Ditch The Slush Box And Do Your Driving Manually With Answers From Mustangs Etc. And California Pony Cars
Driving can be rather dull sometimes, especially if you’re driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission. Simply slip it into Drive and get going. It’s a no-brainer, especially if you’ve been driving for a long time. But stuff a stick through the floorpan and watch your driving pleasure blossom. Driving with a manual transmission requires thought, such as knowing when to upshift, planning those downshifts, and developing a finese for using the clutch instead of giving your passengers whiplash. Anyway you slice it, driving a stick-shifted Mustang is fun. And we’re going to show you how to get there with solutions from Mustangs Etc., California Pony Cars, and Centerforce clutches.
We enlisted help from Arnold Marks of Mustangs Etc. in Van Nuys, California. Our request was quite involved, but we’re going to show you how to swap in a four-speed. Then we’ll show you how to upgrade to a five-speed with cable clutch technology from D.B. Performance Engineering.
Going Manual
Changing from an automatic transmission to a manual transmission is intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Automatic transmissions use a flexplate instead of a flywheel. The flexplate bolts to the crankshaft, as does the flywheel, and it sports a ring gear for the starter, as does the flywheel. You’re going to need a flywheel and clutch in order to get the power from the crank to the manual transmission. There’s also the need for a manual transmission bellhousing, which is different from what we find with the C4, C6, or FMX automatics. Often we’re also dealing with a different starter, which has to mate with the flywheel.