Manuel or Auto?

ALright really need more details, but Ill throw some opinions out there.

Im not going to give you a preference just some feedback and pros cons

SM465
Pro: Quite possibly the toughest tranny ever put in a stock 1/2 ton pick up. If you are breaking these, well you need help

Cons: Limited gear selection, and the draw backs of a stick

Use if: You want the ultimate in reliability and dont mind sawing gears. The stick action is not to be down played, dont try to see it as macho, when off camber and near verticle there are easier things then holding clutch in, braking and feathering a throttle

TH400:
Pro: Without a doubt the strongest stock AUTO ever placed in a 1/2 ton pick up. Darn near bullet proof stock, and can be upgraded to make even better. No stick to mess with

Con: Only real con is no OD makes highway RPMs high. Fairly expensive because of demand, but you get what you pay for, and deals canbe found if you keep your eyes open.

Use if: You DEF. want an auto. Dependability and trail use is #1, if trail only no 2nd thoughts as far as auto are concerned

700r4
Pro: Overdrive allows liveable highway RPMs even with deep rear gears. Plus has lower 1st than any th350 or th400. Can be built very dependable. No stick to fool with.
Cons: Not as strong in stock form as th400. Not everyone knows how to build. Heavier than th400. HATES heat, deep pans an coolers are a MUST.
use if: you have mild lift & tires (<36s). Regular street driving is in your plans. you are illing to spend money to build.

I run a 700, despite having multiple 465s and th400s in my yard. I like it, but I spent $450 in parts to upgrade


:beer:
 
Personally I would go with a manual. I have a pretty decent auto (c6) but over heating is always on my mind. Personally i'd lke a manual and not have to worry about it. for that reason only.

(i have already put a bigger cooler and fresh fluid in it, but i'd feel better with a manual)
 
personally, I run an auto and wouldn't crawl with a manual again. i don't have to mess with feathering a clutch while I am about to fall down the wrong side of a big ledge. I can stop and go at will. Heat sucks, but add a big cooler, gauge, and a fan and that goes away. On level ground or a sports car they are not as fun as a stick, but off camber and ready to roll I don't see any other option.
 
Thanks for the info. I'm getting back into wheeling and have always delt with manuels. Was going to auto but bought a 3/4ton with 465-205. So I will use it. No. 1 reason, paid for.

Mostly done the trails and mud, but building a cj7 to do it all.

Keep the opinions and any other info. coming.:D

Bishop
 
I have always preferred a manual, more or less because of the failure is usually the clutch. When it goes bad you replace it, the pressure plate, release bearing, surface the flywheel, and you are good to go. With a auto, it's more expensive, unless you know how to do it yourself. 465 is a really tough manual, so is the T-18, T-19. I have the T-176, which is a medium duty tranny, but when the miles quit spinning some 8 years ago, the odometer was stopped at 233K, so I can not really say it hasn't worked, and held up. Pro's sure helps when descending a hill to use gear to help keep you slow. Con's, we were not born with three feet. But you learn and adapt.
As far as auto, I have seem many benefits watching others that have them. As stated above all is true, but the 350 can have the same 1st gear as the 700, just a little builders trick where they use parts from the 700 to go into the 350. The 400 is truly a great tranny. Yes you can hold a auto in first to descend, some will shift even then. And some will blow out the front pump because of too much pressure. Some will blow out the front seal. Either will leave you stranded or pulling a tranny in BFE. I have also seen some autos loose power when on steep climbs, due to the fluid not being able to be picked up. I think there is a simple fix for that though. Anyway
My coupleofcentsworth
 
I wheel a stick. Takes a different level of concentration and sometimes you feel like a monkey fawking a football trying to keep up. If I had viable options I'd have a auto in my junk.
 
Autos just work better. The more you get into technical situations, the bigger the performance difference becomes. You can't beat an old 4spd for its brute strength or ability to drive you home half full of water... but it won't ever work *quite* as well as a decent auto trans.
 
I started out with a NP435 in my EB. One tough tranny and heavy too. With the 2.46 low range and 4.56's it really crawls. It worked really good with the stock 302. Then after swapping engines the tranny never seemed to have the right gear on the street and it shifts like a dump truck. I built a stout little C4 to swap in. Boy what a difference. The 393 feels like it is putting all the power to the ground. As far as offroad, you can up and down shift with easy and can always find the right gear. I'm now gathering the parts to build a C6 with a wide ratio gearset to work with a 203/205.
 
I'd stick with the stock C6 gears. If you hated the 3-4 shift in the 435, you'll really hate the 2-3 shift in a wide-ratio C6.

Put a shift kit in the C6 with a slightly loose converter and a big cooler, and it'll work really well.
 
Been running a stock TH400 (with HUGE external cooler NOT plumbed into the radiator)/D20 combo in mine for years... would like a little lower gear (TeraLow in the D20 should fix it) and I've heard that a "manual valve body" in the 400 will help the compression braking (it seems to be too little while descending steep grades, but that's why I went to discs in the front & collecting parts for the rear...)

All in all, I love the auto for wheeling and won't go back to a rower...
 
Great info. Like I said earlier I was planning on a auto but got a complete truck with the striaght.

If anyone would like to do some trading, 465 for T400, a good one, and adapter to D300, let me know. Have the NP205 too.

Also, there are different types of T400, should I look for any kind or specifically a 4x4 unit?
 
Ease of use, the auto...

realiability and strength, manual...


I really hate being stranded, thats why I have always run a manual. Plus they are fairly cheap to acquire, rebuild, and fix. Clutches wear out, but most are cheap and easy to fix.


Rob
 
Bishop said:
Also, there are different types of T400, should I look for any kind or specifically a 4x4 unit?
Click to expand...
There are several differnt ones. Depends on what t-case you need. 203, 205, and 208 all use different lenght output shafts.
I think the 205 is the longest-maybe the same as a shortsaft 2wd after you take off the tail cone. 208 is shorter, 203 even shorter.
 
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