2 - 3 speed auto
Discussion
I assume your looking for a hobby type Car??
that given a old school slusher will work fine, most are 3 speed, some Chevys had a power glide, which is a 2 speed, i had one in a 67' Camaro
back in the day, ran sweat.............
All older yanks Auto or Manual seem to have a final drive around 1000 rpm =20 mph so the old motors are spinning a bit, which in real terms mean a lot of piston travel and rubbish mpg etc..........
In real world use they are absolutely fine , keeping up with traffic wont be a problem ! lol
Buy one , they are a ray of sunshine in a world full of grey modern German Crap!
that given a old school slusher will work fine, most are 3 speed, some Chevys had a power glide, which is a 2 speed, i had one in a 67' Camaro
back in the day, ran sweat.............
All older yanks Auto or Manual seem to have a final drive around 1000 rpm =20 mph so the old motors are spinning a bit, which in real terms mean a lot of piston travel and rubbish mpg etc..........
In real world use they are absolutely fine , keeping up with traffic wont be a problem ! lol
Buy one , they are a ray of sunshine in a world full of grey modern German Crap!
Most GM's after 68 will have a gm 350 box, big block cars can have a 350 or a 400, in real terms pretty much the same,
these were good enough for Rollers and big Jags etc, cant really be faulted !
Theres some difference in size between a Nova and a Chevelle!
good luck finding your motor............
these were good enough for Rollers and big Jags etc, cant really be faulted !
Theres some difference in size between a Nova and a Chevelle!
good luck finding your motor............
300bhp/ton said:
I know it’s sterotypically British to think all Yank cars should be autos. But many were not and most performance ones weren’t.
A manual will be a lot more fun IMO. A 3 speed auto is ok but likely to blunt performance really.
I have been looking and im aware they made manuals,there just is not many for sale. The tremac 5 speed manual looks like the way to goA manual will be a lot more fun IMO. A 3 speed auto is ok but likely to blunt performance really.
They generally have so much torque that 3 speeds are plenty.
Brakes tend to be the issue in modern traffic as, due to abs, most people think the stopping distance of cars in next to zero and will dive into any gap you try to leave to the car in front. It is not in a 2 tonne car with drum brakes so try to make sure you get one with servo discs on the front at least.
Brakes tend to be the issue in modern traffic as, due to abs, most people think the stopping distance of cars in next to zero and will dive into any gap you try to leave to the car in front. It is not in a 2 tonne car with drum brakes so try to make sure you get one with servo discs on the front at least.
Let off some steam Bennett said:
Im still on the look for my first yank beast,most still have there factory 2 - 3 speed autos.What are they like to live with on uk roads and keeping up with traffick
TH350 or Th400 tranny's won't hinder them being able to keep up with traffic on UK roads, that's the least of your worries.Size, suspension, steering and to a lesser extent, LHD are the issues.
The real problem with the 2/3 speed PG or TH350/TH400 boxes in the UK is fuel consumption.
That can be sorted with a conversion to a more modern overdrive GM auto using the 200R4 or 700R4 overdirvice autos, or keeping the 2 or 3 speed box and fitted a Gearvendors overdrive unit on the back.
The main issue I have with autos is the lack of fun. They are ok as point n squirt cars. But loose the involvement for going for a blast for the sheer fun of it.
Don’t get me wrong. Any of these types of cars are likely to be an event to drive even with an auto. Just depends what kind of driving you are intending/enjoy. Personally I like to do more than cruise or just accelerate in a straight line.
3 speed has limits that to attain sensible cruising revs you need to put pretty tall gearing on them. My V12 XJS used the TH350 and suffered this. Which also blunted acceleration. And meant the engine could often be at low rpm when you are wanting it to shift.
The Jag was geared for around 160mph top speed though. Most American cars with a 3 speed are not. More like 110-120mph. This means they should be a lot more peppy with shorter overall gearing. Downside is you will probably only want to cruise at 55mph rather than 70+ else the revs will be very high.
Size shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Certainly not with a Nova or similar. A ‘69 Charger is a big beast though. But so are many modern cars. Likewise with suspension. They will drive like a period car. So shouldn’t really be an issue so long as you bear that in mind.
Don’t get me wrong. Any of these types of cars are likely to be an event to drive even with an auto. Just depends what kind of driving you are intending/enjoy. Personally I like to do more than cruise or just accelerate in a straight line.
3 speed has limits that to attain sensible cruising revs you need to put pretty tall gearing on them. My V12 XJS used the TH350 and suffered this. Which also blunted acceleration. And meant the engine could often be at low rpm when you are wanting it to shift.
The Jag was geared for around 160mph top speed though. Most American cars with a 3 speed are not. More like 110-120mph. This means they should be a lot more peppy with shorter overall gearing. Downside is you will probably only want to cruise at 55mph rather than 70+ else the revs will be very high.
Size shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Certainly not with a Nova or similar. A ‘69 Charger is a big beast though. But so are many modern cars. Likewise with suspension. They will drive like a period car. So shouldn’t really be an issue so long as you bear that in mind.
I cant believe any one now would buy a 40-50year old car and expect it to drive like M5 !
And as far as the whole notion that proper muscle cars were manuals is tosh!
In most case's a decent 4 speed was a dollar cost option, base models had a 3 speed truck tranny
A 4 Speed when coupled to a 300 hp motor is great fun, they pull like a train, make a great sound track, however like most things theres a price to pay for this, all our roads now are crowded and no matter what you drive youll be stuck in traffic!
the clutches on old yanks can be heavy, the gear box can be also heavy, with a long throw gear shifter this can and will be tiring,
Not so with a slusher!
As long as one buys a car with a floor mounted shifter, moving and holding the gears is no problem, my Chally is epic in 2nd!
its fitted with a slightly smaller and stiffer torque converter so shifts a bit harder than stock,
Full manual shift kits can be had, but unless your racing i think they are a pain,
Having said all that it was a M22 equipped Ram air 111 70/1/2 Pontiac Trams Am that started my life long love of yank cars!
ive two vivid memories of the car, it pulled like a train and the epic gear noise from the trans, fabulous!
And as far as the whole notion that proper muscle cars were manuals is tosh!
In most case's a decent 4 speed was a dollar cost option, base models had a 3 speed truck tranny
A 4 Speed when coupled to a 300 hp motor is great fun, they pull like a train, make a great sound track, however like most things theres a price to pay for this, all our roads now are crowded and no matter what you drive youll be stuck in traffic!
the clutches on old yanks can be heavy, the gear box can be also heavy, with a long throw gear shifter this can and will be tiring,
Not so with a slusher!
As long as one buys a car with a floor mounted shifter, moving and holding the gears is no problem, my Chally is epic in 2nd!
its fitted with a slightly smaller and stiffer torque converter so shifts a bit harder than stock,
Full manual shift kits can be had, but unless your racing i think they are a pain,
Having said all that it was a M22 equipped Ram air 111 70/1/2 Pontiac Trams Am that started my life long love of yank cars!
ive two vivid memories of the car, it pulled like a train and the epic gear noise from the trans, fabulous!
300bhp/ton said:
. My V12 XJS used the TH350 and suffered this. Which also blunted acceleration. And meant the engine could often be at low rpm when you are wanting it to shift.
.
Jags used the TH400 which is a strong but heavy box which is only really necessary behind big blocks or high power drag raced small blocks..
It will very much dull a mild small block.
I used to run a th350 in my dakar, but upgraded it to a th700r4 for the extra gear and good ratio 1st. The 700 isn’t very strong without significant upgrades.
I did start down a 4l80e conversion (4 speed version of the th400) - but I stopped due to the sheer size and weight of it - i was worried it would dull my 5.7tt !!
there’s a th350 on ebay at the moment.
eliot said:
Jags used the TH400 which is a strong but heavy box which is only really necessary behind big blocks or high power drag raced small blocks.
It will very much dull a mild small block.
I used to run a th350 in my dakar, but upgraded it to a th700r4 for the extra gear and good ratio 1st. The 700 isn’t very strong without significant upgrades.
I did start down a 4l80e conversion (4 speed version of the th400) - but I stopped due to the sheer size and weight of it - i was worried it would dull my 5.7tt !!
there’s a th350 on ebay at the moment.
Thanks for the correction. Not sure why I thought it was a TH350. It will very much dull a mild small block.
I used to run a th350 in my dakar, but upgraded it to a th700r4 for the extra gear and good ratio 1st. The 700 isn’t very strong without significant upgrades.
I did start down a 4l80e conversion (4 speed version of the th400) - but I stopped due to the sheer size and weight of it - i was worried it would dull my 5.7tt !!
there’s a th350 on ebay at the moment.
I have the latter variant of the 700r4 in my blue Camaro. Known as the 4L60e. Was also used in the C5 Corvette and 4 speed auto Monaro’s.
The latter factory 6.0 litre V12 Jags used the 4L80e GM box. My Dad had an XJ40 shape ‘93 model and it really flew.
That said, I’ve not found any of the autos to be as much fun as a manual. I have a green T56 6 speed manual Camaro. And while the auto is arguably easier to make it go quickly. The 6 speeder is far more fun.
Old friend of mine bought, sold, imported, raced, serviced American cars in the UK. You name it and he has had it - boulevard cruisers to flat head stockers to Detroit muscle. I asked his opinion on your query and he said his absolute favourite car was an early Vette with two speed Powerglide “slush box”.
Drove it daily in London and took it round the whole of Europe.
Drove it daily in London and took it round the whole of Europe.
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