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Another car show - got disappointing comments on the auto trans.

3K views 39 replies 32 participants last post by  Israel 
#1 ·
Well, I hit the Ocean City NJ car show on Saturday with my 67 fastback. The top negative comment received- actually just about the only negative comment I got

" A car like that should have a manual trans, not an automatic".


smh. makes me want to go and put a manual trans in.
 
#4 ·
Being a Pharmacist I would be so tempted to say take 2 STFUs and call me in the morning lol.
 
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#5 ·
Not like you built it for them. Idiots.

Take them down to the local drag strip and see how much they like that manual trans. I've got an auto also, motors built. Pretty sure once it's done I'll get the same comments as you. Not sure I'm gonna take it to any shows though.
 
#8 ·
Yeah I have received those comments before about my automatic... then I compared slips between my R/Ts and 60ft times with theirs.

All of the sudden the conversation changes to how are those so consistent?

Shift kit
Stall converter
Factory shifter
Wonderful sleeper combo...
 
#9 ·
Negative comments

They can SHOVE their negative comments IMO.
 
#10 ·
Being honest, I probably would have said the same thing. When I see a really awesome classic, I have this nostalgic image in my head of the Bullitt car and other classic movie cars ripping through the gears, hauling *** and the sweet melody of the engine revving right before the shift... It's not something I would say to the owner face to face. I might mention it to a friend if I was looking at cars with other people. If the owner happened to be around, oh well. It's just a comment. I don't know how it was said, but learn to relax a little. I guarantee you don't like everything you see at a car show, whether you keep it to yourself or not. The way I see it, they liked your car enough to imagine themselves driving it, just with a manual.
 
#15 ·
I look at car shows as an event for me to go enjoy and socialize for a few hours. I wont enter shows as I don't like being stranded when I feel I've had enough or even the thought of leaving my car/bike overnight at indoor event. Looking for some sort of acceptance or pat on the back is not the reason I build or purchase vehicles. Its for the pleasure I get at being involved in the R&D, building learning and sharing that knowledge. Driving them when all is "right" is fun too. "If I was the only person on this earth it wouldn't change the way I buy or build". I do it for my self. Anyone like the creeps at these car shows making negative comments don't have a life and definitely do not deserve your attention. Let it roll off and enjoy your car. No one likes a putz.
 
#17 ·
I usually ask 'Which car is yours?' and get the old I had one in highschool, a friend has one, etc. in reply.

My favorite comeback for the brand-new off the dealers lot factory musclecar crowd:
I am seriously unimpressed by your ability to make a monthly payment.
 
#29 ·
My favorite comeback for the brand-new off the dealers lot factory musclecar crowd:
I am seriously unimpressed by your ability to make a monthly payment.
LOL - I'm going to have to remember this one!
 
#19 ·
One of the last shows I took my '65 GT coupe to I got some similar comments from expectators. They thought I'd swapped out the correct log manifolds for the 'big Y' style manifolds, the 'tin chrome' valve and air cleaners were cheap looking and should have been cast aluminum, and that my black block should have been blue... As others have mentioned- I build my cars for me, and couldn't give a rats a$$ weather some schmuck that doesn't have a clue approves of them or not.
 
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#20 ·
I get that a lot as well. My response is that I have an original, factory direct center console that is not reproduced. You want me to either chop it up to put in a manual or remove it all together because you think it's better? Thank you but no, the Auto works just fine and looks great.
 
#21 ·
When my brother n law had his 85 GT up for sale he was amazed how all the younger shoppers were turned off by the five speed as they all preferred automatics. A couple even asked about changing it over to an automatic. He ended up selling it to an "old guy" who appreciated it for what it was. I think the younger they are, the less interest they have in rowing gears. No idea why.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Everyone at car shows is an expert. Can't tell you how many times I've had someone try to tell me my '68 is actually a '67 because their brother's friend's uncle's roommate had one that looked just like it and it was a '67. Never mind the '68 interior and grill trim and quarter panel reflectors and build date...
 
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#26 ·
Yep - my car my build. That's why I added the Lemans stripes...

Interestingly enough - I bought the fastback in '88. The owner at the time drove from California to Levittown Pa and sold it to a guy that had about 9 other mustangs in his garage. I had a 67 coupe I bought in high school that I totaled in an accident on the way home from work (saved the 289 and C4) - and was looking for a '68 coupe. The guy with 9 mustangs wouldnt sell any coupes. I was stuck taking this '67 fastback for $2600.00 Anyway - the owner had removed the manual trans that came with the car and put in a C4 for the cross country drive. So the car actually started out as a manual. I removed the C4 that was in it, installed my high school mustang C4. Then the engine went - and I rebuilt my High school 289 and installed that in this car.

Yep - It's my build !
 
#28 ·
Were you happy with the automatic up to that point? How do you drive the car? Do you mostly just cruise, or do you carve canyons or take it to track days at a road course? Would a manual transmission be thematically appropriate with the other modifications you've made to your car?

I have one Mustang with a C4 and one with a T5. The T5 mostly just makes the 6-cylinder a little more interesting to drive. But it's a pain in traffic, it's not faster, and it doesn't get better mileage. I often think about rebuilding the old C4 and swapping it back in, because I don't use the car in a way that takes advantage of a manual transmission.

The C4 is a very good transmission. So are the T5 and toploader 4-speed. Consider your true preferences and don't let some schmuck at a car show project his fantasies onto your life. He probably drove a '95 Dodge Grand Caravan to the show. He parks it in his driveway because his garage is full of bags of baby clothes, forgotten Huffys, and other symptoms of mediocrity. He soothes his withered masculinity by criticizing other peoples' cars at shows. Would you take advice from this guy?
 
#30 ·
Well, I hit the Ocean City NJ car show on Saturday with my 67 fastback.
Let the words in bold sink in. WTF cares what anyone else thinks, you have a 67 fastback! People act like they'd rather have a 85 escort with a 5 speed than a 67 FB with an auto, let them wallow in their idiocy.
 
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#38 ·
Hey I resemble that remark ! Well not exactly,my escort is a 94 and the 67 is a coupe. Don`t let people bring you down,it is your car and more and more people are modifying them any way they want.
 
#32 ·
Don't listen to them. Everyone has an opinion, and not every opinion is a welcome or wanted one.

I had someone look over my engine compartment and comment to the person with him that all of my fender bolts were not aligned. I then asked on what mass production line do they align all the fender bolts so that all of the stamping aligns just perfectly? He just stared at me with a dumb @ss look.
 
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