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Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:25 pm

are there pros and cons is one better then the other . im thinking about switching my 68 to auto stick maybe

Thu Jul 17, 2014 5:30 pm

depends on what you are looking for from your driving experience. Why are you looking at swapping the 4 speed for the autostick? The 4 speed is a couple seconds quicker, and easier to find parts for. The autostick uses more parts, and is slower off the line, but there's nothing wrong with it either. If you have a bum left leg or someone is going to be driving the car that doesn't know how to drive a stick it's a very reasonable alternative.

NOTE: just saw you said 68. In the US the 68 autostick models used an IRS suspension, the 4 speeds were still swing axle. Everything changed over to IRS in 69.

Thu Jul 17, 2014 7:06 pm

sb001 wrote: depends on what you are looking for from your driving experience. Why are you looking at swapping the 4 speed for the autostick? The 4 speed is a couple seconds quicker, and easier to find parts for. The autostick uses more parts, and is slower off the line, but there's nothing wrong with it either. If you have a bum left leg or someone is going to be driving the car that doesn't know how to drive a stick it's a very reasonable alternative.

NOTE: just saw you said 68. In the US the 68 autostick models used an IRS suspension, the 4 speeds were still swing axle. Everything changed over to IRS in 69.

As the former owner of three autostik cars my opinion is they are turds and no fun to drive, you can't even spin the tires on loose gravel, does that sound fun.two of the cars I bought for pennies on the dollar because nobody wanted them with blown engines. Blown engines were common because people revved the shit out of the cars usually by accidentally touching the shifter while driving.

Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:17 pm

I gave up spinning tires on loose gravel, back when Cotton was king.

Actually, I never thought of any bug as the kind of car that I wanted to use to peel out. Still, I assume the point made was that the autos are gutless. But if I can get it to hold a steady 65 mph on the freeway, it wouldn't make driving the car any less fun for me.

When I owned one in 1978, it was just another bug.

Tim

Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:22 pm

Just sell yours and buy an autostick if you want one that badly.

Its a conversion that makes no sense like converting 12 volt to 6 volt or disc brakes to drums.

The only reason you would do it is if you had a stick shift car with a stuffed body that you raid all the parts you need as there are so many small fiddly bits you need and only if your car is IRS to start with which being a 68 it probably isnt as SB001 mentioned.

Thu Jul 17, 2014 8:53 pm

Zundfolge1432 wrote:

As the former owner of three autostik cars my opinion is they are turds and no fun to drive, you can't even spin the tires on loose gravel, does that sound fun.

I'll simply say that since they CLEARLY weren't designed for that reason, it escapes me why you would buy one for that purpose-- let alone 3.

And, the OP of this thread still hasn't responded with why he would want to convert a 4 speed to an autostick.

Which makes me think this whole thread is a joke.

Thu Jul 17, 2014 9:51 pm

The only reason I would ever switch to an autostick is if I lost a leg (which I have come close to). Even then I would consider rigging up a manual so that I could operate the throttle by hand and use my remaining leg for the brake and clutch.

I suppose if you live in an area with BRUTAL stop and go traffic and you have a weak left leg and you insist on using a bug as your DD the autostick would be nice.

The clutch is 90% of the fun of driving for me, does the same apply to you?

Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:26 pm

talljordan wrote: The only reason I would ever switch to an autostick is if I lost a leg (which I have come close to). Even then I would consider rigging up a manual so that I could operate the throttle by hand and use my remaining leg for the brake and clutch.

I suppose if you live in an area with BRUTAL stop and go traffic and you have a weak left leg and you insist on using a bug as your DD the autostick would be nice.

The clutch is 90% of the fun of driving for me, does the same apply to you?

Don't know if you were referring to me, but I have taken a completely opposite POV from pretty much everyone else. My bug is an autostick, and it will stay that way, because that's the way it was bought, brand new, by my dad, 45 years ago, and I won't ruin its heritage by swapping it. However all the recent modern cars I have had are stick shift because I love driving them.
Go figure

Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:42 pm

sb001 wrote:

Don't know if you were referring to me, but I have taken a completely opposite POV from pretty much everyone else. My bug is an autostick, and it will stay that way, because that's the way it was bought, brand new, by my dad, 45 years ago, and I won't ruin its heritage by swapping it. However all the recent modern cars I have had are stick shift because I love driving them.
Go figure

I was referring to OP. I totally respect your decision to keep a machine fully stock, especially when it has family heritage. If you suggested switching yours to a manual I would actually advise against, exactly for that reason (I would tell you to buy one that was a manual when it rolled off the assembly line if you wanted one)

However OP is suggesting swapping an already manual car to autostick... Totally different story.

Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:37 am

If it's not broken, don't fix it.
I did a conversation on a bug I got cheap and not running. In hindsight, I would have just bought a running stick. Too much uneeded hassle and money. If it does not have the clutch cable(and I do not believe they had them that early on stick chassis) it will be more trouble than its worth. I got lucky since my 73 had it. Looking back, I wish it was even luckier by having that missing so I could have cut my loses and walked away. :oops:

Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:46 am

Not a easy swap, consider another with the a.s.& consider the opinions of the many who own & like theirs NOT the few haters u usually fine everywhere, my 2cs, & I've owned & liked'em.

Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:03 am

I have the body and chassis on my 71 separated for replacing the heater channels and floorpans...I'm adding a clutch pedal/cable to actuate my AutoStick clutch instead of all the vacuum hoses....it should work just fine...I have stick shifts in all my other VWs, so I'm just modifying the AutoStick to suit me...because I can....Plus it will clean up the engine room a bit....All the AutoStick is, is a three speed manual gearbox with a torque converter between the engine and the clutch....nothing mysterious....I prefer to actuate the clutch manually instead of automatically....Sure, it's not as quick as a fully manual 4speed box, but if I was in a hurry I wouldn't be driving a 43 year old VW. 8)

Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:09 am

My perspective is that I've been on both sides of the fence. I've had an autostick and gone through the conversion.

Being someone who likes driving a manual VW, I do have to say the autostick was fun in it's own right. It's really about what you want out of your VW driving experience. If it's a manual-or-bust kinda thing, I'm with the rest of the crew responding here. Go get yourself another car, or at least a register-able manual pan (if the body is really that great and worth saving). I wouldn't go through the conversion again. Just too expensive.

That having been said, it can be done (anything can be if you throw enough money at it), but for most of us, that's not an option worthy of consideration.

Buy a manual, or enjoy the uniqueness of the autostick. Both have their charm.

Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:25 am

I think some of the responders maybe need to go back and reread the OP's post. I know he asked about the pros & cons of the two types of transmissions but he's thinking about changing a manual trans car to an auto-stick, not the other way around. :?

I kinda' like Busdriver 79's solution of having a normal clutch setup on an auto-stick. Sounds like it would be the easiest way of doing things. But like sb001 mentioned at the beginning, your car is a '68 model and that makes it a swingaxle. All autos stick cars were IRS & I doubt that a swingaxle could be converted. So, along with the transaxle swap you'll also have to do an IRS conversion. Might be easier to swap pans or, better yet, buy a different car. But I guess anything can be done if you want to bad enough. 8)

Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:48 am

You are right SBD, most usually convert over to stick. I am guilty of scanning too quickly and thought it was another auto to stick. It is rare to find this question asked. True, on his 68 being swing axle and it may pose an issue to convert unless he swapped pans...which seems much easier to just get a auto up and running.

Fri Jul 18, 2014 12:17 pm

Just looking for opinions on both. Just keeping all my options open cuz while I have the body off makes everything a lot easier:)

Fri Jul 18, 2014 5:53 pm

my first bug was an auto stick. i use to hold it down in 1st or reverse and rev the crap out of the engine and let go of the shifter.. it would smoke the hell out of the tires.... that being said , i remember wishing it was a regular stick shift back then . not really sure why i didnt like it though. kinda cool if you think about it

Sat Jul 19, 2014 5:38 am

Busdriver79 wrote: I have the body and chassis on my 71 separated for replacing the heater channels and floorpans...I'm adding a clutch pedal/cable to actuate my AutoStick clutch instead of all the vacuum hoses....it should work just fine...I have stick shifts in all my other VWs, so I'm just modifying the AutoStick to suit me...because I can....Plus it will clean up the engine room a bit....All the AutoStick is, is a three speed manual gearbox with a torque converter between the engine and the clutch....nothing mysterious....I prefer to actuate the clutch manually instead of automatically....Sure, it's not as quick as a fully manual 4speed box, but if I was in a hurry I wouldn't be driving a 43 year old VW. 8)

Just remember that the autostick uses the 1200 bug sized 180mm clutch plate. The stock semi-auto electro/vacuum shifter provides just a little slip (with the torque converter helping out there) so there's no great slipping loads on the small clutch plate - it's more or less "on" or "off", and copes with the heavier bodied cars and 1500/1600 engines OK with that. If you work that clutch plate manually on an auto-stick, you'll need to resist slipping it too hard or you'll be replacing it often.

In Australia where I live, semi-autos are rare. My 68 started off as one and was converted to manual before I got it (yes, they had to install a clutch tube, since before about 71, they were built on a separate line, but later they put clutch tubes in all cars and just didn't use them in the semi-autos, so THEY are easy to convert to manuals).

That doesn't help Tybonater of course, since he's thinking to go the other way.

Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:34 am

Aussie - I have a 40-year old service book from UK which describes a centrifugal "automatic" clutch option, which apparently would engage like at 1000 rpm. Did Australia have that or the same semi-automatic transmission available in the USA?

Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:36 am

His chassis was built for a swing axle, so converting to IRS would be a very involved process.