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Automatic or 4 Speed...?

  • Automatic

    Votes: 17 28.8%
  • 4 Speed

    Votes: 42 71.2%

Worth more as an automatic or a 4 speed...?

6K views 39 replies 21 participants last post by  okeesignguy 
#1 · (Edited)
I am prepping for a 4 speed conversion...
I do not plan on keeping this car too long...maybe another year...maybe two...
It is not a true SS...it is a clone...

It is a fresh 355 with alum heads and intake with rollers etc...NOT a race car and never will be raced as long as I own it but a real nice little street engine with about 400 HP...

So.....which way is easier to sell and/or will bring more money...?
Auto or 4 speed....??????

Here are some pics...I don't know why they are needed here but I know we all like to see pics! LOL

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#4 ·
It could go either way, typically 4 speeds will sell first if they're original, but if it's an not original the automatic may sell easier, also attracting a large buy audience. If you want to make a change, I would vote for a 700r4, this will increase the drivability and be more beneficial, but might be more $ if you don't have all the parts.
 
#6 ·
I voted automatic, because you mentioned that you are "prepping for a 4-speed conversion" (in other words, I'm assuming the car is still an auto).

I think you'd probably end up getting about the same amount of money for the car with either trans, so I don't think you'd recover the costs associated with buying the parts to do a complete manual conversion. Therefore, total money recovered on the car would likely be higher if you don't spend the extra cash to convert it. But if you already have the parts, and plan to do all the labor yourself, then it really doesn't matter I guess.

Normally I would say to just pick whatever trans type YOU like best and go with that, but since you don't plan to keep it much longer then it's probably not worth the effort to make major changes that are just a matter of preference and don't actually improve the quality/condition of the car.

The car looks fantastic BTW. :)
 
#9 ·
First of all thank you for your responses and opinions as well as the compliments :)

The point for the change is that I feel like I never should have bought an automatic....I find them boring to drive...
I really liked the car and I thought that I could get past it but it is killing to drive it as it bores me to death and feels like a "ladies car"....

As far as originality goes....that is out the window as being a clone, that is pretty much a non issue...I have no clue what it was originally...

I usually don't keep a car more than a year or so and I am going to own this at least one more year, maybe two...(I have already had it about a year)...
I got the trany for free from my brother as well as the flywheel...
Combine that with the few hundred bucks that I can sell the freshly rebuilt auto for and I can do the swap for a few hundred bucks...

To me that is worth it just for the added driving enjoyment for as long as I will own the car....but I was wondering which way might bring more or be easier to sell later....

Again....thanx to all!
 
#10 ·
A well built engine with a 3500 to 4000 stall and automatic is just as much fun as any standard. I shift my auto when I feel the need to play around.

Back in the day I ran 4 speeds and switched one over from auto to standard. Now days I can cruise to work with my coffee in my hand, but can shift it on the way home if need be.

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well...so far it is about 2 to 1...4 speed

BTW...I will NEVER, EVER see "shifting" an auto as much fun as REAL shifting which requires a clutch as well as footwork and revving that engine...now THAT's fun! :yes:

It always cracks me up when guys mention how fun "shifting" is with their paddle shifters! LOL What a joke! They have somehow managed to convince some people that they are actually shifting with those cute little paddles ! awe.... :rolleyes::sleep:
 
#12 ·
Mine was originally a manual, now it's an auto and I would NEVER want to change it back to stock. It's all a matter of opinion though. I can't understand for the life of me how anyone can see clutch operation as "fun"; to me, it's annoying and drains enjoyment from the experience. Shifting, however, can certainly be fun and can be done just fine with a ratchet-shifted auto (my preferred option). And then when you just want to cruise, you can pop it in drive and forget it. Best possibile option, for me.

I live 1 mile away from one of the largest cities in the country. We have stop lights every 1/8 mile or so, tons of traffic at all hours, and straight flat roads. This is excellent territory for an auto car. The constant shifting/clutch operation under these conditions gets old real fast IMO. But I might feel different if I lived out in the country or in the mountains or something.
 
#14 ·
Mine was originally a manual, now it's an auto and I would NEVER want to change it back to stock. It's all a matter of opinion though. I can't understand for the life of me how anyone can see clutch operation as "fun"; to me, it's annoying and drains enjoyment from the experience. Shifting, however, can certainly be fun and can be done just fine with a ratchet-shifted auto (my preferred option). And then when you just want to cruise, you can pop it in drive and forget it. Best possibile option, for me.
.
You got it, ratchet shifter. Gotta have some motor to go with it though. :D:D:D:D:D
 
#13 ·
Personally, I'm like you and love my manual cars, even my DD is a stick car. I find auto more to the dull side too, stall converters make the cars feel like the tranny is slipping under normal driving conditions IMO, but on the track I think auto is the way to go for consistency though. As mentioned earlier, it's a double edge sword, folks seem to be split as to what they prefer for a cruiser.

I prefer a stick car all day long, so if you don't mind doing the work change it over, I'd also bet, you might even keep the car longer.:yes:

If you're going to sell it don't bother doing the change, you'll get more money for the car as an auto and selling the M20 separately, then the stick car and spare auto tranny IMO.
 
#19 ·
I have an M-20 that came out of my brother's 72 Vette...he is building it fresh starting with a brand new frame, up...
He is going with a Tremic so I got his hand-me-down... :D
He has owned the car for over 30 yrs...
I just had it rebuilt and it's ready to go...
I am currently gathering parts...I have the flywheel, bell housing and some of the interior parts for the console...
It will be sometime this winter before it is done...
 
#20 ·
If you are into this project for profit, I would sell the 4 speed outright as it should be a good seller.

Just having the 4 speed potential seems to appeal to you. You would have to find a buyer that feels the same waiy.

The thrill of banging through the gears may not be there for some potential buyers.

I am old and have a standard shift; my middle-age son has a 4L60E.
Once the car is in high gear, it all equals out.
 
#21 ·
Nah...not into it for profit but of course when I DO sell I want as good of a return as possible...
Money being as tight as it is nowadays it will be a couple of years before I can get rid of it for what I really want, so for me, that is long enough so that I want it to be fun to drive and right now, as an automatic, it just isn't fun for me...

I understand that the end result is the same but, for me, the fun is getting to the end result :D

One more note...I am so old I don't even know what a 4L60E is !!! :confused:
 
#25 ·
I shift my own too.

One of the first things I did to my car after I bought it was to convert it to a 4 speed. It is a bench seat car and I use a Hurst Comp. Plus with a white ball......NOTHING gets more comments at cruise-ins then this combination. And there is NOTHING like the feel of a stiff clutch pedal under your left foot in an old hot-rod! It is so much more fun to drive now.
 
#29 ·
i've always preferred sticks over automatics... but with that said i'd leave it an automatic. you said you didn't plan on keeping it long, why go through the labor & expense of the changeover? the car as a stick will probably pull as much as the automatic, you pull the automatic it has, i think, less value than the stick assy... so leave it an automatic, sell the car, sell the stick stuff and get more of a return...

why do all that work just to sell it for the same amount of cash?
 
#31 ·
Nice lookin car. Just doesn't seem like as much of a hot rod without the 4 speed. Whenever we go to car shows, it seems like after we approach a car we like, the first thing we do is one of us pokes our head in the window to see if its a stick. :yes: Takes a little more of a driver to handle one though. If your tired or beat up, the auto comes in handy.
 
#32 ·
MY CAR CAME TO ME AN AUTOMATIC, AND THAT'S WHERE IT'LL REMAIN. BUT AS FAR AS STICK TO AUTOMATIC, I'M A AUTOMATIC PERSON WHEN IT COMES TO A DRAG CAR! MISS A GEAR, LOSE A RACE! :mad:
WITH CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC I SAID NEVER AGAIN!
:cool:
 
#35 · (Edited)
Is this ball correct?

One of the things that I told my wife that I wanted for Christmas was a 4 speed shifter ball....what I didn't tell her was that I wanted a white one...

Well the car's interior is completely black and I usually would want black "anything" LOL...except this time :)

So the ball comes in today and, not only is it black but it is a two piece with a chrome bottom piece...??? I went to the website and it claims that it is an "Amazing reproduction" for a 72 Nova.....?????
Here's a link...
http://www.carpartsdiscount.com/aut...t/shift_knob_3_8_thread_black.html?3593=43931

Exchanging it for a white one is no problem however I don't recall them being made in 2 pieces...?

Anybody know about this...?

Thank you everybody for all of your help and FYI, I don't really need any more help making this decision as I have made my decision to go 4 speed as I will be keeping and driving this car for at least another year...

I just checked and even tho it says that this ball is 2 inch it is actually 1.75 inch....
Far to small and whimpy and I am guessing that stock would be 2 inch...?
I called them....they are looking into it....
 
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