Shay roadster

james heider

james heider

Senior Member
Has any one ever converted a shay to an automatic transmission?
I have a friend in Tenn. That would like to get a Model A but his wife won't drive a stick, so he is looking at a shay if it can be converted to an Auto trans.
 
I thought they were just a Pinto driveline. I would assume that they were available with an automatic. There must be a Shay forum out there. Asking that question on a Model A forum is about like asking about a Chevrolet. There are currently 2 on EBAY, one of them has an automatic. If I had the choice between buying a Shay, a Yogo or a Vega I am not sure which one I would choose.

Charlie Stephens
 
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The Shay 29 roadster was available with an automatic trans., there was one on ebay recently. They were available as standard roadster,Deluxe roadster(2 sidemount spares and luggage rack) and roadster pickup.
 
Yes,the Shay is easily convertible to an automatic.The hardest part is finding a Pinto or Mustang II for a donor car.You really should buy a whole car for the parts.That way you can get the flex plate with the correct bolts,correct rear mount,plate for the back of the engine,all the right bolts,and I can't remember right now,but I think the starter is different.I think you will have to change the driveshaft yoke also.If you just buy a transmission and try to put it in you will spend dozens of hours chasing down the little parts.The shifter is just a flat plate mount,bolts to the floor,and operates by cable.If you were going the other way you would have to deal with the clutch pedal,linkage brackets etc.I can't remember right now if that transmission uses an external oil cooler or not.If it does that is a minor addition.I'm almost thinking they don't use one.I should remember,I changed dozens of them in the 70's due to a freeze plug problem.
 
VEGA! Cylinders and rings lasted about as many miles as the cylinders and rings on a hard driven, poorly maintained Model A. Chevy finally got it right with the 305 V8 Monza 4 speed, but woe to anyone who attemped to change the plugs.
Charlie Stephens said:
I thought they were just a Pinto driveline. I would assume that they were available with an automatic. There must be a Shay forum out there. Asking that question on a Model A forum is about like asking about a Chevrolet. There are currently 2 on EBAY, one of them has an automatic. If I had the choice between buying a Shay, a Yogo or a Vega I am not sure which one I would choose.

Charlie Stephens
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The Shay had a very dependable drive train, same as the 80 Pinto 2.3 and the chassis was solid with Pinto rack and pinion. I owned three Pintos and never had a mechanical problem. Same thing can't be said for the Chevy Vega. Shays never had Vega running gears. The faults I found with Shays were flimsy fiberglas body work, poor seating and not so good looking wheels, lights and those cheap horns. With a little more detail they could have been a good Model A copy. Their roadster pickup looked much better in my book.
 
Barry B./ Ma. said:
The Shay had a very dependable drive train, same as the 80 Pinto 2.3 and the chassis was solid with Pinto rack and pinion. I owned three Pintos and never had a mechanical problem. Same thing can't be said for the Chevy Vega. Shays never had Vega running gears. The faults I found with Shays were flimsy fiberglas body work, poor seating and not so good looking wheels, lights and those cheap horns. With a little more detail they could have been a good Model A copy. Their roadster pickup looked much better in my book.
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I mentioned Yugo, Vega and Shay in the same sentence only because I put the 3 cars in the same category, something I wouldn't want to own. They are all so bad I don't know which I like worse. Next thing I know someone thinks I said the Shay had Vega running gears. Quite a leap. Back to the topic. Why not just buy a Shay already with the automatic?

Charlie Stephens
 
While this may offend some but it is my opinion-

I had to drive a Shay one time for a friend of a friend and I didn't know if the onlookers were pointing at the car in agreement or because they look so hideous, but I felt like a second class citizen driving it- solely because I was used to driving real Model A's and not a 1980s copycat that doesn't resemble a Model A very much. Not unlike those body kits you could buy for a Pontiac Fiero that would make a Fiero look like a Lambroghini.

The Pinto drivetrain is damn near bulletproof if taken care of properly. I had a "Pinto Squire" (woodgrained Pinto Wagon) and it was a great car giving me excellent service for the time I had it.
 
james heider said:
Has any one ever converted a shay to an automatic transmission?
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Ask at the Shay forum:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/82899/

I've never done the conversion but some on that forum have. From what I've read, it's a bolt-in assuming you have the necessary parts. The Shay used the C-3 trans but a C-4 might work.

As others have stated, some Shays (about 25% of total production) came with automatics. They're not as common as manuals but they can be found.
 
LukeDahlinger said:
a 1980s copycat that doesn't resemble a Model A very much
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Are you sure that was a Shay, not a Glassic? The latter was built around the same time period. I'd agree it was significantly different from a Model A, especially the hood and grill - and it's ugly. But the Shay bears a strong resemblance to a 28 - 29 Model A. Some details, especially the lights, are different but they can be replaced with original or repro Model A parts to make the resemblance even stronger.
 
CHuDWah said:
Are you sure that was a Shay, not a Glassic? The latter was built around the same time period. I'd agree it was significantly different from a Model A, especially the hood and grill - and it's ugly. But the Shay bears a strong resemblance to a 28 - 29 Model A. Some details, especially the lights, are different but they can be replaced with original or repro Model A parts to make the resemblance even stronger.
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It was definitely a Shay. While the Shay does more closely resemble a 28-9 Roadster, it's still ugly, but compared to a Glassic it only looks ugly not damn ugly. :)
 
LukeDahlinger said:
It was definitely a Shay. While the Shay does more closely resemble a 28-9 Roadster, it's still ugly, but compared to a Glassic it only looks ugly not damn ugly. :)
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Hmmm, I wonder if a 28/29 Brookville steel body would fit on a Shay chassis. That would be an interesting copy.
 
Charlie Stephens said:
I thought they were just a Pinto driveline. I would assume that they were available with an automatic. There must be a Shay forum out there. Asking that question on a Model A forum is about like asking about a Chevrolet. There are currently 2 on EBAY, one of them has an automatic. If I had the choice between buying a Shay, a Yogo or a Vega I am not sure which one I would choose.

Charlie Stephens
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Hey Charlie,
Hoping you have young grandchildren to take to CARS 2, where the villian's minions are all Vegas, Gremlins, Yugos, and other loser cars. Its like a Bond movie with an Aston Martin being the Brit spy, a Lotus as the "Hottie Chick" and NASCAR "Lightning McQueen" in starring role shared with the old tow truck TOW MATER.
 
to me, having a shay replica is like having a plastic blowup doll instead of a real woman. get driving lessons. Maybe they will let blowup dolls in beauty contests.
 
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