DU.DP.

im not sure if this would be the right forum to ask either, but how many of you would trade any 5spd cummins for an auto. haha i would have to say not a lot but i know some guys like the autos better. im just regretting right now buying my auto no problems i just miss shifting and being able to have that control.

thanks david

SmokemS

i would never give up my 5spd....although i want to get an auto to make a play pulling/dragging truck

Crossy's son

For the same money you would spend on a GOOD beefy clutch in a stick shift, you could spend on a torque converter (650-1000) and shift kit ($55)

And have a faster first gen.....Take note i said faster italicized. lol you'd be surprised what cars/trucks you can woop up on when you actually are putting your power to the ground.... You never know a 95 mustang GT could run with you from a redlight

5 speed is the deal for towing though.

DU.DP.

ya im thinking about doing some simple mods to the tranny just built up a little and some engine mods but plan to save up for another truck this time 5spd though haha

archer39

wanna buy mine... haha

sorry i can't answer the original question because i have an auto. I i am kinda in the same boat as you. I got a good deal on a nice truck when i got mine. I like auto for daily driving but the role of my tuck is going to be a play truck down the road. And a stick truck would better suit my playing needs

PapeCAT

There isn't anything else like rowing the gears with a 5sp and a straight pipe.

DNRCustoms

I think with the right auto, say 47rh built to the hilt with a little lockup switch... I would definatly prefer the auto...

DU.DP.

papeCAT im jealous haha! i love the sound it makes when you go through the gears, and if you do it smooth even better.

DNRCustoms i agree with that! they are nice and i know you can build up an auto to your likings. i was raised on manual everything i just miss the shifting haha!

thanks for the input guys!

DNRCustoms

ya... I think the next truck I get will be a 5sp just to have something different.. It will be a 94-98 12v..

autocar56

Love the 5 speed, if board and careful and a 4 wd , don't get crazy, start in 4 low, 1st gear .shift to 5th , let the rpm's drop a little shift to high range give it a little rpm now , should be able to catch 2nd or 3rd if you don't take to long and drop road speed , you now have a 8 or 9 speed. do not do this in traffic , or with a load, if you force it in any gear you could brake something.

Crazy Matt

I swore I'd never buy a auto till I swapped 4 speed to get rid of the 3 on the tree in the wagon. Granny gears SUCK !!! there ment for wheeling not plowing snow


I really wanted a auto after last winter, so I bought a 86 dodge truck 318/727 - biggest pos ive ever owned so I sold it It became a body parts donor for a real truck ( 90 cummins )

Later got a 87 shorty /6 4speed. Later decided it would be too much work to get off my butt and toss my 1 tons in it and the 9' western plow.

Ended up buying my cummins/ auto - Love it to death ( well after go mods ) Its so nice to just click gears instead of standing on a clutch...... I still would like a 47rh......... A 5 speed would be nice, but like dnccustoms said in a 94up p pumped truck.

Alwaysworking

i wouldn't trade my 5speeds for an auto, shifting is more fun and if your good you can out run an auto

Rick 12v CTD

In a perfect world I'd own one of each :

I prefer stick because it's just too much fun. My first vehicle was a 5spd car and I learned to drive on a manual as well so yeah, I'm partial to a stick in any vehicle. That said, I never want to sell my truck and it's an auto. I love it too much.

BearKiller

The main reason 95% of the 1st Gen. Dodge/Cummins guys have an automatic is probably because 95% of them came factory-new with the automatic.

When you see a 1st Gen. Cummins beside the road "FOR SALE" or listed in the "free-take one" car-swapper, nine times out of ten it is going to be an automatic.

Most times, someone that has a 5-speed is not interested in selling or trading, so even fewer 5-speeds are out there to buy.

This is all just plain simple fact.



It has always been beyond me why Dodge would even offer an automatic transmission behind an engine that's main intention in life is to haul big gooseneck trailers down the road.



Even when brand-new at the dealerships, the public demand for the Cummins was such that many ended up with an automatic, not because they wanted an automatic, but because they wanted a Cummins and there was a six-month wait for 5-speeds, especially in the 4x4s; so, the automatics sold like hotcakes and now far outnumber the 5-speeds.



I think one reason the 5-speeds were so limited in availability was on account of warranty issues; the automatics absorbed the axle-twisting torque of the Cummins and were thus less apt to have drive-line issues before the warranty went out.



BUT, when discussed, transmissions are just like chainsaws,people will adamantly stand up for the one they have, when the one they are trying to convince the most is themself; the Husky is defended tooth and nail, when deep down inside they will always wish it were a Stihl.

peobryant

Maybe a completley stock auto, but there is no way any 5spd could keep up with a remotley built automatic. Unless the driver is an idiot...