which tranny?

[yeahloh95]

i'm in the middle of a new project and can put either style trans in the car , a stick or auto , now the stick would almost have to be either pro shifted or face plated and then the auto would have to have a loose converter and shift hard. which one do you guys prefer and why? oh this will be for mainly drag but with some street time too.

[phillysrt4]

I voted auto because it sounds like you're going to be at the track where consistent, repeatable times are what you need the most and you're doing very little driving where a manual would be an advantage.

[wick]

Pro shifting a trans makes driving it on the street real bear. If its going to be mostly a drag, I would say auto. Depending on what power you are looking at. I would go with a TH400.

But I love rowing the gears on a stick!!!!!

[mustang50lx]

I switched to a C4 for more consistant times at the track. The stick was more fun to drive without a doubt. Like Rob said proshifted and faceplated transmissions are a pain on the street from everything I read when I was deciding what to do.

[Martin0660]

What kind of drag racing? You going to run a NMRA class, bracket race, or just be Pro TnT? That's going to go a long way in your decission. There unfortunately is a reality for a lot of combo's where the Auto almost has to come in to play. It really becomes simple economics of a slush box (chick stick?) versus lots of broken shafts, fried clutches, and smashed driveline parts.

You also have to be honest with yourself if you really are a stick driver. There are people that it comes mostly natural to, others not so much. If it's not in your DNA then it might not be for you ....

which one do you guys prefer and why?

You know my thoughts on this. Beat them with a stick! When I bracket race I am perfectly fine going home early loosing with my stick and still doing it my way. If you have any doubts about stick shift racing, check out some of the UMTR races and see how much fun it can be :D

[bittersweetfox]

well auto is def more consistent a stick is more fun on the street tho, but pro shifting sucks for street and longevity isnt there...

[biminiLX]

How much power and RPM? What type of tires?
-J

[AdamantiumSilvr]

"Real Race Cars Have A Clutch"!!!!! lol

[yeahloh95]

its going to be a 351 based motor so around 7k for rpm. the car will be mini tubed and i'm not sure on a tire yet maybe a drag radial ?

[biminiLX]

Hmm, tough call then. I've done the 427" both NA (6500rpm shift) and turbo (6000rpm shift) with a stick and its doable, but like Bob said, if you value more consistency and drag performance over street use and fun then auto, if the other way around stick.
-J

[Martin0660]

if you value more consistency and drag performance over street use and fun then auto, if the other way around stick.

So does any of this mean you have made a decission yet??

[biminiLX]

So does any of this mean you have made a decission yet??

Yeah :( bummer, now debating PG or built custom AOD (2.20 first, several in the 8s).
-J

[Martin0660]

PG or built custom AOD

hmmm ... I thought it would be a TH400 and be done with it ;) Besdies sucking on the street, I bet your car would love a glide.... loooooonggggg gears for lots of load :D

[biminiLX]

hmmm ... I thought it would be a TH400 and be done with it ;) Besdies sucking on the street, I bet your car would love a glide.... loooooonggggg gears for lots of load :D

Not 100% yet but leaning toward the AOD because of cost, the PG I theoretically need is close to $4000 w/o converter.
The AOD I'm may go with is kinda trick with a custom 2.20 ratio first gear and should be good for 1500hp (same as Lentech and Freddie Brown rate theirs, uses FB VB). Some people feel the AOD vs. TH400 (with stock gear set) is a lateral move and its basically the same cost but I'd have a better first gear ratio for me (2.20>2.48) and the addition of electric OD just for highway.
Still, talked to some people I trust with my power level and PGs and they love them on the street. PG is very sensitive to converter with just the 2 gears, but it would be better on marginal tracks and being able to leave on boost is a plus .

With an engine that needs to rev to get in the powerband (like yours)....and is expected to run on the street, I just don't see how that's even possible with an auto....it will need too much convertor to be much of a street car.

I hear you and partially agree, but there are some fast guys with high stalls that still really can street drive. My friend Tim on another site has a NA 408 with a 5500 8" converter and ran drag week.
-J

[MustangMike]

Troy - we run one of these in the chevelle - clutch assisted with h pattern shifter http://www.gforcetransmissions.com/tran_gf5r.asp

No synchro's, dog ring type trans - good to 1300hp in a 3800lb car.

It is PLENTY streetable, despite many who told us it was too much for the street. Don't get me wrong, it whines pretty loudly in all gears except 5th (5th is 1:1, no overdrive). It's easy to upshift, with an occasional clunk. Downshifting requires slightly more skill/effort, but as soon as you get the hang of it with a little blip of the throttle, it's no big thing. You can RIP gears with this thing at full throttle too - it's a monster. I've never driven a faceplated tko or anything, but people tell me the gf5r is more street friendly.

We put 800 miles on the car last year with this trans, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere, even highway. You can't put an overdrive in it though, so we adjusted rear end ratios and tranny ratios to have 5th gear act like an overdrive (3.42 first gear with 3.00:1 rear end gears).

Downside - the trans wasn't cheap! G-force customer service is unparalled though - they're awesome, so that makes up for it in my book, in addition to them building a killer transmission. Plus, no special bell housing or clutch is needed.

If you want more info, let me know!

[2005mach1]

well being that its for drag i would say auto

[Sonic03snake]

This is all you Troy. Smoking deal if you ask me.

http://modularmisfits.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494

[Pure Stock]

This is all you Troy. Smoking deal if you ask me.

http://modularmisfits.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494

What a deal!!

[yeahloh95]

thanks guys some more info on the combo, i am trying to get the car down to 2650 lbs to help it be a little easier on parts.

[Pure Stock]

thanks guys some more info on the combo, i am trying to get the car down to 2650 lbs to help it be a little easier on parts.

Man, that's light. It won't take much to get that thing in the low 13's