Auto to Stick

[Glenn1066]

I am thinking about switching from Auto trans to Stick, but looking at the index, SS/MA is 11.85, SS/M is 11.60, does anyone know how much I would pick up if I switched? .25 seems like a lot to give up.

Thanks
Glenn

[Jeff Lee]

That's a lot to make up. SS/JA & SS/J is similar. Don Little has a SS/JA 383 Challenger & Rob Youngblood has a SS/J 'Vette. They run similar times with Rob sometimes a tad quicker. But Don will be significantly higher up the ladder. NHRA should bring the indexes so they are the same; maybe giving .05 at the most to the auto class. Better yet, combine sticks & auto's with the same index and class!

[Glenn1066]

Jeff you are correct, I would love to go back to actually doing something in the race car, but I can't afford to give up the .25.

Glenn

[Matt Welker]

Make the switch and have fun. Unless you are going to Indy, the index and qual. position is meaningless (you can play the ladder just as well bottom up). I would guess the chances of a heads up in MA and M are about the same, and even then the index does not matter.The last time we had a 128 car divisional in D1 was the double race weekend at Maple Grove probably five years ago, and that was in stock. Not sure if SS was full field that weekend or not.

Having more fun or seeing your name a few spaces higher on the Q sheet? I vote for having more fun. The swap in my stocker is almost done, and I'm not going back to an auto until my left leg or right arm doesn't work anymore....and my Q position won't be as high as it was with the auto.

[Rory McNeil]

My own Stocker is a "stick only" combination, so I have no input on an automatic in it, but about 12 years ago I converted my 10 second bracket car from an auto to a Jerico 4 speed. It is a rather mild 428 FE Ford in a back halved Fairmont that I used to race with a fairly nice C6 trans. Although it was not a big dollar lightweight Stock or S/S trans, it did have low drag Torrington bearing internals, with a trans brake and 8" convertor. On the trans brake I could leave at WOT at 5200 RPM, and the car ran a best of 10.55 @126mph. Then I bought a used Jerico DR4 4 speed, with a 2.96 low gear, and a new McLeod `Soft Lok`` clutch. I made no other changes to the car, other than a switch to 4.88 gears , replacing the old 4.56s, in anticapation of no convertor slippage in high gear. Within the first few passes, the car was running 10.2s, and after a couple of races to get more comfortable with hitting the shift points, it has gone a best of 10.03 at132 MPH. I realize that if I had a state of the art high tech automatic with the 904 internals before, the gain would not have been as dramatic, however the trick auto would have cost at least as much as the stick changeover did. And other than a fresh clutch every 2 or 3 years, the only part I have hurt with the stick was 3rd gear once, after 10 years. ( Which cost a whopping $ 300. to repair.)The 4 speed is a lot more fun to drive, and a good used Jerico really holds its value. I can not imagine ever putting an automatic back in.