Link to my video showing shifting without a clutch

[hubarlow]

Originally Posted by BillT

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.

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.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by hubarlow

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.

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.

[BillT]

Originally Posted by BillT

If the Trans has Synchros, you should "not" Shift w/o the Clutch, but if is a Non-Synchro Trans, it is OK to.

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.

[BigCountry]

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!

[BillT]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

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.

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.

[davem815]

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.