Hot Rods When did Hurst start making floor shifters

As the ***le says, when did Hurst first start making floor shift conversions for column changes.
Cheers,
Stewart.

 

I'll have to look at some of my old magazines at home to confirm it (at work now) , but I wanna say 1958 or 1959, or maybe 1960 are the 1st of barrel knob design.

 

1958 sounds correct to me.

Gary

 

I remember buying a 3 speed Mistery shifter in 1960. Anybody ever have one of those?

 

Ding! Ding! Ding!
Winner, winner... chicken dinner!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurst_Performance
.

 

Moriarity has one, is that the one you remember?

 

Yeah, it was a mystery it shifted, lol. It was that or a Fox****!

 

That's the one I remember. Back in the day that was all we had. Some guys made a 2 stick shifters in shop cl*** that was cool.

 

The Mystery shifter got its name from using it 2 or 3 years, by then it was worn out and when shifting it was a mystery what gear you were in. I had one in a 56 Chevy that sometimes would lock up in reverse and I would have to drive home backwards for miles to get home and fix it. Actually I got really good driving backwards could get up around 25 MPH but the engine would start to overheat. Those were the years I was only 16 and fixed every thing with a hammer and screw driver!

 

Ed Almquist was somehow involved in this in the beginning. I don't remember whether he had a patent, or was a partner. He once told me the history but I don't remember it. And he's now gone.

 

It was a mystery what gear you would get when you shifted it.

 

I remember seeing floor shifters made from early ford top loader shift towers

 

I had a '53 Stude with sbc and T85 from '56 Merc adapted to it that always worked OK. Later I had a toploader Ford 4 speed in it with Inland Steel OEM shifter.

 

I had a Mystery shifter in a 55 Chevy back in high school. Was racing a guy when I went from 1st to 2nd the handle snapped off just above the lock nut . I smashed my hand into the dash. Thought I broke it. My dad welded the handle back and I used it until I could afford a synchro lok . Much better shifter after we beefed up the rods.
We used to use those on 4 speeds with a separate lever for reverse. Used the mystery shifter for years on round track cars where you just used 2nd gear.

 

I have a brand new one for my '40 ford, debating installing it, because I am trying to keep my ride a late 50's hot rod and from my research the Mystery Shifters did hit the market until the early '60's

 

Old Mystery Shifters were as sloppy as a $2 ho.... my buddy used to swear by the ones he found at flea markets but they shifted like ****.

 

I always thought the term "mystery shifter" was slang due to you never knew what gear you would be in. Never knew before seeing the pic above on a Hurst display that it was what Hurst actually called them. Why did they call it that? Kinda of a stupid name for a shifter imho.

 

1964, Bought my first Hurst shifter 3 speed for a Chevy box, thinking either $39. Or $49 expensive at the time, but a good product, had stops for travel. Kept breaking off shifter fork ring on syncro drum, took it in shop cl***, welded on ring, remachined drum/ring, worked well, now you would break forks, probably did 15/20 in that time frame for friends,as very few of us kids had a 4 speed trans back then.When I went to 4 speed trans, again bought Hurst shifter, IMO the best shifter on market back then and a standard status symbol like 3 gauge panel under dash, Sun tach on dash or column, Xtra wheels with recap cheater slicks, fun times, great memories. We, the baby boomers lived in the best of times, for kids today, it's a whole different world in many ways.

 

The Syncro Loc came 1st, then the awesome Compition Plus. The Mystery shifter was Hurst's entry level (cheepo) model brought out early to mid 60's to compete with Fox**** and Fartomatic junk. They introduced it with a "name the shifter" contest , but ended up just formally calling it the Mystery Shifter. I've never thought they were on par with the rest of Hurst's product line.

 

True enough, they weren't as good as the top of the line Hurst shifters, but they were way better than all the stuff like Foxcraft and Sparkomatic,etc.
While we're on Hurst Shifters, I'd like to get some opinions. The one I have has new linkage and bracket, but a used selector ***embly that is a bit stiff when shifting.
There are 2 theories voiced on this, one saying that you shouldn't oil the ***y because it will attract dust and dirt to the open ***embly, and the other says oil it. I've tried using the "dry lube" stuff that has a fast drying liquid filled with a slurry of graphite and moly, which hasn't helped much.
Opinions?

 

Hurst Indy shifter,was a cheepO,even lower then Mystery, "Indy" did not have adjust to lever as it was one part an same as most cheepO's. I don't know the year,but mid to late 50s.

 

That name sounds familiar like the name of a shifter in the "Honest Charley" catalog or back page of the comic books. I had a mystery shifter in my 56 chevy and it was a pos. I do have a compe***ion plus 3 speed hurst shifter that I've held on to for some 40 years.

Pat

 

Anyone remember a Compe***ion Plus for 3-speed ******s? My recollection only brings up 4-speeds.

jack vines

 

It was the factory 4 speed shifter in my 1965 Formula S car...

 

Had a mystery shifter in my 55 Ford more door 272 tri power. Used to go through several transmissions 2 gear syncros. But lucky I was in trade school and we had piles of them from donated junkers replaced them free. Finally took it apart almost slicing my index finger tip off in the process, it has a big wave spring which was sharp as all hell and when you slide the guts out BE CAREFUL. Found that with no stops for over travel it was forcing the syncro ring too far onto the face and wrecking them after just a few powershifts. Build brackets and made stops and no problems after that.

 

You forgot the quality drenched Honest Charlie $9.99 shifter that lasted 4 shifts if you were a lucky one!

 

I remember this Yo-Yo up the street bought a Spark-o-Matic shifter and it was a real piece of ****. We always broke his balls anyways because he ran a stove bolt six. I hope my memory is right about the name because I'm going to look like a real ****-o-Matic if I'm wrong.

 

In the October of 1960, in Hot Rod , on page 97; Hurst-Anco announced the introduction of their 1st shifter. Pre Syncro Loc it was called the Dual Pattern. This shifter was 1st shown in the Hot Rod December '60 issue on page 110 touting the twin pattern design with two Siamese cats in the ad. Near as I know it was only made for 3 speed use. The 1st four speed ad I have found is in Hot Rod September of 1961. Hurst was in operation prior to 1960, but were known for their engine conversion mounts and nerf bar kits .

IMG_3746 by bowie posted Aug 1, 2014 at 6:57 PM

 

Dirty old man: I've always used good quality moly grease on my Hurst units.

 

THX, Do you dis***emble and coat the pieces seperately, or just shift it back and forth and rub grease on what's exposed?