So far I has not located a 37 Lasalle in USA at decent price, but heard one at Hershey was over 2K and was sold. Its not easy get over ocersea and one I found in ( 1.200 ) LA refused take cover off and it was cash at location. I do has one here ( side shifter ) at under 1K and not far away, but depending on cross it migh be tight in a 32 frame. Its so much better find a 37 but the Hurst is cool but look mid 60’s (?) I has seen a Lasalle sideshifter at my buddys shop and it was modify to be a top shifter. Any info on that ? ( he did not know as bought it at LARS. Or how to find a shifter, ex King shifter, Hurst, new made copys (?)
37's are hard to come by. And most have problems that need fixing. I have 3 right now I am trying to repair, but you have to get them apart first. You need to check out my Facebook page on these. Lots of good info for you on what needs to be done to repair them. I have one almost back together with the olds tail shaft but it will be about $2600 for it. All rebuilt ready to go. 37-53 Cad / lasalle https://www.facebook.com/groups/915655779550689/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
At Hershey this year, someone had a side shift LaSalle for $350. He was close to my spot and I saw him packing it up when he left. Ansen and others made side shift to top kits for tons of transmissions starting in the early '50's. I'd****ume Hurst bought them up and put their name on it.
A friend bought a 37 there last year and he could open it and price was 500 but was never sold so he got it at 325. He has also a sideshifter with s Hurst he bougt in LA some years ago at 200. I think non all inspected ( no proof ) and one cant see parts and over 2K is sound odd some can pay that. Anyway I has some new ideas but its heavy parts plus freights over is a killer. What is also worry how to get the adapters working and find them. Best for me is to find a complete unit with adaptors and cluch plate etc.
I have both Ansen and Hurst flavors of side shift LaS floor shift kits, though I am not willing to part with them yet. I will say that they are crazy simple and would try to adapt a Chevy 3 speed shifter before you pull your hair out looking for one. Take a peek at my build thread I think I have photos of them.
After having destroyed a couple 39 Ford transmissions with Lincoln Zephyr gears, I was pondering going to a LaSalle transmission. Once I started looking into them, the costs, the issues, etc - it no longer makes any sense to me. Why would I spend a couple thousand dollars on a transmission that still requires heavy mods to my 32 or 34 frames, only to just end up with an ancient 3-speed transmission that I can't get parts for? That makes no real sense - unless all I care about is doing it like "back in the day"? But does that make any sense either? I asked myself --> "Self, do you think anybody running these 75 years ago would have used these transmissions if they had better choices?". My guess, they'd have chosen a modern transmission every dang time. Also, building these old transmissions is not cheap by any means - so it isn't really about saving money (now or into the future when you need parts!). Instead, why not spend the money of a new Tremec TKX and have a wonderful transmission that can take the horsepower of most of our engines, shifts like*****er, has overdrive, is full synchro, etc.. You'll never regret this approach! I will still run a 39 box in my 32 Cabriolet (don't want to cut the frame), but I'll not be running any of these ancient beasts in frames where I'll be modifying the center cross-members. Okay . . . enough of my babble this AM . . . too much coffee! B&S
Very good inputs ! Bore&Stroked, you are totally correct ! -But I like get emotional ( off topics ) I can olny get back as a Mopar muscle guy and and I always wondered why anyone like to destroy a Challanger 70 and make it try ( cant be whatsoever ) to a new Challanger. To me its idiotism. But is call ’hotrodding’ and custom stuff is as old as humans. So, it must be way better to focus on work/family and bought a brand new Challanger and if try be a handy guy, why dont bought a new blower for it or just use it from factory and instead get a China wood lathe and make some nice curwed parts in hardwoods. Life get so much less complicated.. If try get the old Challenger ’new’ one miss the historic aspect, miss the smell or how bad it runs. I’ll just bought a Scheifer cast aluminium flywheel, and as I has a machine shop and balancer I just hate old dampers as they can cause death to others to get parts of it in the head. -So who will I impress, me or others by using this old*****py stuff ? I has a CNC lathe I can make one or has a byddy that make racing cluthes not far from me. Why even think if of use old stuff, I realised I’m plain stupied. As a NHRA racer I care about safty and parts that work, but as I got into hotrodding my foot hit a floor new to me, yes its cool with this old parts, but old 32 frame with buggy springs etc get me happy ? I realise all if this is a huge time bomb ( and expensive to and take huge amount of hours fix it so it atleast might work. What I say here I can questionise it all here, so why even bother with this old cars/parts. Whats the idea/purpose ? I do can see a compromise that use all new parts and old parts that is kind of safe, so one could ex use LS1 as I has a hood so no one see it anyway, I could use most new metal as frame etc etc and use coil overs and then I can get it to look as ’old’, but then I think, will I like to has that car ? Yes sneak in a new transmission and quality flywheel and a new damper but why try stiff up a old frame and spend huge amount of money/time on a beaten up body. -Well right now I has not ’my’ answer to this question, and I’m working on it. As a motor guy and ex the early Hemi I try get it as std but try impirove flow, cam, compression but I will has 2 or even x3 more HP than any normal FH and why do I need 4-500 HP (?) it not make sense at all plus I like the old look of Firestones DeLuxe that is made in India with plastic rubber totally wobbling aswell. Well, its a mystory what I doing. In the cargame I also see people try look they just came back after the war to Los Angeles, but in reality in daily life they use modern clothes and run new cars. I dont say its wrong, far from but its the reality of hobbys get kind of wired.
To take it forward some years but not in that distance future we all live in 15 minutes city with no gas burning cars and in museums that kids might can listen to old hotrods ( if not just pure vision in see/here/smell ) it will demand they pay a fee at enviroment taxes and be outside of a safty fance and wear yellow west say ’visitors’ and need were helmet, safy goggles and air masks. Me, I’ll just now love the road, the history, maybe I get done, maybe not but I will shore rew up my FH and early Hemi on race fuel.
An advantage to newer Hurst shifters is the handle bolts on making it easier to adapt one or make what you want.
Yes this Hursts is a great look. The Ansons would be cool, but get to a sideshifter I must modify cross, I has one std 32 frame ( nice ) and I has no heart cut it. I guess new rails and a 34 cross or normal hotrod cross. To be honest, I don’t like new a new frame.
Barely on the right edge of the picture is the Ansen shifter we used on a long tail side shift Cad/Lasalle box. CE X rails in an original deuce frame. Shifter was pretty old school; but I think a Hurst Comp. + would have been smoother.
I saw a move with Matt at iron trap garage on Lasalle’s and he mean they are really terrible but he mean on the other side ( not just historic aspects ) its a ’feeling’ so it will cook down to how one use the car. As Bore&Stroke said it make no sense now 2025 to use old stuff ( as a Lasalle ) but as what I was into above is so what next, a new Toyota on a 32 Ford etc. Then we lost it totally but do not feel bad about Toyota powers ( my guess ) -Truly I has seldom use a hotrod or ever own one so I will be the last to tell anything just more than my ’now’ ideas. Well, I had this debate with a friend this weekend and he been on the ’road’ for decades but he love the old pars but they is on his mancave but his hotrods look ’old’ but they are new, or has he said non that can be seen need to be new. So what are we try to do here, get a old feeling from past or create a new car. Ride a newer car (?) As a debate is that I ride a new car daily, so when I get in my hotrod I like it to be 6V, ruff ride, smell leather, see*****og instruments, no or Very few China parts ( to be political correct ) I has nothing against the Chinese people ) and most Henry or old USA made parts to bolts and nuts. Note. This is just ’me’, I can be 110% wrong. I guess I’m wrong ) I do totally respect people ride in this old cars to car shows etc etc and love the ride but ex hate old transmissions. Me, I will just run locally on Vp C11, old way racy FH or a early Hemi. -I guess subject need a own thread on topics !….
If you want a good strong, readily available 3-speed, get a T85/T89. Overdrive is also available. The versions out of a sixties Ford pickup is common and was used behind FE's by Ford. The only thing wrong is that first is not synchronized, but Lasalle's aren't either. Parts are a lot easier to find as well. Plus, they fit onto a '49-'64 Ford transmission adapter which are also easier to find than the LaSalle units.
The Jalopy Journal
