Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

I was basically told by someone that it is not possible to shift a manual transmission without using a clutch. I had told this person about the time I went to buy a '57 Chevy Panel Truck, and the clutch blew out 5 minutes after I paid for the truck. I drove it all the way from Denver to Longmont, CO without using the clutch. I was told it could not be done. I just used the '63 to prove it COULD. Here is the youtube link: https://youtu.be/sZ59lEP_r_8

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

Thank you Hugh Man and Boy Ray!
I learned something today just before bed.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

Most large trucks are driven with out using the clutch. I have been doing it for years. Using the clutch for starting out and stopping.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

I used to drive an '87 Chevy S10 that I shifted without the clutch all the time. Like Hubarlow said it's easy as matching motor to truck speed. One thing I didn't know is that you could start one from a dead stop without the clutch. How do you pull that off?

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

Depends on the transmission. The stock 3-speed could be upshifted without a clutch, and down from 3 to 2... but downshifting into first isn't advisable without the clutch... no synchros so it -will- grind unless it is really worn. Although I found that even using the clutch into first wasn't always a doable proposition. Usually easier on the transmission to come to a halt first with that one. Which is why I retired so many of my 3-speeds as early as possible.

Thinking about that... I sold the '66 that had a 3-speed, the linkage was still good, nice and tight. Sadly the 3-speeds died in that truck and the kid had to cut the floor out for a 4-speed (toploader). Stupid pan over the transmission wasn't removable in that one. A one-piece stamped floor. All he had to do though was cut on the lines and then one of the tall floor plates sat in there like it was meant to be.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

Man you got that Down! haha I've shifted without the clutch here and there, but not enough to be smooth about it. The synchros on 4th are toast in my sm420 so I have to double clutch for a quiet shift. But clutchless if I get the rpm's perfect it'll pop right in. Thanks for posting!

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

When I was driving for a Lumber Yard, the Clutch Rod dropped out of the '64 International 1600 one day. I crawled under it and determined that there was no way to fix it right then and there and called the office to let them know. I told them that they were going to need to tow it in, although I mentioned that I could just drive it back without the Clutch. They really liked that idea and gave me the go-ahead. I finished unloading it and on the way I went, starting off in granny gear cranking it over. I did my best to time the lights, traffic, etc so as not to stop any more than I had to and it all worked out fine.

Now getting back to Shifting w/o the Clutch (other than emergencies), I agree with what someone mentioned on another truck board one day. If the Trans has Synchros, you should "not" Shift w/o the Clutch, but if is a Non-Synchro Trans, it is OK to.

Now, me personally, I always use the Clutch. With a Road Ranger Trans, I Double Clutch every gear up and down. Although many out there don't, I have found that I can shift faster and smoother with the Clutch, especially when downshifting.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

On the old Granny Low 4 speeds it is a cinch. It is a bit harder with a normal first gear, but it is possible as long as the engine has a good tune, and the starter and battery are both strong. It also helps to be either on a flat, or going downhill. Uphill would be nearly impossible. On the '57 that I had to drive from Denver to Longmont, I was fortunate that it had a granny low transmission. The truck had NOT been tuned, but the starter and battery were both strong. I would crank and crank until the engine finally caught. By then, the light was RED, but I was in the middle of the intersection. I got caught a few times until I figured out how to time the lights. Then I drove very slowly until the light turned green (and then I shifted HARD).

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

I have done MANY of those conversions over the years on C10 Chevys and the floor pan was designed to do exactly that. Those old pans were interchangeable in those trucks between the 3 speed/th350/powerglide and the 4 speed/th400/four wheel drive pans. The only difference was in the center "hump". The bigger transmissions would have the pan CUT by the factory and nuts would be welded to the floor pan to install the center cover. That is how the bigger transmissions were serviced at the dealer--through the floor. The toploader transmissions and big automatics would remove the pan to remove and install the transmissions.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

This whole "project" got started because of a stupid comment by someone who was ignorant. I almost ALWAYS shift without the clutch. Another stupid comment I heard from someone when I made the statement that I shift without a clutch was "Why would you even WANT to shift without a clutch?" My reply was, "Why would you want to CLUTCH if you do not have to? It just adds wear to the clutch."

Indeed, it certainly helps if the transmission has good syncros. You CAN shift without syncros, but you have to be VERY good to do that. You have to know EXACTLY how many RPMs your engine turns at what speed and in what gear. Most people would likely destroy the transmission trying. That includes me, unless I know the car VERY well. I had some VW Bugs that had syncro issues that I could shift with bad syncros, but I knew EACH of those cars very well and I had spare transmissions just waiting if I messed up.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

With an experienced driver, shifting without the clutch is not an issue. The syncros do help, and of course shifting WITH the clutch is easier, no question. Double clutching with good syncros does not help, but it does not hurt anything either. It probably would limit the wear on the syncros, but it puts a bit of extra wear on the clutch, so it all comes out in the wash. It definitely IS faster to shift with the clutch, but that was not the purpose of this exercise. I would not recommend shifting the way I do to anyone who is not already experienced doing it. There is a good chance that you WILL mess up the transmission if you do not know what you are doing. God knows I have messed up more than one learning how. I had a STACK of old three speed Muncies that I TRIED to destroy when I was a kid (OK, I know. I was STUPID back then). I wanted a four speed, but could not justify BUYING one to my mother unless all the THREE speeds were useless. It was because of that, that I learned how to shift without a clutch, AND how to rebuild standard transmissions. The road in front of my house looked like an airport landing strip with all the skid marks in front of it. I would come flying over the hill at about 80, downshift from third to second at 60, and from second to first at about 40. Every now and again, the transmission would go BANG! and I would spend the next half hour swapping in another three speed. When I went through all the good ones I had, my mother made me rebuild them using the good PARTS from the bad transmissions. The truck fell apart before I went through my pile, so it never did get that four speed. It DID catch fire, but I rebuilt it after that, too. What eventually made me get rid of it was that the floor rusted away so bad that the cab started spreading and I could not open (or close) the doors without chaining the back of the cab to the front of the cab. That, and one brake would lock up on a regular basis. I carried a jack, lug wrench, vice grips, and a sledge hammer in the truck at all times. It got to the point that I could spin the lug nuts off, knock the drum off, spin the adjuster back, and replace the wheel in just ONE traffic light cycle.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

:lolsmack2::lolsmack2::lolsmack2:

I'd have been one of those guys that get out and ask if you need a hand, then stood back and watched as you did a NASCAR style pitstop. :teehee:

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

Just to add a little extra to my above statement, the reason why we believe it's best to use the Clutch if the Trans has Synchros (on a regular basis anyway) is because it will put wear on the Trans, where it would not have that effect on a non-Synchro Trans.

As far as the Clutch itself goes, I've been shifting gears for 47 years straight now and have never worn out a Clutch yet, car or truck.

I do buy good Clutches though, lol.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

I recently showed my step son how to shift without a clutch. He was surprised when I shifted his car through the gears up to 6th gear and then back down to 1st. I told him to keep the radio off and listen to the car, learn how it sounds at the different RPMs and to pay attention to the different noises it makes.
Most kids want to get in and crank the radio when they start driving and they don't pay attention to the engine sounds or the squeaks and squeals from the different areas. Then they're surprised when they're told how bad the brakes are grinding or if the engine is knocking.
I remember a time when my clutch wasn't working properly and I drove 350 miles (with tolls) from Maine to CT. I had to stop the car and turn it off at the toll booth, put it in first and turn the key to start again. Good times!
Merry Christmas everyone!

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

That reminds me of a friend of mine. The engine started knocking on the way home from a short trip. I asked him what he did about it? He said he "turned up the radio".

Didn't make it back home by the way, lol.

Re: Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch
 

I few years ago, the clutch went out on my '88 car with 5 speed, on the way home from work. Slave cylinder blew out. No big deal, just put it in first, crank the starter over and it would fire up, just a little jumpy. Fortunately the rest of the way was rural road and I could roll through most stop signs. You wouldn't believe how many people told me it couldn't be done.

Most new vehicles have a clutch interlock that won't engage the starter if the clutch is not depressed. A safety feature. Our 2004 Jeep Ruicon has a fuse you can pull to bypass the interlock for off roading.