so im new to manuals not thirdgens ive had a few but they were all 700r4's. now i could swap one but im not speinding much on this car till its build time anyhow im basically learning how to drive s tick on this car but the clutch pedal is alot firmer than my friends 92. i certainly dont understand why but id like to pick some brains to see if i can do anything to have it grab quicker and not have to push it to the floor everytime ti engage it. my leg gets tired really quickly and being tall and already slight cramped up leg room wise its just not as fun as the automatics were. i love the immediate power response of a manual so far though.

 

It could be anything from not having the right amount of fluid, or simply the type of clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing in the tranny. I'm tall and skinny, and my leg really only gets tired in about a half hour of stop and go traffic. I have plenty of room, and then some, with the seat all the way back though.

 

are the lower under dash pannels still on?

once removed you get a bunch of room

 

they are i removed them but its not a huge difference. in general i have rls so sitting in a car for a loing duration of time to begin with for me is hard but trying to engage that clutch everytime for a 30 minute period seems like hell, it wears out your like really fast. just seeing if theres any way i can adjust it or not.

 

Your car just probably has a better clutch.

The stiffness is due to the springs being tighter; which in turn is how strongly it "grabs" the motor.

You'll get used to it.

 

ahh gotcha, i know i got a hell of a deal on the car, built 350,i was told by a friend its more of a competition clutch so that would create the firmness?

just getsd the leg weary and the hardest part to learn so far is how to get up and go without roasting the tires.

 

I suppose there's worse problems you could have...

 

yea needing new tires each time, and revving it more than anyone should from a stand still lol. never said i was great at a stick but im learning.

 

OK, I could barley even use the pedal with that cover down there my feet were to big.

Gotta learn to float/slip the clutch, if you ever drove a very large truck for work [not a semi] you learn quick.

 

if im not in a rush i can feather the clutch in til it grabs actually if i go slow enough i dont even need to really use the gas at all it will grab itself and go. but if i need to get across traffic its just not happeining yet. ill have to get use to it. i like the immediate power, but damn i miss my autos.

 

When you really learn the car and clutch, you'll never want to drive an automatic again.

 

thats what eaveryone has been telling me lol. i guess instead of going 400 ill be going t56 next aye!

nonetheless the engine swap and build will happen the t5 will stay until i can drive a stick effortlessly.

 

except when your tired and just want to get home, a stick can get annoying. best to have one of each. stick car, auto car.

Love my Bird but the last week Ive been driving the Buick, the caddy cush suspension, 1 finger, one foot driving, just sit back and relax isn't all that bad

till I have to get gas, then I want the Bird back......
$20 3 days of driving in the Bird
$20 1 trip to town and back in the Buick

 

i have my 86 and my truck is a built autmatic and worked over 350 as well as lifted and quite heavier than stock, needless to say the camaro will get better mileage dispite it burning rich

 

I've got a bad left knee, but love my stick. On bad days, if I'm going to be stopped for a while, I just put the shift in neutral so I don't have to hold down the clutch pedal while I'm stopped. BTW, when I had to put in a new clutch, I replaced with a stock one rather than performance clutch so I don't have to press so hard.

Before getting my Firebird, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to drive a manual. I'm guessing you'll enjoy the stick the more you drive it. Enjoy.