I'm 6'6" tall, so I need every but of floor clearance I can get - a skinny transmission tunnel is going to be key. I got the floor in and need to get a shifter before going any further. Looking at the following swan neck options (I have a TH350)... 1) Genie shifter - tail housing mounted takes up the least room, but might be too far rearward - there is an option to mount further forward, but the brackets take up space. I like the idea of having the shifter mounted to the trans, so you can feel the vibration and it moves when you rev. 2) Lokar/Clayton Machine works - mounts in any Lokar configuration, on trans or mounts to floor. Floor mount seems to be the best option as far as space efficiency goes (keep tunnel small) Thoughts?
never cared for genie shifters the hardware is kinda light and the shift rod and ends are spindly ,, the locar is a far superior unit , mounting options are plenty , the floor mounted ones that use the cable are a pain in the butt to get close to right and i have converted a few to a hard linkage ,, id shy away from the floor mounted ,, take a look at the out of production hurst auto stick ,, mounts to the trans and being a hurst the stick options are limitless ,,had one in a small block 73 datsun truck in the 80s loved it , how about column shift ? a old three speed column can be reworked to do a good job just a lil fab work ,and not anyway look like a modern column .. pm me if ya have questions on that one ,,,, fabricator john miss you dad
Go REALLY RETRO and fab up an old push button unit from a 50's-60's Chy'Plymouth/Dodge! Shouldn't take up hardly any room on tunnel and would be "beyond cool" 6sally6
In the A , I used the Lowkar ( signal bend 20 ish long) turned the shifter rod / Stem around so it faced towards dash,( most rearward mouth slot on trans) a 32 has more room No need to change the Direction. Or like Squirrel said Rear exit cabe
I'm somewhat surprised in this electronics age ,with all the linear actuators that are available , that someone hasn't come up with a push button shifter . touch pad could be located anywhere ...
I have a B&M Quicksilver in my '34. I tucked up in the edge of my bucket seats. The console and shifter knob that come with it are fugly. Just use a different console and knob.
Best pic I have. Here is a Lokar mounting plate. Fits snug against the trans. here’s a homemade shifter made from a 80s motorhome dash shifter. The handle is an old emergency brake lever. Works good for a $10 investment
Moon did that 20 or so years ago. I think was a piece of crap though from what I heard. I guess it died on the vine. A rare opinon! It's usually the other way around. My Gennie on a C4 has been good for more than 20 years. I can understand front to back room, and around your feet, but I don't think where the shifter is mid trans should be a huge issue. Maybe mock up a cardboard trans cover and test it. The actual seat would also help - boxes and milk crates can give a false impression. Or go column shift.
Figure out how to make a tall shift handle for a 70's early 80's single stalk automatic floor shift that matches the trans you have. I've got a couple in the shed that I saved off mid 70's cars I scrapped and one of them was probably in my 48 when it had a Turbo 400 in it. It just sat back close to the seat with a little home made box around it then. If memory serves right there are a couple that the cable comes out the back and makes a loop to go through the floor and to the trans while most have the cable fastened to the front.
I'm looking for a swan necj style shifter that kind of looks like one from a manual trans... Not some 60's muscle car looking thing. I do have the seat in it that I intend to use... I want to get the transmission tunnel made before I mount the steering column to make sure I have enough pedal room for my size 14's. I need to have proper clearance for whenever shifter I'm going to use in wherever it's going to be placed In order to fab the transmission tunnel. Lokar has a new gated shifter (floor or trans mount) that uses a linkage versus a cable https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-gs350t
I removed a Lokar shifter and replaced it with a B&M cable shifter. Much more flexibility in where it is located. Also, by eliminating the Lokar shifter and it's mounting brackets, it allowed me to use a smaller transmission hump that only had to clear the transmission and not the transmission and the shifter brackets. More room for my big feet! Good luck, Al Here's what I started with: BTW, there was no linkage to the emergency brake so it was just taking up room. Here's what it looks like now.
My all time favorite automatic transmission shifter is the Hurst Autostick I shifter. It bolts to the tail shaft, has direct linkage (no cable), it has very positive gates for all gears and is very rugged. As far as looks, I think its one of the best looking shifters ever made..
Gated, so it's like a Gennie. I still don't understand why the shifter will have so much impact on your feet. The size of the bell housing I can understand. Like I say, use a column shift and eliminate the concern.
Because the rod that most shifters use goes down beside the trans and require a wider tunnel. Plus at his height his right leg probably has to lay over some toward the tunnel. Cable shifter is his best bet if he wants a floor shifter.
Find a vintage auto column,cut of the box, add a bearing and u-joint to the end 57 hydro column I’m saving for just that
The Lokar gated shifter is no longer an option - they're not in production yet and don't know when they will be. I talked with Nick at Gennie and he sent me photos of a 700R4 mounting bracket that he says will work on a TH350 - super low profile and pretty much exactly what I was looking for. In these photos, it's mounted to a TH350. All USA made too
I know what you are dealing with , ( 14s) on a Ford "A " I used the Lokar like the pic Gennie sent , On a short tail use the most rear mount , You can get a Straight long stem ( its hollow Lokar) add your own Swan Bend as needed, The cabe in side in a 1/4 or so rope cable easy to modify, & I negated the shifter plate. I personally do not like the shifters made in the mid 80s to present Mr. gasket ,B&M some Hurst that are ratchet, might be OK for others for a daily Cruiser , For race too many moving parts to fail and not shift, Hurst auto stick , Pro stick & B&M clone between ($200-300) range are good made shifters .
Think out side the box!!! You can do it. Making yr pic into a colume shift. It looks that you have fabrication skills, Years ago around 12 , needed a Quick fix for 400 turbo . I used a 5/16 solid rod threw the floor to trans arm with a knob , stayed like that for almost 8 yrs , daily driver ,yes before age of Driver license, Benefits of Country living. I now make all my own colums for A & 32s, for less then $75 out of chromly & sealed roller bearing, & a tapper cup from od 1.500 to 2.500 , ( I use original column drops) with functional steering wheel lock on 32s . I like clean dash & colume, make my own turn Signal with 3 pole Tago under dash .
Thanks for your input and everyone else's... I do product development for a living and my job is to think outside the proverbial box. This is not a matter of thinking inside or outside of a box. We sometimes create our own "box" when it comes to building our cars - when I was in high school (1987) a friend I ran around with used to drive his dad's 1934 roadster and his own car was a 32 pickup - both had a swan neck Gennie shifters in them with old school swirled glass shift balls. I remember driving to football games in it and I always thought that shifter was so cool. Nobody on here is going to talk me into a column shifter or other. The purpose of this thread was simply trying to figure out which shifter gives you the most tunnel clearance and I especially appreciate the input of those who directly answered that question - that really helped me decide which unit to buy (especially after I realized that Gennie shifters are made in the United States (versus China).
I switched from Locar to Clayton Machiene works gatted shifter. You don't have to press the button every time you want to move shifter.. Seems more natural to use.
I like that idea too - you've essentially localized a bumped-out area where the shifter mechanism has to be so that the whole tunnel doesn't have to grow
Here's what I ended up with from Gennie - see photo. That's about as low profile as you can get and it's in the perfect spot. The semicircular slotted holes allow for some adjustment as to where the stick ends up in space (fore and aft) In park, or drive. Pretty happy with this solution.
Speedway motors has a gated shifter on parallel with the Genie. Clayton Machiene it can be ordered with a cable. P/n 916-5000
The Jalopy Journal
