which trans is your favorite? BW T-10, BW T-86, or I guess FOM.

[GThawkwind]

Waht started me thinking again was the cost of a good shifter for the three speed, and the thought rewiring the OD and ,and making it work right. It almost seemed like after buying and fitting the shifter, and and an OD harness,how much am I really saving? I know where a guy has a whole 4 speed setup for 500. But I know a guy who has a whole three speed setup for 150. If I installed a long tail later 3 speed, It would be very easy to switch to a four down the line. I worry about the car losing the hot rod feel I'd like it to have. But it sounds like the T-86 is better than I figured it to be. That being said I would like the drive the car kinda hard from time to time.

[mbstude]

It depends on what you want. An around the town hot rod, the T10. Rowing a 4 speed in a Stude is a blast. That 1st to 2nd shift is definitely the best part.

If you want a cruiser that you can take on long trips, the 3 speed overdrive. Like Joe said, the rear end is equally as important.

The automatics.. Depends on the setup. My friend has a Silver Hawk with a V8, 1st gear start automatic from a truck, and a 3.07 rear. It's the best "cruising" Stude I've ever driven.

But if you want a fun hot rod.. Keep the clutch pedal.

[GThawkwind]

I think if I score a four speed cheap enough I'll do it. Otherwise sounds like I'll be happy with a T-86. I would like to see how the poll pans out still. Though. Oh and the clutch would stay no matter what. I added FOM because I wanted the auto lovers to have an option to vote.

[Corvanti]

some of us ol' (and not that old) farts have to go to automatics due to joint problems.

i found that out when i took my neighbor's BMW Z-3 roadster 5-speed on a test drive that i "refreshed" before handing it back to her. i loved going thru the gears, my "fake" left knee - not so much! and that was a "light" hydraulic clutch...

i would not rule out a manual trans Studebaker in the future though. i did vote for the T-86 - mainly for highway driving!

[GThawkwind]

Will a GT hawk shifter clear a 53 bench? I wouldn't need to have the seat far forward. And if not will a hurst, or 61 style clear?

[clonelark]

Rowing a 4 speed is just a blast.

[Pack Rat]

Favorite tranny - something to consider

I've had Studes with automatics, 4-Speeds, and now have a 56 GH with a 3-speed OD. There's nothing like running a hot V-8 through the gears BUT, if you are planning to go to some big car shows with lots of traffic and do some crusing, a clutch is a PITA in slow moving/heavy traffic. I would love to participate in the Woodward Dream Cruise but it ain't going to happen with a stick shift.

If cruising in traffic isn't a consideration, I vote for the 4-speed.

Pack Rat

[JoeHall]

I've had Studes with automatics, 4-Speeds, and now have a 56 GH with a 3-speed OD. There's nothing like running a hot V-8 through the gears BUT, if you are planning to go to some big car shows with lots of traffic and do some crusing, a clutch is a PITA in slow moving/heavy traffic. I would love to participate in the Woodward Dream Cruise but it ain't going to happen with a stick shift.

If cruising in traffic isn't a consideration, I vote for the 4-speed.

Pack Rat

You make an excellent point. I live in rural Kentucky, and sometimes forget others may live in concrete jungles. An OD tranny is almost like a semi-automatic, but you still have to push the clutch a fair amount of time. Even in rural KY the automatic is just so much easier, and the FOM in our 63GT, with 3.07 rear end, has turned out to be the cat's meow here.

Anyone with a 56J can't be wrong about anything
Have you joined Frank A's 56J Register? Or the 56J Only newsgroup yet? If not, you don't know what you are missing. Those clubs really enhance ownership of a 56J !

[GinettaG12P]

Saginaw because the guts fit my Corvair tansaxle and can be made into a close-ratio transmission using some three-speed and some four-speed parts (and some cutting and welding.)

[PackardV8]

the automatic is just so much easier,

Yep, Joe; it's also known as the old, fat and lazy factor. When I was forty years younger and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, all steep hills and constant stop-and-go, I drove a '56 Power Hawk with a floor-shifted T86 overdrive and a '65 Sunbeam Tiger with a Ford toploader 4-speed. Any suggestion an automatic might be preferable was an admission of terminal geezerhood.

Can a manual shift transmission function in heavy traffic? Certainly, it can and did back when automatics were expensive and unreliable in heavy use. Standard shifts were the norm for New York City taxis, police cars, municipal fleets, UPS trucks and any application where costs were a concern. The driver's left leg took it eight hours a day or he found other work.

Bottom line, automatics have gotten more durable and we've all gotten older and traffic has gotten heavier and nature has taken it's course.

I really debated tranny options on my three Studes. The Avanti ha come with a Powershift. When I was driving it daily in traffic, two pedals were fine. After the B-W started slipping, I put in a TH700R4. It's a better driver, but I still shift manually through the gears. The truck is an occasional driver, so it got a T89 and may change to a T85. The custom Hawk is pretty far out there, so it gets a T56 six-speed. Your opinions and decisions may vary.

jack vines

[Pack Rat]

Anyone with a 56J can't be wrong about anything
Have you joined Frank A's 56J Register? Or the 56J Only newsgroup yet? If not, you don't know what you are missing. Those clubs really enhance ownership of a 56J ![/QUOTE]

Hey Joe ..... this is Phil from Indiana (Pearl White/Orange stripes 56J). The name change caught you off guard.