It was asked:
> since I have begun my 69 1600 restoration I've been losing some sleep
> thinking about the transmission. Should I keep the four speed original
> transmission or should I invest on a five speed?
Well, you didn't comment on the most important question: What is the
intended use of the car?
If you're building an around-town cruiser, IMHO the 4 speed is a nice
tranny. Light, clean shift pattern, reasonable acceleration, nice street
ratios. It does OK on the freeway with 'standard' tires (70 series or
taller - the originals were somewhere around 78!)
On the 4 speed pull and check the countershaft and bearings! I didn't
and blew up a countershaft gear :-(
The 5 speed is nice if you spend a lot of time on the freeway. The
gear ratios are different and again IMHO aren't quite as nice if your
time is spend hustling between stop signs in the city. The stick is
spring-loaded to drop into the 3-4 slot so if you're not paying attention
you end up doing a 1 to 4 upshift.
Also remember that the 1600 has a different rear end ratio than the 2000.
So not all of the difference between the 1600 and the 2000 is because
of the tranny gearing.
-- John
John F Sandhoff sandhoff@csus.edu Sacramento, CA
"buy one of each - then decide!"
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