O.K. So a lot of guys say a manual is slower on the 1/4 mile track. I was watching A show the other day and they were putting in rachet shifters and slap sticks in their manuals to make them fast. Would this work for our trucks? I doubt there is a kit out there somewhere. I like throwing the shifter around but it would be a ton easier to just wack a shifter to get the next gear. Any body running something like this?

 

I don't know about ratchet shifters, but they do make a short throw kit for the five speeds.

 

Ratchets and slap sticks are for auto trannies.

 

Hohn I had a ratchet shift 3 speed manual in a chevy pickup. The shift pattern was a funky "A". straightdown first, shove it up 2nd, hit it down third. Once it was on the 2-3 rail it wouldnt go back to first rail without doing the crossing the A thing. Real fun to drive except it was worn and bound the linkages from time to time. I belive it was made by Hurst. I havent seen any new ones like that in years though.

 

The shifter is one thing, the ability of the synchros etc on our truck type trannis's to handle the faster shifts is a totally different animal.
For example the BD short shift that I use does zero for increasing the speed of the shift and it's not designed to speed it up anyway.

 

And for six speeds.....BD

 

*Bingo*... which is why I wanted to send my 5-speed synchros to Chris Liberty (Liberty Transmission) and have every other synchronizer tooth removed. This would allow it to find the gear every time. But I found another way... full billet DTT.

brnadon.

 

joefarmer,

did you convert your 5spd to a DTT billet auto...i am thinking about selling my 6spd tranny and converting to a billet auto

 

If by 'convert' you meant selling the 5 speed truck and getting an automatic 12valve, then yes.

brnadon.

 

The best way to speed up shift time is to reduce the amount of mass that the synchros have to manipulate.

That's the main reason that 5-speeds shift faster than 6-speeds: the clutch is a LOT lighter in terms of rotational inertia.

Smaller diameter, lighter clutch shifts a LOT faster than a big, heavy clutch.... even with the same synchros.

 

The problem lies where you have too much power for a single disk clutch so you go to a DD and then sacrfice shifting for holding power, you gain the ability to slip and launch with boost but lose some ability to shift fast. Talking of more mass..... can you imagine that beast that peter at South Bend built for Bigbaddodge 3 disks

 

Yeah, let's just say it's probably not a good roadracing clutch.

 

yea i hear ya man. im stuck right now as to whether i wanna keep my truck for awhile and then in a year or two find a second truck (auto 12v) and build it...or if i wanna sell the 6spd truck and buy an auto 12v now and built it right. starting with a billet DTT. then ill save my money for as long as possible so all at once i can get the pump tuned, twins built, headwork done, cam installed, and all the good stuff done