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push-button shifter

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by DreamingNightmares, Jul 10, 2007.

  1. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    Hoop had the best idea here so far. The handicapped service people can probably fix you up!
     
  2. HemiRambler
    Joined: Aug 26, 2005
    Posts: 4,208

    HemiRambler
    Member

    The old Mopar pushbutton shifter mechanism is actually kinda neat. They made them in a variety of button layouts - ranging anywhere from vertical, horizontal, even a compact square layout. The buttons themselves light up - some in different colors - it's hard to see in this pic, but in this one "Reverse" is actually RED, "N-Start" is YELLOW and the Drive buttons GREEN. Kinda cool IMHO.
    I have one shifter where PARK was an added lever to the shifter itself - activating only in N-Start. Other shifters I have - have nothing in the housing itself for park - I just use a regular Ebrake for those. I think the biggest problems these had was neglect. They are a somewhat involved mechanical device and as such need some lube once in a while. It's kinda neat that the Neutral safety switch is built into them as well as the backup light switch.

    I also added a few pics of them as I put them into some of my cars. My favorite being the one I "hid" into the radio.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. HemiRambler
    Joined: Aug 26, 2005
    Posts: 4,208

    HemiRambler
    Member

    I suppose if you wanted to get real hightech you could get a linear actuator and drive it with a stepper motor. Seems like alot of hoy-paloy to go wrong though. The mopar mechanism itself is actually pretty foolproof. The cable is attached to one end of a teeter totter lever. The buttons are each provide different stroke while "bottoming" on the teeter totter lever - pretty simple really.

    Just gotta figure out park - We gotta have some challenges - right?? ha ha
     
  4. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    I wonder why PARK was an issue? Seems it should have just been another button on the dash!
    I know some Mopars had the separate lever on the dash for park. Was that an internal pawl and did the trans shift into drive AND stay in park at the same time, if that lever wasn't shifted from park???
    Obviously I have no experience with these Mopars, but they are cool....:)
     
  5. HemiRambler
    Joined: Aug 26, 2005
    Posts: 4,208

    HemiRambler
    Member

    Hackerbuilt, That's a good question! I've wondered the same thing. On the multicolored button shifter I posted the pic of the Park Lever controls a SECOND Cable. This "park" button can ONLY be depressed with the shifter ALREADY in Nuetral. I'm no expert - I run a few of these but none are in their origional configurations so I am not sure how they're "supposed" to be used - I was always under the impression that the second lever used for park was simply connected to the Park Brake drum off the trans. There's no internal parking pawl to be activated. Why they did that is a big mystery to me. I do agree - why not just one more lever?? I assume the state of the art of automatic transmissions had simply not matured enough to have used that parking pawl idea at that time. So it wasn't so much that it couldn't be done - I suppose they just hadn't thought of it yet. That's my guess anyways. Makes me wonder how hard would it be to add in a parking pawl. For instance on my '47 I machined an adapter ring to change it over from the flange mount driveshaft to take a regular U-joint - had I been thinking I could have machined it with an array of slots and made a parking pawl there - external of course. Probably not near as good as havng it in the trans, but better than nothing. I wish we had this conversation a few years ago - I might have tried it....ah heck one day I still might!!!:eek:


     
  6. 69fury
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 1,452

    69fury
    Member

    might have something to do with how Park is mechanical AND hydraulic with some transmissions: Park is mechanical, with the internal pawl, but is different hydraulically, in that the converter is not filled with fluid like it is when "neutral" is selected. This is why you check fluid in Neutral on some cars. I'm not aware of other valving differences between "Park" and "Neutral" but it does show that there are many issues to be addressed.
     
  7. i had old econoline with 302/c4 trand and the guy that bought it used a dash mounted dodge shifter in it. must have gotten tired of reaching through floor to shift it! B&M shifter cables are GM cables. if you use a cable shifter make sure yu body to chassis grounds are good or else your shifter cable becomes the ground and will fail! 99% of GM cable failures were a result of disconnected grounds. this is info from old GM tech bullitin from the 70's
     
  8. I have heard of the cable becoming the ground many times.
     
  9. mart3406
    Joined: May 31, 2009
    Posts: 3,055

    mart3406
    Member
    from Canada

    I don't know who made made them ( maybe B&M???)
    but I remember "back in day" - circa early-to-mid-1960's
    when gassers were still commonly running 4-speed
    Hydros and Clutch-Hydro trannies, that some of
    more professional and 'bucks-up' gas class race cars
    used an aftermarket push button shifter quadrant that
    came mounted on a chrome plated steel tower that
    came up out of the floor where a stick shift would
    normally be. Finding one of these, and in workable
    condition to boot, nowadays would probably be just
    about a miracle, but they did exist. Does anybody
    else remember them and know who made them???

    Mart3406
    ===============================
     
  10. RichG
    Joined: Dec 8, 2008
    Posts: 3,919

    RichG
    Member

    It would take a little research, but you should be able to find a screw type linear actuator that would have multiple position capability built in. A really good actuator will have the ability to stop in just about any position with speed control as well as accel/decel speeds. Attach it to a shifter cable with custom bracketry and the actuator could be inside the car where it would be safe from the environment, helping it to live longer and be easier to access for repair or tuning.
     
  11. 69fury
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 1,452

    69fury
    Member

    Seen them on a ClutchFlyte (727 Mopar trans) using a stalk mounted stock pushbutton box, but haven't seen one for a clutched TurboHydromatic. -doesn't mean they dont exist, though.
     
  12. mart3406
    Joined: May 31, 2009
    Posts: 3,055

    mart3406
    Member
    from Canada

    --------------------
    If they were used on ClutchFlytes, there were
    *probably* available for Clutch-and-Non-Clutch
    TurboHydramitics too, but the ones I specifically
    remember from "back in the day" were for the
    older GM 4-speed Hydros and ClutchHydros.

    Mart3406
    ===========================
     
  13. hemifury
    Joined: Dec 25, 2009
    Posts: 2

    hemifury
    Member
    from california

    I had one of these shifters in my '64 Plymouth when I raced at Lion's Drag Strip. The shifter was made by Art Carr. I am today building another '64 Plymouth Fury for the street and looking for one of these shifters. If anyone knows where I could find one to buy please let me know. My email is [email protected]. Thanks, Rick
     
  14. ssaahemifan
    Joined: May 26, 2008
    Posts: 29

    ssaahemifan
    Member

    They were called Nifty-Shifter by Art Carr . I had one for 20 years and sold it a couple of years ago.

    I contacted Art several times and he didn't have any parts left but mentioned he would like to make some more "one day"

    It was just I piece of curved tubing , swedged square on one end, a flange around the bottom to secure it to the floor.

    Buttons were from a A-100 pickup

    The trick part was the cast cover, had Art Carr cast in and it had a raised portion around the reverse button to prevent someone from depressing it easily. No Park.

    It would be easy to make one using just a flat plate to mount the buttons instead of the Art Carr designed plate.
     
  15. hemifury
    Joined: Dec 25, 2009
    Posts: 2

    hemifury
    Member
    from california

    I had this same shifter back in the day. I called Art Carr to see if they could give me any information about it. I talked to a couple of employees and none of them even knew of, or had any idea of what I was talking about. This shifter had a standard mopar push button mechanism from the 50's. If Art Carr could find any records of the production of this shifter. I think today if it could be reproduced it would be a big seller.
     
  16. Evel
    Joined: Jun 25, 2002
    Posts: 9,038

    Evel
    Member
    1. 60s Show Rods

    my buddy Tracy has a sweet push button set up in his model A
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  17. JOECOOL
    Joined: Jan 13, 2004
    Posts: 2,771

    JOECOOL
    Member


    I think you will find the A-100s had a lever shifter on the dash, not pushbutton. The aluminum 727s (60s) had a seperate lever for park. The shifter buttons would pop out if you put it in park while it was in gear.the gear buttons would not go in while the thing was in park.I have never messed with the old cast iron torque-flites so I can't help on them.
    In 1965 Mopar had a reason to change as they offered a floor shifter for the first time,In 1965 the colunm shifter and the floor shifter were cable operated.In 66 they began the standard linkage shifter. Also the 65 cars were the first ones to go to a regular slip yoke on the back instead of the ball and truniun. I have a 1965 727, with a cable shift valvebody and case with a reg yoke and u-joint setup, early 727s had a different spline on the converter also.Someday I will find a 65 savoy to put it in.
    hope this helps
     
  18. storm king
    Joined: Oct 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,989

    storm king
    Member

    I talked to Art about the Nifty Shifter also; a couple of years before he passed. It would not be a difficult thing to reproduce, as others have said. Just someone with the drive to get it done. With todays Solid and Catia drawing systems, laser and waterjet cutting, building a shifter better than Mopars would be a piece of cake. Imperial Creations was building a replica of B&M's old "60" Series shifter, basically a dodge van, or console shifter in a nice little chrome box. Genie, LoKar, Bueler?
     
  19. Orange Crate
    Joined: Apr 5, 2005
    Posts: 454

    Orange Crate
    Member

    Dodge used a dash mounted cable shifter in some pickups. The same setup is used in some Motor homes. The handle or shifter could be modified or changed. I have a picture of one but don't know how to post it.
     

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