Bolt-on,
Ditto Oly's commments; both my '41 Chevy 1-1/2 ton and my ex-'48 IHC 3/4ton 4-speed were...
Challenging!
I got the knack after a while; the IHC was the one that went on the road, and it just wasn't practical to try and downshift into 3rd gear if you were going faster that 35-40 mph: the "Green Diamond Six" just wouldn't rev-up that much to match rpms.
Definitely don't try to downshift into 1st! Even if you double-clutch it succesfully, you might rip motor mounts loose!
Shifts into 1st gear are from a dead-stop only!
Check and/or change your gear oil and practice shifting up & down between 2nd, 3rd & 4th gears on some nice level deserted road, with your speed between 20 & 40 mph. That way you'll get a feel for how much "revvage" you need for a downshift, and also how much time elapses during that process.(Good thing to know, so that you can "plan your stops"!)
Remember that this is a 40-45 mph truck, and that partly because of the crash-box tranny, you'll be well advised to allow generous stopping distance so that you'll have a chance to get your rig slowed-down in time to avoid rolling over that Lexus in front of you!
Oly forgot to mention that three arms are handy too: one for the steering wheel, one on the gear shift, and a third for the hand-brake, just in case! :rolleyes:
Good luck on your shifting; ( even after a year of driving the "cornbinder", I'd still grind the gears now and then, so don't think you're a bad driver if it happens occaisionally! )
