This is what made stick racing so addictive to me when I was a kid watching these cars at the track

Hope this works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kswkSEyOj8

Gus

Hellified Yeah!
Three pedals cars are King.

I removed the 3 pedal and installed an auto pedal setup that came out of Jenny Craigs car.I will never give up my pushbuttons now

They where neat to watch, they where pure hell to maintain
I ran a 1970 Cuda 426 Street Hemi 4 speed car in NHRA stock back in the early to mid 1970s, it was a lot of work and expensive to keep up
Change the clutch and pressure plate every 40 runs or so and take the tranny apart and dress the 3 and 4th gears up and look at the 3-4 slider and maybe replace it if needed
I knew some Chevy SB modified eliminator racers, short stroke(2.86 to 3.00) and a lot(6.50,6.86) gear in the rear and a lot of RPM with a heavy flywheel back then
I had a friend who bracket raced a 1970 340 Duster with 5.57 gears in the Dana 60 and a 3.09 1st gear set I put in the NP833 tranny for him, you where real busy for the first 300 ft. in that car shifting it at or near 7000 RPM
It was high maintenance also

Glides might be fun, consistent, but there is nothing like a stick.

Nothing better than a gear jammer. Just got back from a gear jam session in my 69, 340,4spd dart. Can’t get enough of it. Epic fun

You had to spend some cash if you were running a stick car. My Challenger used a Liberty four speed crash box with the very high first and second gear and 538s in the Dana behind a smaller 430 ci Hemi, tunnel ram with doms. Launched at 6500, shifts at 9000 and 9900/10000 through the traps. Maintenance on this thing took up most or the week so you could race on the next weekend.

Hremicar1971 that is the same set up we had in our SS/D 1 Challenger. Hemi 4 speed and shifting at 8500 thru the traps at 9 grand. That hemi pulled hard.

I'd love to do it. But the cost to put a reliable stick in a 900hp 3350 lb car is well beyond my budget.
Doug

I am in the process of building a 2004 Dakota. It will have a tunnel rammed small block, 4-speed, and a very narrow Dana 60. The rear tires are 33 X 21.5 X 15, and yes they fit inside the stock wheel wells. Sticks are the best.

My first street and then race car was a 70 340 dart 4 speed, man was it fun! Then I put the drive train out of the Dart 4 speed and all in a 48 Anglia, it was wild fun. I had scores of people look and comment on the old Anglia. Late 70's it ran low 10's, then I built an automatic race car for the next 30 years. I am in my 60's and my last street car is a 69 cuda with a 4 speed, and I have to admit, I just can not shift them like I used too. The old Anglia with a four speed was top 3 in the local track points several years in a row with the 4 speed. But there is just nothing like side stepping a clutch and banging 2nd gear.

What Cal said:

"They where neat to watch, they where pure hell to maintain"

I used to crew on a Super Stock 67 Plymouth Hemi four speed car, geez what a parts eater.

I have a friend that calls them a "4 S Mess".

When I started racing Mod Prod was still around and some of them bracket raced at Assumption. One guy could make 3 runs before it ate a clutch. Another had a Doug Nash in a small block Corvette and it would make about 2 runs before it ate gears.

As said, awesome to watch, miserable to own.

A powerglide and a spare (at least although I know someone will come along and say they have used the same PG for a decade and never changed the oil but I know racers lie) at least 3 converters to get it right, and then a converter and two good spares, a quality cooler and all the associated crap and the automatic isn't cheaper. The stick isn't as simple to tune or drive as a pop up toaster. But it certainly isn't any more expensive when you finally learn the clutch builders are liars. And they are still lying for the most part.

Good clutches start at 2500 buck and go up from there. An expensive clutch is cheap money.

I have one push button 727, one converter. $1100 in the converter, $250 in upgrades. About $1100 in the trans as well. no spare. I have parts to build one but it has only stranded me once in 550 passes. That was a design flaw in an aftermarket part which I redesigned. I couldn't even buy a clutch, flywheel, and bell housing for that kind of money. Now if someone would like to sponsor me I'm all over it.
Doug

I'll sponsor you DVW, but just at the street haunts so I can make my money back with your winning car. LOL

A serious stick car is a completely different animal from an auto/transbrake car. The parts available now are very reliable and aren't cheap. But the other things - rear end, shocks, chassis, etc. - will quickly show any weak links if you try to cheap out on any of it. And data acquisition is money very well spent.

I used to run a stick car on the streets many, many moons ago and it was the best fun that I could remember to boast about. I can remember specific runs with three pedals under me as apposed to trying to remember and be fond of any recent Automatic slush box runs.
Yeah, automatics are consistent, but it takes a lot of patience, skills and some $$ to run, maintain and win with a row boat.

Lack of time and unnecessary funds to run a stick keeps me with a fluid level tube in my car.

If I had the time and endless no worries of funds, I'd drive, race and stick with a stick car in a heart beat.

Automatics and convertors have come a long way since the bad days and nights to convert most racers from stick, but there are a few out there that can give an auto box a run for its money.
Let the trash talk begin. LOL

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Been racing stick cars since 1977..last time I made a pass in a auto car (not mine) I managed to run a 12 in a 10 second car..lol... I' keep running speeders...