Manual Transmission reccomendations for SS/L

[Wade Mahaffey]

I'm considering a manual transmission for my 60 Corvette project 283 that fits in "SS/L". I would like to know who has the best stuff, and then who is next and so on! Are there any reasons that it should not/could not be used on the street occasionally. Also reccomendations on the clutch set-up. How much for the trans, clutch, and flywheel would I be looking to spend. And lastly, I would be leaning toward longevity and repeatability more that lightweight and fastest.

Wade Mahaffey

[Jim Caughlin]

Good luck on driving a legit SS clutch and trans on the street. Among other issues, you have to 'strong arm' the shifter in order to keep it in gear while driving around the pits. If you let off the throttle at all or hit a bump, a clutchless trans kicks into neutral and you have to come to a full stop to put it back in gear. Trust me, it takes a little practice just to get through the pits let alone trying to drive it on the street. Better decide if you want a race car or a street car.

[Eric Merryfield]

Originally Posted by Wade Mahaffey

I'm considering a manual transmission for my 60 Corvette project 283 that fits in "SS/L". I would like to know who has the best stuff, and then who is next and so on! Are there any reasons that it should not/could not be used on the street occasionally. Also reccomendations on the clutch set-up. How much for the trans, clutch, and flywheel would I be looking to spend. And lastly, I would be leaning toward longevity and repeatability more that lightweight and fastest.

Wade Mahaffey

My observations: #1 Don't go clutchless, go clutch assisted ie Jerico, Gforce etc. You will not be able to downshift so your street fun may be impacted if you have to do the stoplight thing on a regular basis. MT makes a ET street tire that is raced with...but not as fast as the ET drag. The MT tech guy is on the UMTR site oftern. Go to the UMTR site and ask the same questions. Clutch disc, sintered iron of course. PP depends upon your choice, Mcloud, Ram, Advanced,Bonifonte. If you are on a budget, buy a used Jerico and someones hand me down clutch setup.....if not, be prepared and willing to spend MORE than you would for that top notch Pro-trans and convertor setup.


Good luck, spend some time scouring the classified on this site and I am guessing you can find everything you need for a fair price.

Eric

[Charley Downing]

Jerico with single disc McLeod clutch and a long shifter.

[Jeff Lee]

Jerico built for clutch shifting so it won't pop out of gear. You can still shift clutch less WITH the proper clutch assembly & clutch tune. I'd recommend the "Sportsman Dual 7"; google it or email me for more specifics. You want a small diameter clutch for that little 283. It will go much faster than a larger single disk unit (McLeod's is 10.5"). Total weight on the dual 7" for a SBC is around 18-19#'s, flywheel and all. The dual is not only faster, it will be more forgiving on the tune than a single disk is when trying to optimize your ET. Then when you want to drive it on the street, tighten up the base pressure (less than 15 minutes) and go to the burger joint.
Jerico - $2500+/- used.
Sportsman Dual 7" = $2900
Long shifter - $500 +/-
Browell bellhousing - $750+/- with window for easy adjusting
Or I have a new SBC bellhousing from QuickTime Inc I'd sell to you for $450. Both the Browell & QTI are very lite-weight compared to the old Lakewood hydro-formed units.
I gotta think you would easily go 10.40's with that car. Again,easily 10.40's!

[Ed Carpenter]

Originally Posted by Charley Downing

Jerico with single disc McLeod clutch and a long shifter.

X2 a McLeod set up right is just as good as other stuff out there. Just ask around you will find that out. Jerico is the way to go. My son has one and may sell it. If you decide to go that way PM me and ill ask him.

[Jim Caughlin]

I guess I'm confused, when someone asks what the 'best' parts are for SS, I don't see why anyone would recommend buying a clutch assisted trans that is slower and wears out quicker when shifted without the clutch. That by definition is not the best. If you want the second best parts, go for it. Also, don't try to race a street trans like a Richmond, they pretty much have to be granny shifted at best and would probably break sooner rather than later. I do agree with the small diameter dual disc set up particularly with small, low horsepower engines but I'm not sure how you could drive it on the street without wearing it out prematurely. I guess you could crank down the base pressure for street driving and loosen it for racing. I still stick with my previous comment that there is no 'best' parts that are going to work on the street. In my particular case, I race a GF5R clutchless with a dual disc set up, very dependable for my application.

[james schaechter]

The jerico with a long vertigate is the best bang for the buck in many cases and I think in yours too. I would think the dual 7 would be a great way to go along with a QT RM-6022W with the window on the bottom.

You could do a soft loc or many others, but I think the tuning data you would learn from the dual 7 can help you as you upgrade. It is a pretty nice clutch for the money. I have had several different types of clutches. I like the way the levers respond to the counterweight on the Advanced stuff. Keep in mind, I have never bought a new one from Rob, but he always supports his products with tech support.

I don't know what you mean about street driving, but I would guess very short cruises. I know Casey Miles used to drive his F stick z 28 on the street and it has a Jerico in it.

as far as consistancy, a 283 SSer with a stick has no choice but to be consistant. I think you will be surprised how good it can be.

Of course, the hot dog stuff would be great, but you can always upgrade later.

a powerglide will be like watching paint dry compared to the fun you will have with even a basic race stickshift set up!

Have fun! Jim

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Charley Downing

Jerico with single disc McLeod clutch and a long shifter.

X3. Although you can certainly spent a lot more $$$$ on stuff others consider "much better" high end stuff, I doubt you would have any trouble with the single disc McLeod Soft Lok clutch, a used Jerico DR4, and Long shifter. I have 2 stickshift bracket cars that run quicker than the SS/L record with just such parts. My 3100 lb big block Ford Fairmont bracket cars Jerico has needed just $300. worth of parts in 12 years (broke 3rd gear once), runs very low 10s and high 9`s.
My 85 Mustang also has a Jerico DR4/Soft Lok combo, in 10 years have never hurt the trans. Granted, in Stock trim, my Mustang only runs mid-low 12s, but this year it ran a 331 cube SB Ford bracket engine, running a best of 10.29@128 MPH. Both cars normally go 2 seasons between clutch rebuilds. I bought both Jericos used for 2 K each, with Long V gate shifters, and I only paid $300. for a used up Soft Lok and out of date McLeod scattershield for the Mustang. I sent that housing & clutch down to McLeod for a full rebuild of the clutch, and had the scattershield recertified. So I was able to put the whole Mustang stick package together for just over $3000. Best money I ever spent, plus the Jericos hold their resale value very well.

[tj310]

Best = Liberty Equalizer ---Trevor