Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Stick car all the way!!!! You have the choice of todays low pressure clutches, a clutchless transmission and a super stock suspension. To me that is a no brainer. Also, like everybody else has said once you get it right your pretty much done. Especially with a ss car (big tires, 4 link etc...) You don't have to try and hook a 9" tire. Also with the counterweight that you will have you can adjust your rpm 2-400 up or down to adjust for conditions as well without have to make a clutch adjustment. But like Roy said you can make a base pressure adjustment in a mater of 5-10 min and a counterweight adjustment in just a few more than that. In my opinion, the key to making a sintered iron clutch work is how you seat it in, in the first 20 passes. If you seat the clutch in properly it will be your best friend. If you don't you will be chasing your tail and you will end up hating it. I would recommend that you have someone that is running a sintered iron clutch will success help you get started with seating it in. Once you have done that it will be ear to ear smiles all the time. :D

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Thank you everyone, I guess I was concerned about reaction times and maintenance with a stick, I am going to Gforce next friday to order a GF5R clutchless.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

My experience with a stick setup goes back a lot of years, so what I am hearing here now is that they dont require adjustments...And that they are easier than automatics.

Good, then maybe we will put a stick in ours too. The HP factor is more appealing too...

And yes, I do have a nice collection of converters already.

David
The New Hemi Guy

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

I know a guy that recently had a clutchless G-Force (Ford) for sale. It has very few runs on it and is just back from G-Force. Complete with shifter for a whole lot less than new. PM me for details and I'll see of it's still available.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Any clutch recommendations, Gforce suggested 10.5 soft lok from Mcleod.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

That or a Rob Youngblood setup. Jeff Lee will be here to give you his info! Pretty much the only two choices since you need to have the adjustability.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Stick all the way!
The only dis advantages are the b.s. 250lb weight break the slush box cars get in Modified SS like Jim said and you will not be able to put on makeup or text while going down the track.
Get the 10.5 Mcleod soft-lok like G Force suggested, that is what we run in all three of our cars with very little maintenance. I think I made 4-5 clutch adjustments all year in my SS car making close to 100 runs. Even in Chuck D's CJ with a new McLeod clutch and a driver that had never let the clutch go in a race car we had only a couple adjustments to get the new combo set up and a couple more throughout the year.
As far as your reaction times as long as you have a mechanical clutch linkage and NOT a hydraulic clutch linkage your reaction times will be consistent. Your R/T will be a little quicker than a mod car with an auto but that can be adjusted with tires, air gap, suspension and other adjustments.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Advanced offers a 10" Sportsman or Dual 7" Sportsman. McLeod offers a 10.5" (they also offer dual 8" but it is a diaghram pressure-plate). Advanced flywheel and components are custom built to your application all in-house, not shelf items like McLeod. Advanced offers continuous consultation. Good luck getting through to McLeod (now owned by B&M).
10" Advanced is priced the same or nearly the same as McLeod 10.5" (both approximately $2100 with the Dual 7" Sportsman approximately $2900).
McLeod makes a great product. They started the "soft-lok" phenomonen which radically changed the stick-shift drag racing world. You won't go wrong getting a McLeod. Brad Zaskowski has obviously had great results with his McLeod.
And like any good product like McLeod, better ones came later. Advanced took the concept to a higher level in my opinion (and I've run both).
Keep in mind these units are made to fit in a 6.1 SFI bell housing which are in the $500 +/- range. Billet clutches are required to run 6.3 (?) bell housings; typically a $1500-$2500+ unit that will not conform to a stock style floor board / firewall transition.
No, I don't work for either McLeod or Advanced.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

Jeff, McLeod also offers a 10" Soft Lok, I`ve been running one in my M/S 85 Mustang for years, as well as a 10 1/2" Soft Lok in my 428 Ford powered bracket car. As for McLeod being owned by B&M, my understanding is that B&M did indeed purchase McLeod a few years back, but enged up selling it back to Red Roberts about a year later. During the B&M tenure, the tech support really suffered, it seemed that the B&M tech guys were always pushing the "Street Twin" dual disc street clutch, even on drag cars. Happily that is no longer the case, although I don`t think that George or Les came back.

Re: Stick or Automatic
 

McLeod was saved from B&M ruin by Funny Car owner, Paul Lee. Red was then back with the comapny. Soft lok's are used by the majority of stick racers out there and are a very good product (shelf item or not). You can get a complete 10.5 setup for $1850.00 from Jegs and several guys around the country are authorized re-builders.

Advance is a higher end product and is priced accordingly. Seems to be the choice for those looking for that last bit of ET. I know a few guys who have recently bought them but no results either way on any improvement.