Hey all, I've been drivin an 86 Pontiac Grand Am LE. It's not bad, it has a loud exhaust note, good sound system too. I'm in the works of getting a 3rd gen Z28, thats what I really want.

The Grand Am is auto, and sometimes get bored when drivin on the streets. And since I would love to have a stick shift, I pretend it is one.

See no one I know currently has stick shift so I can't learn. But the thing is, is that I know how to shift and use the clutch, etc. But I just never did it in real time on a real manual tranz car.

But anyway, like I said I pretend the Grand Am is manual. I use the 1,2,then D. It feels fun to do. But I'm curious if there's a specific way to manually shift an automatic. First I'm curious if constantly shifting an automatic is good? Is there a specific way to shift it, like letting my foot off the gas when shifting? Or should I just hold my foot down on the gas when shifting?

All thoughts, opinions, help, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Tom

 

Actually you can get a manual valve body for an auto, where you have complete control over shifting and downshifting with out have to worry about missing a gear or the clutch. When I manually shift my car I never let off the gas that only slows you down. Just be careful that if you don't have a shifter with a nuetral safety switch or lockout you don't slide past OD into N. This happened to me when I had my 305 and stock shifter, I was passing a car on a 2 lane road and I shifted into N with the gas floored, result I collapsed a lifter.

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"Rice burners are like tampons...Every pu$$y has to have one"
'86 IROC
T-TOPS, TINTED WINDOWS, BRAKE LIGHT BLACKOUTS
GM GOODWRENCH 350
EDELBROCK TES HEADERS
3" Hooker CatBack w/Aero Chamber muffler
EDELBROCK 600CFM CARB.
KN AIRFILTER
ACCEL HEI DISTRIBUTOR
160* Stat, just switched to 180* b/c of winter coming and going to college in the mts.
3:73 Posi
Rebuilt 700R4
B&M Megashifter, 5" Autometer Tach w/shift lite

 

You'll never get the proper feel on a standard transmission with an automatic even with a manual valve body. Since there's no clutch, there's no way to really use the automatic in the same way.

Manual transmissions use a clutch to connect the engine to the tranny. You can rev up the engine and slip the clutch to launch at different rpms. Sometimes you have to do this when starting on a hill. The automantic uses a torque converter. Buying a converter with a higher stall speed creates the same effect but still isn't the same.

If you want to learn to drive a standard, you'll just have to find a car with a standard transmission.

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Follow my racing progress on Stephen's racing page
and check out the race car

87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block (times are for the current engine)

Best ET on a time slip: 11.447 altitude corrected to 10.99
Best MPH on a time slip: 119.42 altitude corrected to 124.86
Altitude corrected rear wheel HP: 493
Best 60 foot: 1.586

Racing at 3500 feet elevation with a typical race day over 5000 feet density altitude!
Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley