My son and I just did the 5 spd in a '63 Ranchero with a 200 inch 6. I love it, but it was a stick to start with. '71 Mavericks with the 250 never had a manual transmission so the swap may be a little more difficult, but I agree, well worth it.
My youngest son is 17. He was kind of an intern for two years at Hollywood Hotrods and is in his third year of autoshop in high school. His car is a '57 Ford Farlane 500. He has had a Jr. Dragster and a 29 Ford Roadster. My oldest is 28 and a fire fighter. He has had a '64 malibu SS and a Datsun 510 BRE clone. Since I work in the Hotrod and racing industry, they have been exposed to this stuff all their lives. We have 4 old cars in our family. '48 Plymouth hotrod, '63 Ranchero resto mod, '71 Maverick stocker and the '57 Ford. We all have Chevy crew cabs as daily drivers. Mines lowered 4 inches, oldest son's is stock and youngests is lifted 6 inches and 30' tires. Photos are listed on: http://www.community.carcrazycentral.com/Members/MemberProfile.aspx?UserID=7332
The swap might not be so tedious if you were to use a hydraulic or cable clutch. That way the whole pedal and linkage issue is either bypassed or made extremely straightforward. Same thing with the shifter on the 5 speeds being internal. Just a thought. Dave
I have a 4 spd with a hydraulic t.o. bearing and thought of that as a possible answer to the clutch matter. Still need to find a flywheel and pedal assembly. Have the bellhousing and a Mustang 4 spd.
I vote for you to go with what sets you off. I have had both and the automatics (my modified automatics) can be shifted if you want and they are a lot faster than a manual, or you can leave it in "Duddly" and let it do the work - which is especially nice in traffic on the steep downtown streets we have in Seattle and Tacoma. Nothing will ruin your day faster than slipping into the guy behind you because the clutch got away from you and you lost traction at an up-hill stop. It depends on the conditions you drive in and how much you like to use that third pedal. So go for what makes you smile and leave it at that - in twenty or thirty years you might change your mind but for now - its your ride - do it the way you like to.
Paul, For drags I like automatic, on the street and for other forms of racing a manual. I don't like the lose of power the 6 gets from the auto. The fun factor of the stick is a big thing. I'm so confused. But all the comments here help.
