Hi, I'm pretty new at this site, and I own a '72 Malibu 350 with a TH350 tranny. I want to swap in a Muncie M-20 4 speed, and I am wondering if I should bother spending the funds on buckets/console, or just keep my buckets and put the stick up through the floor?. ANY comments are welcome. Thanks,
-Tanner

If you're a young guy with a girlfriend, bench seat. ;) graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Married? Buckets.

buckets...... keep the TH-350 u got....trust me ull save your self alot of TIME,EFFORT,AND A ****LOAD OF CASH.... saw u talklin in performance...you got a real solid project.but when u start stripping the car down dont say to hell with it......lots of peeps havedone that... keep up the work ;)

Originally posted by Mr.McFast:
buckets...... keep the TH-350 u got....trust me ull save your self alot of TIME,EFFORT,AND A ****LOAD OF CASH.... saw u talklin in performance...you got a real solid project.but when u start stripping the car down dont say to hell with it......lots of peeps havedone that... keep up the work ;) Thanks alot for the encouragement, and I hope to hell I never decide to quit this thing halfways through.

I have also been thinking bench, and I'm not even sure if I wanna put in the standard. We are low on funds, but time's not really an issue. I look at it like this : If you're gonna do it, do it right. I don't want to be disappointed with it in the end. That's why I am leaning towards 4 speed.

Any more opinions?

me being 19 unmarried.. im sticking with my bench seat.......easier and more confortable for my girl to sit closer to me when we go cruising when i finish my 67..

If you're gonna do it, do it right. I don't want to be disappointed with it in the end. That's why I am leaning towards 4 speed. "Do it right"? Why would a manual trans be right and an automatic wrong? I would think about this alot...

The 4-speed can be fun, but it also gets old real quick. Especially in traffic, etc... If going through the expense of going manual, I'd at least go overdrive...

A nice automatic will likely be quicker and easier to launch, should you ever decide to race the car (even racing for fun).

A nice OD automatic will still probably cost less than the conversion to a stick, and definitely less than an OD stick shift... Something like a TH200R4 will swap pretty easily.

Less parts breakage with an automatic (and therefore more money to spend elsewhere on your car).

Automatics used to be considered non-performance transmissions, but that was 30+ years ago. Now, the automatic is usually the best choice. You can get the best of both worlds. Set it up to shift manually when you want, or leave in "Drive" for easy cruising... But its still your personal decision.

Automatics are easier to drive, and therefore your girlfriend/wife might enjoy learning to drive it more than if it was a stick-shift. A girlfriend that enjoys the car will usually not mind you spending as much time and money playing with it...

IMO, if I ever build another Chevelle thats NOT a resto, I will use an automatic...

Ah, another poor soul stuck with the dog of a 350. I too was cursed with the L65 in my 72, but am looking to correct that. :D

Personally, I'm not too keen on the bench seat. While it's nice for crising with my gal, it's a pain in the butt to have four feet of freshly Armor-Alled vinyl to slide around on when you go around a corner. So I'm going with the buckets and console.

And I vote keep the Auto.

Love my bench, I wouldnt trade it for 4 sets of buckets.
Ron

Switching from bench to buckets was one of the better decisions I have ever made. It all depends on what "look" you want. Not that there's anything wrong with The Bench. smile.gif

Wow, so many opinions. You know, maybe I will keep my automatic and bench just the way they are. No console shift for the automatic, just the column. No buckets, no M-20.

I appreciate all your guys' inputs. I think I should just put the effort and money elsewhere like somebody already said, probably the best choice for a 15 year old kid ;)

you can give me the m20 and ill put it to good use, i mean i gotta fill that gap there in between the buckets. i mean the column shift and buckets dont look right. oh yeah and i had a bench and traded for buckets, best thing yet.

aaron

If my wife knew how to drive a stick I would have that. I at least have buckets and will be console shifter.

I find my 71 bench more comfortable than my 69 buckets, but the buckets/console look better and the storage area is nice to have.

I think bench seats weigh less than buckets.

A M20 weighs about 80lbs - what does a TH350 weigh (I dunno)?

An automatic might be faster, but a 4 speed gets noticed, and are oh so fun! Either you are someone who likes shifting or not. If you like shifting, you will love the standard. Must have a hurst shifter and decent clutch to enjoy though.

Good luck.

Go with the automatic and bench seat. My grandmother really loved hers....... tongue.gif

Do the best of two worlds,
A split bench with a nice fat arm rest. Fold it up for snuggle time with your loved ones. Or keep it down to protect you from touching hips with that other "dude" your riding with.

John C.

Ive heard it said that it aint a muscle car if it aint got a stick,Dont wanna start nothin,just sayin,thats all........

Originally posted by 1970SS396&1967:
Ive heard it said that it aint a muscle car if it aint got a stick,Dont wanna start nothin,just sayin,thats all........ Now why you gotta go and say that? I just got a big block so I could call it a muscle car. Now I have to buy an M22 also? ;)

Well I am at that decision also. I have been told that bench is the way to go if you have a girlfriend(which unfortnately for me I don't right at the moment :( ), but since I haven't had one which saves me some money to get my car done. On the other hand buckets are good if you have a manual. Why do you need a bench seat when you have a backseat? tongue.gif

I just snagged a bench seat for my Chevelle and the wife loves it. But , buckets sure do look sweet. Good luck. David

This is a tough one. My SS has buckets and they do look better, but the convertible has a bench and my wife prefers that and it may be more comfortable. The convertible also has the 200-4R overdrive and that is excellent for cruising and long-hauls.

By the way, my son's 72 Malibu has a TH350 with a shift kit and it lays heavy rubber when it hits second gear. I don't think the manual has anything over the auto and under normal driving is just too much effort for most.

Go look at most of the street rods. Bench seat, automatic with a floor shifter. I left my factory column intact, just removed the lever and am using a Quicksilver with the bench seat. I have seen this look with street rods and it look pretty good. Running a Big Block with a 3000 converter and a Turbo 400 set up to shift hard and on demand. Plenty of fun. Best of all, I can always convert it back to stock in a coplue of hours. For the money you are going to spend to source a good trans and all the hardware plus the buckets and tracks, you could beef up the T350 and the small block you have quite considerably. It's all about personal preference though.

4 on the floor with 4th being overdrive, and a bench is my setup. Very unique and not to many people know about this one.