49-54 Chevy + 4spd + bench seat = which shifter?

I'm getting pretty close to needing a shifter for the Super T-10 I'm putting in my 52 Fleetline... my other 52 (w/ a Muncie) had bucket seats, so shifter handle clearance wasn't an issue. This car will have a stock (maybe lowered?) bench seat, so I'm wondering about what shifter to use.

I tried one of the Hurst Comp-Plus setups for 55-57 Chevys, but the way the handle went forward so close to the floor, I would have had to put a huge slot in the floor to allow the stick to dip down through it when in R, 1, and 3.

Any suggestions? I'm not opposed to modifying an off-t******lf deal, either. (Won't be the first time!)

 

I had a 4speed Muncie in my 51 with a bench seat and I used a Hurst shifter that was fairly straight. Had a real gentle curve and never had a clearence issue.

 

Thanks, rr51. was there any/much of a bend down where the shifter handle meets the shifter body? Stock bench?

 

63-64 chev b-body came with bench and a 4 on the floor ...maybe it'll fit

 

Yes, it was a stock bench seat and the shifter was straight at the floor.

 

If your seat hasn't been upholstered yet you could have it notched to clear the regular Hurst shifters. If memory serves it should only take about a 4"x4" opening.

 

It hasn't been done yet, but what's on it is serviceable, and it'll be a while before I can spare the coin to get it done... but that thought has definitely crossed my mind.

Thanks for all the feedback, yall!

 

I got a Saginaw 4 speed in my 54. it didn't have the mounting bosses for the shifter on the tail housing. I bought a saginaw 3 speed floor shifter for like 15 bucks and used the mounting bracket that bolts to the trans to mount my old Hurst comp plus. Had to modify the rods. But it don't even come close to the seat. it mounts forward of the seat and pretty far to the left side of the tunnel. Had to build a small box on the tunnel side to cover the shifter.

Frank

 

I have a couple of Hurst Compe***ion plus shifters - If you want I can take pics. As I recall they come straight up with a slight curve at the top. What you need is a ****er that is tall enough to clear the top of the seat before it curves back. Hurst made a variety of shifter handles - For extra legroom I remember using one that was offset to the right in a T Bucket that was designed for a 60s Ford console.

 

So if I'm understanding yall correctly, a dead-straight stick would clear the seat? If so, then that gives loads of options.

I have an old download of the Hurst catalog from right before Mr. Gasket sold them to B&M (last year?), but they give layouts & dimensions of a bunch of sticks... so the input I get here will get cross-referenced with that.

 

I had a buddy who ran a T-10 in a 55 on the strip back in the 60s. His off-t******lf Hurst hit the top of the seat so that he couldnt get into 2nd and 4th gear. His solution was to modify the bench seat. As insurance - I would look in your catalog for a shifter that had a slight rake forward. As I recall the factory Hurst stick in a 63 Dodge raked forward like that. The only thing I didn't like about it was - being a taller shifter you had more distance to travel when speed-shifting the gears.

 

Put a muncie in a 40 pontiac bench seat. I made the shifter to work around the bench. In 1st, 3rd, and reverse, the knob is under the dash. Basically, we put the trans in second, and curved the shifter handle to clear the seat. Make sure you leave enough room so when the seat is all the way forward, it will still work.

 

That describes the one I had in my old sedan (Hurst app for a 70's Chevy 1/2 ton p/u)... but I guess I lived with it because it put the knob high enough to be in easy reach. It would prolly slow you down on the dragstrip, but I just learned to work with it for "aggressive street driving".

 

The big factor is how tall you are. If you don't need the seat up closer then you should be ok, but at 5'7" I had to move the seat up to where the shifter would hit the bottom edge of the seat in 2nd/4th gear. And I could have still moved it up a bit more to be comfortable, but then I'd only have 1st and 3rd Oh yeah, that was with a muncie behind a 327.

Bill

 

Just make you a shifter handle out of 1/2x1 inch mild stock, I did and it works great...

 

WW68-- I'm about 5' 8", but I'm pretty comfortable with the stock seat scooted all the way back, so it shouldn't be as big of a deal as it might be for some.

X-G-- I've really given some thought to a similar idea, but I was thinking more like 5/8" or 3/4" round stock to mimic the look of some of the earlier factory shifters (like in a 409 Impala, etc.). I may end up doing that.

 

Cool, do that. So you trying to make Jamiefest? PNP? or Day of the Drags?

Rusty

 

At the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky to make the Roundup... 2010!

Kinda shooting for P&P, but it looks like I might get a bunch of moonlighting work coming up, so we'll see what happens.

Looks like there's going to be a bus load of DFW HAMBers headed for Jamiefest in late models.

 

Just did that conversion on my 50 over the winter. Put a muncie 4 spd behind the 216. had to use this installation kit # 373 3163 from Hurst. That was $117 from Jegs. The shifter lever is # HUU-5386900 from Summit. This lever kicks forward before it comes back to clear the seat. I'm sure Jegs problaby has that too. Can't use the shifter with the straight rods because it locates the bracket at the back top of the trans and the seat will be in the way. The install kit I mentioned moves it forward and down. Hope this helps.

 

WHAT !!!!

 

WHAT !!!!