In my opinion manual is the way to go. They are more reliable, get better mileage, give you more engine braking power, you are always in control of the shift points and gear selection with no modifications, and your vehicle can be push started. You don't want do have a dead battery with an automatic. All of you who say automatics are better for snowplowing and towing, that is a lie, a manual would never overheat in those situations. And as long as you have the low gearing, like with an NP435, T-18, T-19, or NV4500, you will never burn up a clutch. Manuals are also better for getting unstuck. With a manual, rocking your truck is much easier, just use the clutch, there is no need to throw the shift lever back and forth. With a manual you can also start out in a higher gear to avoid spinning down in sand or mud and getting even more stuck. It is possible with an automatic, but harder to do with the torque converter slippage. With a manual you can even use your starter to get your vehicle moving out of a situation that you know is going to end with a winch. Just put it in a low gear and start cranking, the starter won't have enough torque to make the tires spin down. As for shifting, a manual will never shift as fast as an automatic, but it is possible to shift without losing power. Ever heard of power shifting? Keep the gas to the floor, and only use the clutch to put the transmission into gear, and not to pull it out of gear. By doing this you can hardly tell your driving a stick. But the best part about driving a stick is being able to shift. Whenever I drive an automatic I can't wait to get back to my truck, which is a manual (of course). I am not trying to start any fights or be offensive with anything I have written, and I not saying there is anything wrong with driving an automatic, just voicing my opinion, which as you can see is a very strong one.

 

How exactly have you ben able to rock your truck with only the clucth, I have never seen such a thing happen and I bet it would be a usefull skill. I don't particullary like your idea of using the starter to move the vehicle, unless of course you have an aftermaret starter which is much "stronger"?

As for traffic jams, I'm unfortunate enough to live in the middle of knowhere, the nearest set of stoplights that I know of is 30miles away. There WAS 1 stoplight in my town years back, but apparently it was used for target practice too often. Anyways, years back that one stoplight was only used during the school year. When you live in a place like I live in, you can actually begin to miss rush-hour traffic.

Logan

 

Speaking of using the starter to get a vehicle moving, that was the only way I got home once with my '77 F100 three-on-the-tree. I was a mile from home when the clutch linkage broke. I put it in first (and this did not have a creeper gear) and started it (thanks to not having the dumb clutch pedal/starter interlock back then), then I just shifted without the clutch by coordinating road speed with engine speed.

The big problem coming is that fewer and fewer vehicles will be offered with manual trannies as fewer and fewer people order/want them. I believe that manual trannies have NOT been available in Ford full sized vans for a long time. At least my 1995 brochure does not list a manual tranny option for them.

 

Stick all the way!! I don't know how many times I've reached for a clutch and stick that weren't there on automatics. Also when rocking to get unstuck, you gotta be awful careful about overheating an auto trans.

TallPaul, I've had the same thing happen to me in a 79 4 speed, clutch linkage broke and used the starter to get me going and get me home.

1986 F-150 4x4 300 I6 NP435

 

Definitely would be the manual, better speed control off road, plus i need to hear my diesel gear down, oh god she sounds good with a cherry bomb and 4" straight pipe. god i love fords.

-Jacksland

 

Manual transmission all the way. Nothing wrong with automatics. With manual transmissions, the driver has more control over the vehicle. I have a manual in my truck and I love it. That M5OD has hauled and pulled many heavy loads. My girlfriends car (Honda Civic) has an automatic. The only reason it has an automatic is she's afraid to drive a manual and she doesn't know how to. The little car drives nicely but if it had a manual, gas mileage and power would be better and the car would plainly be better off. Automatics are for lazy people (jab jab jab). My parents also have Ford trucks, in fact they are red and white and my truck is blue. RED, WHITE AND BLUE talk about patriotism! My parents believe manuals are to much work!


1994 Ford F150
300-6
Highly Modified and more to come!

 

Sounds like my girlfriend, but she learned real quick how to drive standard when i put her behind the wheel of an F-350 Diesel with a 3" body lift and 36" hummer tires. god i love fords

-Jacksland

 

I like the auto's when I want my lady next to me but there is nothing like stirring your own gears when you want to hear the pipes singing.

Mike

 

Thats true mike that the auto you can have the lady but let me tell you what, crammin me and 2 girls in the cab of the truck and the girl and the middle always smiles in reverse or 4th. hummmmm i wonder why...lol

manuals are good too, god i love fords

-Jacksland

 

DarkKnight: Years ago when I had the three-on-the-tree I used to have my lady next to me and shift with my left hand, kinda through the steering wheel. Linkage has to be in good shape though and no shifting on turns.

 

I hear you guys. My Silverado is the only auto that has a seat that allows the bride to be next to me. My Z28 has buckets and the 6 speed and her Camry is auto but has buckets. Well, my '55 F100 has a bench and the shifter on the floor. I am replacing it with a longer shaft :-) (couldn't resist it, sorry) When I get it on the road then she will sit next to me. My other '55 F350 has a bench and floor mounted 4 speed but it not road worthy yet. Her '68 Mustang has a floor mounted 4 speed but it has buckets. As I restore my other toys, they will all have floor mounted shifters and bench seats :-).

Later fellas...
Mike

 

It appears that manual trannys will have a very limited furture. Take a look at what there is available now. Chevy has the allison Tranny that produces JUST AS MUCH power to the rear wheels as the manual they have. It has engine braking and the whole nine yards. What is the point of having a manual if you can do it all and better in a auto? Also, I don't understand what is so bad about an auto in mud? It is definately better rock crawling I know for sure because the torque converter allows for a lower gear ratio than a manual can dream of. My Ford truck has the mazda 5 speed with the 302. I like it, other than it being kinda hard shifting which is expected from the mazda. It kinda worries me at times that this is the same transmition that is used on the scrawny rangers and at half the horsepower. makes ya wonder.

 

I'll row my own gears thanks.

After spending the last few Years in West Texas I can say that manuals do better in the heat and grit than the auto's do. Coolers or not, when the temps get up to 110 outside, the auto's don't like to pull. Just MHO.

Brad Godkin
1986 F350 CC/SRW
6.9liter/C6

 

An auto if fine for pulling if you can't use a clutch.

 

Somehow an automatic in the ol' 60 just doesn't sound right. The auto in the '96 T-bird is great though.

Wayne
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