires when you want to AND have great cruise ability going 70 mph down the highway. Im doing a 302/AOD combo with 3.70 gears because I want to drive it as much as possible. Plus if you go auto with shift on the column you save space in cab thats another reason Im going auto.

 

You will get tired of the manual much sooner then you think! Sometimes the clutch linkage can be bear to get to work nice.

So manual steering, 4 speed, city traffic, hot day, stupid drivers, emergency brake not so good, up hill stop at a red light and every idiot is blowing their horn because you stalled it, yep sure sounds like fun alright.

The real world sucks!

(My daily driver is a 5 speed manual)

 

the perfect vehicle .... manual trans , manual brakes , manual steering , no power options , no a/c , end result ........... NO ONE WANT'S TO BORROW THE OLD MANS TRUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


All make good points but it is hard to argue with the above logic! Manual all the way.

 

All depends on what you want to use it for.

I'm planning on having an auto in my truck later on, but it's mainly to help clean up the cab and as big as the truck is shifting just becomes one more concern, lol. Though my opinion on this may change when I get to that stage...

However, I looked through hundreds of Mustangs till I found one with a manual in it, for a car it's a lot more fun to me to use a stick shift, for a business truck an auto trans can be helpful. If you want to drive hard, a manual can be a lot more fun and more like you're actually driving the car...

 

If doing a drivetrain swap, installing an auto trans definitely is easier and saves a ton of extra hassles and fabrication brought about from that extra pedal.

 

I love shifting gears but I'd never want a standard shift in my old truck. It's hard to set up the clutch linkage and it's just one more thing to worry about (shifting gears) when you are trying to listen to all the other noises coming from the truck. Go automatic.

 

personally I like shifting gears and do not get tired of it. I love stop and go traffic cuz I get to shift. I have not had to adjust my clutch in the three years Ive been driving my truck and I use it for some heavy towing and drive it everwhere. Hell I even converted my camaro from an auto to a stick. Its just something I enjoy doing, I dont see it as a chore or a pain in the ***. It just adds to the driving experience. Thats just how I feel. It all boils down to personal prefrence. I just find autos boring.

 

go auto if you rnot sure Ive had both and really it dwpends on the type of driving you want to do

 

Well, everybody on here is right. It does come down to preference. How you're going to drive the truck (in what conditions, and in what way) shape your answer.

I have a 3spd +OD in my truck from an 80's Econoline. It works great, is fun to drive, let's me play when I want to play, but also gives me the ability to down shift/engine break, or hop up a gear when dealing with traffic (it always seems that traffic wants to drive just fast enough to put my automatic trans vehicles at high revs, but not fast enough to shift up a gear--with a manual I can do that).
That said, clutch linkage is something I've had to adress more than any other issue with my truck. The clutch arm doesn't line up right with the clutch pedal arm. No stock linkage (that I've been able to find) fits right, so I have to fab up one on my own. Not necessarily a bad thing, except it involves a measure of trial and error--and significant amounts of tinkering...sometimes in parking lots.

 

that's actually the trans I have here, but I have the same concerns / issues you have with the clutch mechanism. May I ask what/how you did it? any pics?

I big push for the auto is like stated above, might be lazy but I've driven this truck and it's pretty tight but one less thing to do would be great and then I can concentrate on driving.

 

I live in over-crowded CA. I hate shifting because I have to stop and wait at every *&^%^%^# stop light because some %^$$#$@&& needed to cross the road and pushed the crosswalk button. Now I'm sitting there for 1.5 minutes fuming about the last five lights in five blocks!! Auto for congested driving is the best. If you go with a C-4, I would suggest 3.0 gears in the rear. That way you can go down the highway without the screaming noises coming from your engine. That setup got me 19mpg. Jag

 

Howdy,


Since you're using a newer 351 engine, you could easily use an AOD in your truck and take advantage of the taller OD gearing.

That might give you pretty good mileage and still retain the "hole-shot"!


I have an E4OD that's going behind my rebuilt 292 in my 55 F-600!


In "top" (OD) gear, it's going to turn about 2100 RPM at 60 mph.


For yours, I would do either an AODE or an E4OD (with a Baumann controller)

That way you can program all the shift points (up & down) etc....



Cheers,


Rick