Gonna stick with 1 battery or up it to 2?

And the jealousy is kicking in

 

Uh, if you are racing a diesel, no one on the planet will argue that a built auto is faster. If you are towing, driving daily, and using the truck like a normal person the manuals will last longer and get better fuel economy. Better for sled pulling too, if that suits your fancy.

 

I have always favored the manual trans because even if I am dumb enough to run my battery down or kill my starter I can bump start her. I had to limp my truck home just last month when my slave cylider gave up the fight. Got some funny looks as I started her in gear but after that there was not a lot of difference rpm shifting her.

Red lights were a pain, but it allowed me to get home where I could fix her without a tow.

 

I have pull started an auto tranny pickup. No jumper cables out in the boonies. It finally turned over about 38 mph. If you don't believe me and have a long strip of pavement out in the boonies, try it. Just an aside. Carry on.

 

I agree. Manuals have way too many advantages for me to ever consider buying an auto.



And Moo, congrats on getting the truck running! More videos !

 

Bottom line again was.

The auto was 1/3 the cost, simpler to swap, just as strong, and more convenient to drive... Plus at only 105hp, the manual won't do ya any favors when getting up to speed.

And I'm thinking about trying the biggest battery I can find at the farm store before I dig in a junkyard for a second tray... The engine bay has holes setup for one since its identical to the heavy duty counter parts.

 

you don't have to buy the biggest battery. you got to find the one with the most cold cranking amps. glad you got it running. can't wait to see what type of mileage you get with it.
i think that is a matter of were you live and the type of driving you do. auto's are great if you tend to get stuck in traffic jamb. stick is not that great in traffic or large cities but are very efficient. my dad's 95 ford 4.9 with 5 speed seems to average about 21mpg US when mainly doing highway driving.

 

I completely understand the reasoning for the auto trans in this build. It is saving you money and letting you tackle converting just the engine instead of the engine and the transmission, adding pedals and reworking the hole in the floor. I can say that I have been spanked many times hot rodding around in one of my older cars by an auto trans car. In low horsepower applications the manual can change the entire experience vs. an auto. Just having 5 or 6 gears to get up to speed vs. 4 is a huge benefit. Your build looks fantastic and I am in no way criticizing any part of it. Just hanging out in the peanut gallery

 

Really cool dude, kudos.

 

I apologize, I was not trying to criticize your project in any way. I am jealous!