Please school me about SBC cam selection - auto vs. manual trans

[SlowMalibu]

Please school me about SBC cam selection - auto vs. manual trans. Keeping the entire vehicle setup the same and just swapping an auto for manual trans, how is the drivability and performance be affected by a existing cam ?
Example 244 int./252 exh. , Lift .516/.525, 106LSA that worked well in a TH350 car, how well will it perform with a 4 or 6 speed manual trans ?

[Tom68]

Manuals are all about ratios and clutch quality.

Wide ratio 4 speed with tall rear gear won't be fast but it'll street drive fine.

[mt-engines]

Well in a 302 or 305, low rpm cruise will be non existent with the manuals. The auto will buffer it with stall

In a 350-406 it will still suck, just not as bad.

[F-BIRD'88]

The manual trans car will tend to want more "clutch" when driving at low speed/RPM.
The manual trans car will want you to rev it up on the torque curve before letting out the clutch, if when launching from a dead stop.
The car may be a bit balky to drive at very low speed low rpm. Get the rpm up.
The diz Mechanical and vacuum advance curves and carb idle off idle circuit tuning is critical.
It will GLH.
Don't sweat it. If it drove well with the auto trans it will drive well with a manual trans.

[Geoff2]

The manual will idle better because the engine is not loaded against the c'ter.

[71vette]

Kind of a complicated question with many variables. To be vague on the street I find manuals to be more forgiving of having bigger cams and other ill tuning. I personally do not like entry level priced real loose converters in a street car. But I also don't like breaking parts when trying to 60 foot a "slow" street car at the drag strip either If you are asking if a cam should be swapped bcuz a car is being converted from manual to auto or vice versa that ultimately depends on how you want the car to perform. I have done trans conversions both ways and every time the engines sounds different (different throttle response rates and noticeable idle lope changes) The entire "feel" of the car changes.

[Monzsta]

Your flywheel weight will impact drivability as well. A super light aluminum flywheel will make the engine rev insanely fast but will also make "normal" driving a real pain in the arse. You'll need to use a lot of clutch to get moving and you'll suffer from cam lope/driveline whack at low engine speeds.

[Bill Chase]

Kind of a complicated question with many variables. To be vague on the street I find manuals to be more forgiving of having bigger cams and other ill tuning. I personally do not like entry level priced real loose converters in a street car. But I also don't like breaking parts when trying to 60 foot a "slow" street car at the drag strip either If you are asking if a cam should be swapped bcuz a car is being converted from manual to auto or vice versa that ultimately depends on how you want the car to perform. I have done trans conversions both ways and every time the engines sounds different (different throttle response rates and noticeable idle lope changes) The entire "feel" of the car changes.

Add an ultralight aluminum flywheel and it will change even more. Naivety caused me to get one, if I had it to do over another 5-7 pounds of flywheel weight would've made the car more forgiving for street use for sure. It's fine, just easier to stall it, and at low load cruise rpm it takes more throttle input, and is touchy. More weight would've been better.