Shift Like A Man
Ryan Cherry, via CarCraft.com: I have an '82 factory four-speed Camaro and it's starting to give me trouble going into Third at WOT. I remembered from an old issue that you had a Ford Top Loader that was put in the '86 Mustang project car. I am considering having my Super T10 "pro-shifted". Even though this is a street car I want uncompromising performance. I know the four-speed was eventually taken out of the Car Craft Mustang, and I don't know if anyone even remembers how it was just driving around, but I was wondering how a transmission like that would act on the street. I want something I can beat the snot out of, but if it's going to grind every time I try to shift while just cruising around, I don't need that.
Terry Mcgean: The pro-shifted treatment is a process wherein the teeth of the engagement rings inside the gearbox are altered-it usually involves grinding off every other tooth. The result is a faster, more positive gear change under full-throttle. However, there is a reason those teeth were there in the first place-smooth shifting. With a pro-shifted 'box, every gear change is an event, complete with grinding gears, clanging driveshafts, and usually a wildly convulsing shifter handle. We've actually witnessed some street-driven cars with this setup, and while the owner/drivers were able to endure for a time, even a skilled pilot adept at matching rpm for shifts can't overcome all of the mechanical mayhem this setup creates on the street. Our Mustang never saw the street (it barely saw the track), and your '82 TA definitely doesn't need to be pro-shifted. Get the T10 freshened and enjoy.
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