Hot Rods Forged aluminum Hurst stick, does it really exist?

Maybe it got recalled or killed in R&D phase?

 

I can not see the Forged handle holding up in Drag especially long gated gear change in late 60s mid 70s , More likely
First to have Can-Am racers

 

There have been more than a few high performance parts that were advertised and never made it to production.

 

I worked the counter at Ben Pilla speed shop a hundred years ago. There were lots of items that were advertised in the magazines that never got produced. We were told that they used the feedback from the ads to gauge wether an item was worth going into production.

 

I don't think it made it past quality control.

 

Seen this on facebook

 

If those shift levers had been made like a forged aluminum connecting rod for a blown nitro engine, they could probably hold up to some "Grumpy" shifting action. But the cost would have likely kept them from being commonplace.

 

Call me old school (I do), that looks uncomfortable for shifting an "H" pattern type transmission, would work ok for sequential trans applications, or maybe for drifting.

 

Looks like a modern short handle version of the Mopar Pistol grip shift handle.
If the slots in the shaft were not there, it was longer, the top "grip" area was not tilted as much, and the top had holes to install the plastic wood grain "handle" grips, the shift handle would look a lot like the shift handle I had in my 70 Plymouth, without the plastic wood grain handle grips installed.

Mine was just like it, except mine was chromed steel, and had those other changes.

 

Easy enough to cobble one up out of T6.. .Hint hint...

 

I would thin that grip down with a belt sander and make some rosewood scales for each side, knock a couple pins in it and polish the bejeebies out of the rest.

 

Of coarse you would!
It is pretty cool just doesn't look like something for "rowing the gears" for an extended period of time.

 

I agree, it wouldn't be a good fit in anything I own. I did see a carbon fiber pistol grip in a 'Cuda at a show last year that had a line loc button and a nitrous trigger with flip up guard. Sort of a Mopar meets F-16 with just a touch of Glock. I liked it.

 

You guys are forgetting the "kill button switch" on the shift grip, that was for kill button shifting, no clutch being used. If done wrong, the trans was junk.

 

Today, the guys are fitting a strain gauge on the stick to sense when it's being yanked on and kill the spark for a moment. Trick stuff, but i'm not putting a computer in my car...

-rick

 

The Mopar pistil grip was very good for running through the gears hard, the grip handle had as great angle to make it much better. Its much easier on your hand and arm then a T handle is. I've had both. There was no kill button on my pistil grip shifter, it took more then a shift to kill an 833 Mopar 4 speed. Lots more damage with the clutch and traction then a shifter.

 

In Kalifornia the best anti-theft device on a vehicle is a stick shift. Younger people honestly do not know how to drive a stick shift. Not a joke. When I learned to drive, it was on an old bulldozer. My Dad said it did not go fast enough to kill myself. So everything, the dump trucks are all stick shift. Always one hand on the gearshift knob even when just driving. Right foot on throttle and brake and left foot on the clutch. Even on an automatic, right foot on throttle and left foot on the brake. Even speed shifting, I have always just a tiny bit feather the throttle and just lightly feather the clutch not really disengaged. On really old trucks you can totally clutch-less shift just speed match things.

Linda Vaughn 1967

View attachment 6389970

Linda Vaughn OCIR View attachment 6389974

 

Denny, I think the lever he is reaching for is a factory whoa down shifter....

 

Bill Jenkins' innovative nature is pretty well known, I've heard some racers used a three speed shifter on their four speeds and used a separate lever for reverse.
I don't know if you know this but this car is quite a historic piece from the mid sixties Stock and Super Stock drag racing.

 

That's right. The reverse lever was separate, a smaller side shift lever. Both custom made and some MFG's made them as well. Originally just a two leg shifter. I've done in the past a few mistake down shifts from 4th to R. Bill Jenkins AKA Grumpy. Always chewing on a cigar. The track announcer would say " And now Grumpy Bill Jenkins in his Camaro ! ! "

 

Not every bright idea turns out to be a winner. But it makes good sense for a successful company to try out new ideas. The customers will let 'em know which ideas they like by voting on them with their wallets.
Here's a Hurst trademark idea that they owned and protected, but they never used it and gave up owning or protecting it, so it's now public domain, available to anyone.......

 

Yeah, I used to read about it in Hot Rod and Car Craft. This is my favorite era of drag racing as the manufactures were slugging it out with their "factory backed" cars, at least other than GM. The grump, Dyno Don, Ramchargers, you name it! Then the gasser wars were hot, I went to the drags whenever I could afford it. Great times. Still enjoyed it when it became Pro Stock but as the cars got less and less like stock appearing and more like wind tunnel shaped blobs I went back to super stock. 50+ years later the same stuff is still running stock classes but running 3 seconds faster. We are kind of limited here in Oregon for quarter mile dragstrips, I hope Woodburn hangs in there.