Manual transmission Tacoma

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Yes, they had gravity feed carb's,no fuel pump, but those old cars were very durable and the roads were horrible then, see here

Thanks Jim! Great reminder of 'the good ole days'.

Cheers

[blue_bullet]

Originally Posted by grump

When I ordered my '99 F150 I had originally ordered a '98 F150 with a 5 speed and when I changed my order I noticed the 5 speed had a 3500 lb tow rating and the auto had a 6500 lb tow rating. I asked them at the dealership why the big difference and they said the 5 speeds had higher gears for mileage, if you wanted a manual tranny for towing you needed to get a Super Duty. This was a mom and pop dealer so I'm more inclined to believe they knew what they were talking about than the dealers today that will tell anything to get your business if you can even get an answer.

Many KTM off highway motorcycles have 6 speed transmissions. KTM warns owners not to "crank" it in 5th and 6th gears as they are thinner gears meant only to let you pick up speed on the highway getting from one trailhead to another. The Ford manual trannys on the non Super Duties may have a similar design.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by blue_bullet

I remember reading about vehicles going up Monarch Pass (CO) in reverse to assure fuel
made it to the engine over the long grade. Guess times have changed. No autos back then.

I just got back in town from a short drive out into Tama county. I drove some segments of the Lincoln Highway. I thought of the automotive pioneers driving this "highway," watching their water temperature on the Boyce Motometer, and modifying their Model T's with a Ruckstell rear axle for a lower low and a higher high, stopping for a resupply of water from the desert water bags slung across the headlight supports or bumper, and thinking that it was great to be living in the United States of America. Hats off to all Dads today, The Czech National Cemetary at Vining is looking good today. Salt Creek is down but muddy.
Dave

[steve dunham]

When I worked in the trades we had a fleet of jobbing trucks that were loaded to the max .We never lost an automatic transmission but we went through a ton of clutches .
For whatever reason ,the automatic transmissions were cheaper to own and more dependable. When I was 17 , a stick shift was fun to drive but now at 67 , I would not have one even if they gave it to me. With the automatic my wife can help with the driving on long trips , with a stick I would be stuck doing all the driving.

[Donna D.]

I love driving a stick shift! Fun, fun, fun... zippin' through curves.. clutch/shift. Go, go, go. Now, pulling a trailer on those same roads or in rush hour traffic... not so much. Glad my F-150 is an automatic.