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wheeling manual vs automatic

FlatBlackBurb

FlatBlackBurb

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hey guys i'm thinking about selling my 1987 chevy suburban and picking up a 1973 k30 454 with 10'' of lift and 38'' swampers. it says in the ad that it's a 4 speed. so how hard is it to wheel with a manual? mud pits, hill climbs, etc etc. i know how to drive manual but ive never wheeled with it. when did chevy start sticking in 4speed automatics with their trucks? it could be a mistake because it looks to me like a 1983 front end but he could of just done a swap. either way it's a sick truck.

mantruck454jq9.jpg
 
no big deal, I prefer it. Just know that your going to kill it every now and then. I had my starter wired to a switch on my samurai so when I killed it most poeple didn't even know it cause I could get to the switch so fast. They just thought my sami would idle down to about 200 rpms no prob:D
 
I've wheeled both, and DD both, and I have to say, the auto is easier, but not so much as to make a std tranny a deal breaker.
Actually, a manual trans has the advatage of being able to be push started if you have a problem with your ignition system.
In fact, just this weekend, my stater relay went out in my trooper, and my 10 YO son and I push started it and drove home.
Couldn't have done that in my 83 sub. (Heck, even if that one was a std I am not sure we could've push started that big ol thing!)
A std. gives you the advantage of compression braking on steep descents too.
 
I have wheeled both and I have to say there are advantages to both. A manual is better for crawling a steep descents because of the compression braking, as well as the super low first in many of the older ones. I have gotten lazy as I have gotten older, and now I love my auto. It makes it nice for daily driving, as well as towing the trailer. And off road I stick it in second and it runs smooth with very little throttle to the q-jet.
 
I like standards. I little trickier but there's more controll. I guess for mudbogging an auto would be better but I don't mudbog so I don't know for sure.
 
both have their advantages. I have to disagree with the guys saying to that auto's do not have a compression braking effect. I can put mine in 1st low and it will crawl down stuff without me touching the brakes. ask anyone who has ridden in my truck.

manual trans will have lower first gears but the common ones in these older trucks do not have overdrive either.

most guys start wheeling whatever they have and then form their opinions never having the same amount of seat time with the other trans.
 
Unless you have a heck of a motor or are in light mud an auto is no better in mud, in deep mud you are in one gear and usually can't pull the next gear. Shifting in deep mud is usually not an option unless you have one heck of a motor
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
hey guys i'm thinking about selling my 1987 chevy suburban and picking up a 1973 k30 454 with 10'' of lift and 38'' swampers. it says in the ad that it's a 4 speed. so how hard is it to wheel with a manual? mud pits, hill climbs, etc etc. i know how to drive manual but ive never wheeled with it. when did chevy start sticking in 4speed automatics with their trucks? it could be a mistake because it looks to me like a 1983 front end but he could of just done a swap. either way it's a sick truck.

mantruck454jq9.jpg
Click to expand...

factory k30 did not start until 1977
 
I like the manaul. A little more trickier to handle, but more fun. Plus you can rock it back and forth easier/quicker when you're gettin stuck in some mud.
 
I like my manual because of the compression braking which is especially useful in all the rocks and trails here in death valley. I have stalled it quite a few times when fighting with the rocks but the other benefits i feel outway that. I would like to hook up a starter switch so the clutch doesnt have to be pressed to turn the starter. That is definitley not a 73 front end, looks just like my 83. With how easy these front clips are to change though its certainly possible that it is a 73.
 
454k30 said:
I would like to hook up a starter switch so the clutch doesnt have to be pressed to turn the starter.
Click to expand...

just unhook the wires from the safety switch and either splice them together or install a switch. then you do not need to press the clutch pedal in.
 
There are places where the manual tranny outshines an auto, and the reverse is also true. I recall a steep gravelly hill climb me and my buddy were attempting. There was a huge boulder in the way which meant trying to sidehill around it. Because his truck wouldn't move until he throttled it (auto) he kept spinning the tires and ended up sliding into the rock. With my truck in first gear I was able to idle past the rock without breaking traction and never touched it.

If you're geared deep enough the manual isn't even a PITA in the rocks. I never use the clutch, and in the tight stuff I wheel with both feet on the floor.

An auto does have some compression braking, but it's nothing compared to a manual unless you're running a doubler. Crawlin also generates a lot of tranny heat too, so a good cooler is a must.

Rene
 
fourwheelerjeff said:
factory k30 did not start until 1977
Click to expand...

yeah there's another reason im thinking its a typo. we will all find out once i call the guy and let you know what it really is. when did the 4 speed auto's start/
 
The auto used to have fewer gears because the torque convertor "reaches down" until you start moving. More compression braking than you'd normally need, with a shift kit to hold gears.
All that does generate lots more heat.:bow:
Another consideration is whether you have LSDs or not. No LSDs and three pedals, you'll be mighty busy.:haha:
 
I swapped to a 4 speed from a 3 spd auto in my Blazer. I won't be going back. I do mostly trails/woods/mud kinda stuff. Granny gear rocks. Compression braking is amazing. It's also nice to be able to stab the clutch to stop the driveline in a hurry, or to bring the revs up a touch for some help with steering.
 
lectric80 said:
I have wheeled both and I have to say there are advantages to both. A manual is better for crawling a steep descents because of the compression braking, as well as the super low first in many of the older ones. I have gotten lazy as I have gotten older, and now I love my auto. It makes it nice for daily driving, as well as towing the trailer. And off road I stick it in second and it runs smooth with very little throttle to the q-jet.
Click to expand...




X2.

I'm not even dealing with an overdrive. Mine's a DD and I don't care aboot gas mileage as well.
 
I know everyone here at the shop runs a manual in their trucks and we wouldn't trade them for the world.

Add a hand throttle and you won't need to worry about doing the three foot boogie. :D
 
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