Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Chrysler was the 1st US car with an Automatic tranny.
My dad was a mechanic with his own licensed repair shop he built behind our house in Ont Canada in 1940.
Dads brother (one of my Uncles) had bought one of the 1941/42 models in that yr or early 1942 before the end of assembly change to war production (my memory is a bit vague as to the actual date). Recall sitting behind the steering wheel and being memorized with the shifting procedure. Car still had a lot of chrome so it was probably the 41 model as they went to a Non Chrome grill etc in the 42 models. (cut short production year)
Edit: Will add that dad bought a New 1947 Fleetline after being on the waiting list for 1 yr and 1 day. Was told to pick up the car or it would be sold to the next person on their list. Car had a Vac controlled shifter on the steering column that made a hissing sound when manually shifted......how times have changed.
But now you live in Mexico, do you?
Last edited by holzhaus123; 06-24-2014 at 01:34 PM..
[quote=Merc63;35371185]You realize that even an automatic transmission shift lever has positions for other gears than just D, N, R, and P, right? You move the lever by hand to what gear you want it in and it shifts instantly to that gear, no clutch pedal. So with a modded automatic, you can leave it in D and it'll shift itself fast and firm, no slippage, or if you move the lever, it shifts to the gear you move the lever to. This was very common to do with the automatics in hot rods and muscle cars in the '60s. 70s, and '80s.
n
[/Quote)
I know it, I drove an opel Ascona with this once. It must be a Fixing of the automatic to a gear like the one for downgrades.
I realize English is not your first language and I've been able to make out your meaning most of the time, but... this just makes no sense.
it is supposed to be metaphorous. "Amputated" is the same as "amputiert" in german. In both cases it is latin and means to remove a part of the body. In the case of the Corvette it means there is a lack of the gear shift (in metaphorous sence). Comprehende?
Last edited by holzhaus123; 06-24-2014 at 01:33 PM..
You describe "shifting when you want it".how can you operate it (yourself). Does it have a Fixing of the automatic to single gears like a BMW alpina had?
You realize that even an automatic transmission shift lever has positions for other gears than just D, N, R, and P, right? You move the lever by hand to what gear you want it in and it shifts instantly to that gear, no clutch pedal. So with a modded automatic, you can leave it in D and it'll shift itself fast and firm, no slippage, or if you move the lever, it shifts to the gear you move the lever to. This was very common to do with the automatics in hot rods and muscle cars in the '60s. 70s, and '80s.
n
[/Quote)
I know it, I drove an opel Ascona with this once. It must be a Fixing of the automatic to a gear like the one for downgrades.
It was all workmanship back in the 50's? 60's?, especially at the 2nd lever photo. Noble! No plastic stuff. Do you have any Oldtimers?
Actually, the new Corvette automatic is pretty decent, And if you're talking cars before about '89, the automatic was easily modified for increased performance, shifting faster than a manual trans could, and shifting when you want it, fast and firm. It's not luxurious and smooth when you do that, it can actually be very violent.
I've built numerous automatic equipped sports and GT cars for autocross competition and track days. With a few mods, they work VERY well. When autocrossing especially, i want one foot on each pedal and one hand on each control in order to shave off every thousandth of a second.
For example this car was built for slalom racing, with a highly modified Ford 302 V8 and AOD automatic transmission, with a shift kit, performance clutch packs, and a modified torque convertor for very fast, very firm, shifts when you moved the lever. It pulled 1.2 Gs laterally and almost that in acceleration and braking:
That run may not look fast until you realize that the turnaround at the far end of the track is a quarter mile away and the car got to that point after 2 slaloms and a set of 90 degree turns, and it STILL did it under 20 seconds. It could run a 12 second quarter mile time WHILE slaloming. With an automatic.
It seems so curious. A sportscar with an automatic. One foot on each pedal remembers me of one event:
My father never drove an automatic in his life. At the Age of 70 he rented one and he put one foot on each pedal. But after difficulties in the beginning he handled it pretty well.
Last edited by holzhaus123; 06-24-2014 at 03:17 PM..
If a racing car with an automatic was advatageous, why do the formula 1-Ferraris not have one?
They more or less do, precisely because they are so advantageous. The driver still has to select the shift points himself, but that's only because fully automatic gearboxes are banned in F1. But the shift action is computer-automated and shifts happen far quicker than if performed by a human; the only thing the driver does is flick a lever with his fingers.
And you can't buy a new production Ferrari with a manual any more.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
n
Why are manual transmission vehicles unpopular in the USA
