Single Digit Club - How many stick guys are in here and guys that switched over to auto

I have been on the fence on staying stick or going auto.If I stay stick I'm going with a McLeod soft-loc which will require me getting a quicktime bell with the access to the pressure plate . Just those parts will be around $2400
My trans is stock besides a steel 3-4 fork and a set of billet slider keys.My trans has less then 1,200 miles and I have a spare that has never seen any abuse and also low milage. So if I stay stick there is always the chance that my trans is going to break. The soft-loc will soften the blow but will it be enough. I have always been a stick guy and love banging gears. But I hate breaking stuff. I have had torque arm bolts rip out one time and the next time I blew gears apart in my 12 bolt and get towed off the track at Pinks all out. Not the way I wanted to get on TV. Also when the rear blew it over revved the engine and bent valves. I love swinging the stick and banging gears but it's taking me longer and longer to get the car back together when stuff breaks. Would love to hear about anyone running a stick at this level or from anyone who has switched from stick to auto

Im still a 6spd guy and just this passed friday, I pulled off a 10.08 @ 136. I plan on staying a 6spd car into the 9's. I run the Mcleod RXT twin and its been working so far.

Im still a 6spd guy and just this passed friday, I pulled off a 10.08 @ 136. I plan on staying a 6spd car into the 9's. I run the Mcleod RXT twin and its been working so far.

Thats great to hear. What mods if any have been done to the trans?

When I ran the six speed I went 9.71 at 141 at 3450 pounds the trans was totally stock down to the plastic fork pads. I did have it proshifted just for easier shifting at high rpm.

I'd like to hear the honest truth from the guys with fast stick cars about how much trouble they have. You see all these guys running fast with 6 speeds but I imagine they only post up the good points.

My car was running 11.0s (not that fast) and I just switched to an automatic and miss rowing gears. I had broken a torque strap on one Textralia pressure plate and they sent me a new one and I bent a torque strap on the new one and just got frustrated. I already had the automatic and only needed to buy a converter to use it, so I bought a converter instead of a new clutch and made the switch.

I would keep the 6 speed if I could get a realistic idea on if you can and what it takes to make a stick car work and stay together.

I switched to a th400 about 3.5 years ago and love it. Its a FMVB so I still shift it, just no clutch. But it's a little different with a turbo car, it's nice to never fall out of boost. When I had the 6 speed it was fun cause I had nitrous back then, so it was there with every shift. Only thing I ever broke on the t56 was the output shaft bushing. But I only went 11.1 with it too.

I still have the T56 and have gone 9.63@145 and 1.30 60' 3360 race weight. Only mods to the trans is steel shift fork, tick hydraulics and a spec 3+. I plan on switching to proshifterd or faceplated gears this winter when i go through it.

i was a guy M6 but i went and you can see how it work out in this thread
also what mods do you have on your car????

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/forced-induction/1343013-new-pb-aps-w-lg-turbos-m6-4l80-swap.html

I still have the T56 and have gone 9.63@145 and 1.30 60' 3360 race weight. Only mods to the trans is steel shift fork, tick hydraulics and a spec 3+. I plan on switching to proshifterd or faceplated gears this winter when i go through it.

Your giving me hope. How many passes are on that trans? Not to many people to talk to about the soft-loc but from what people are telling me it takes a lot of stress of the trans.You say when you go threw it this winter, is it acting up at all?

I just went with a stick, still building my car... And i will be in the single digits.

IMO it doesn't count when someone is running a shitty ET for their power lever (which is obviously going to be easier on the drivetrain). Like say running 9.90 at 145. Obviously the car didn't leave very hard thus not a realistic gauge IMO

my car had a better 60 foot with the T56 than the auto 1.61 with the M6 to the 1.68 with the auto

Mine didn't improve much. I need to get some suspension. Best of 1.51 with the T56 and it went a 1.51 with the auto on my 10.88 pass. I got a 1.47 at the local 1/8 mile track, but it only did that good once.

The choice doesn't get any easier when some local buddies of mine just broke the cam only record and went 9.96 with a auto. Still on the fence

I was a die hard straight gear 4-speed (and 5-spd and 6-spd) guy for a long time. I have had just about every transmission, clutch and rear suspension you can imagine in my car. It was a street car that I used to drive to school, work and out everywhere. It got to a point where I had the transmission out changing pressure plates, discs, etc so often that it just wasn't fun anymore. I had been towed away from the track more than I drove home. I was on a first name basis with the tow-truck guy around the corner from our track. You name it, I BROKE IT! Pressure plates, discs, transmissions, driveshafts, axles, ring/pinion, carriers- all of it has gone flying out from underneath my car one time or another. The techs that stage the cars used to back up when they heard that motor singing at 5,000 knowing I was about to side step the clutch pedal. I ripped the center section right out of a 9" Ford one time sending pieces of the case through the fence. My buddy brought me a chunk of it for a souvenir...

You have to make a decision on how much street time your car will see and whether or not having a stick shift is worth it. To do it right, it is very expensive and not really very streetable/street friendly- ie: Soft-Lok and Pro Gears. If you have a motor that makes enough steam, it is a joy to have a well built automatic and maybe even a trans-brake. It will live for a long time and remain very streetable.

These days if I want to see a stick car, I enjoy watching Stock Eliminator from the bleachers. Nothing sounds better than a 4-speed car going down the track, its just not practical for me being a guy that still wants to drive to the track and cruise on a nice afternoon. Best of luck to you!

I'm a die hard stick guy, I've had them my whole life, literally THIS weekend I'm going to a th400, I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I'm a die hard stick guy, I've had them my whole life, literally THIS weekend I'm going to a th400, I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

looking forward to seeing how this works out for you

If you're going to get serious with it on the track then the real way to do it is either faceplated stick or auto. If you're just going to keep it on the street and don't care for track times then enjoy your 6-speed brother, I know I will :cheers:

It has 4.33 pro gears in the rear so it won't be on the street. I have a vert for street duty.

It has 4.33 pro gears in the rear so it won't be on the street. I have a vert for street duty.

"vert"?

If you already have the pro-gears, might as well buy a real transmission like a Liberty or G-force and a real clutch like a McLeod Soft Lok. It will be time to get to it. As I said before, nothing sounds as good as a clutch car going down the track.

I was a M6 guy. I switched to an auto and then switched back.

I ran 9.94@138 with a bone stock T56, and a McLeod street twin. Back in those days,the car dynoed at 850rwhp and 949rwtq, through that trans.

Needless to say,it broke. I got the viper output shaft upgrade, steel shift forks, billet keys, synchros. It wasn't too bad. I had to get it cleaned up a few times in about 5 years. I broke alot of stuff, but not toomuch T56 stuff.

I went to a slipper clutch and it made that car launch so soft (almost like an auto), it was sweet. Even though I never got too much time to get the car figured out with the clutch it was great. And you could drive it on the street too. Even if I had to tighten the clutch up a bit, it was a 10 minute job. But obviously a slipper clutch has a much shorter life span then a regular street clutch. The best that I could muster was a 9.87@140 NA on a 1.48 60' with the new setup.

Keep shifting.

Roman

I've ran a 9.64@143 - 1.43 60' (best 60' was 1.39) at a raceweight of 3475lbs. I'm running a Textralia Exo Skel twin disc and it loves it. Knock on wood I've never broken a single part on this car so far from stock other than some clutches and hydraulics here and there which to me is normal wear and tear. The tranny only has steel 3-4 fork, bronze pads, carbon blockers etc. The only major upgrade it didn't have was the viper output shaft. The motor setup is a 11.6:1 403 with a 150 shot. I usually side step the clutch on the launch control no lower than 6000rpm and spray out of the hole. I can play with the progressive controller to soften the hit if traction becomes an issue which is most of the time honestly.

One of the video's of multiple 9.6x passes are in my sig. Just look through my other video's to see more.

I also drive this car to the track over 100 miles away, swap the tires and unload the tools and jack and make passes! It's a true street car that still averages over 20mpg on the interstate!

I've ran a 9.64@143 - 1.43 60' (best 60' was 1.39) at a raceweight of 3475lbs. I'm running a Textralia Exo Skel twin disc and it loves it. Knock on wood I've never broken a single part on this car so far from stock other than some clutches and hydraulics here and there which to me is normal wear and tear. The tranny only has steel 3-4 fork, bronze pads, carbon blockers etc. The only major upgrade it didn't have was the viper output shaft. The motor setup is a 11.6:1 403 with a 150 shot. I usually side step the clutch on the launch control no lower than 6000rpm and spray out of the hole. I can play with the progressive controller to soften the hit if traction becomes an issue which is most of the time honestly.

One of the video's of multiple 9.6x passes are in my sig. Just look through my other video's to see more.

I also drive this car to the track over 100 miles away, swap the tires and unload the tools and jack and make passes! It's a true street car that still averages over 20mpg on the interstate!
wow, you must be really lucky to leave that hard on the stock mainshaft without breaking it

I didn't think the progressive kit would work right with a stick since you would only want it progressive off the launch. Tell me more about this, then I won't run a delay and spray off the launch

Yes you are correct. I'm running the FJO mini controller and unfortunately it doesn't have a ramp reset switch like some other progressives do. I had i set pretty aggressive launching at 50% for .3 and then going 100% at .4. That little bit really softens the hit and does so between each gear also where the ramp resets. On my fastest pass I had no progressive in it and it was all over the track in every gear but when faster.

I'd recommend the NX Maximizer 3 or some other progressive controller that has a ramp reset setting to not allow the ramp to reset for 20 seconds once the ramp starts. If the WOT signal is lost the ramp will stop and resume where it left off when the WOT signal is seen again. I'm doing away with nitrous this winter for boost otherwise I'd already have a different progressive on order.

I just went with a stick, still building my car... And i will be in the single digits.

you have one sick cam