My 65 nova ss currently has a worn out hurst comp plus shifter that in my opinion is beyond repair, its sloppy at shifts and hangs up etc. My oem replacement shifter is on its way from classic. What all do i need to do to remove the hurst shifter, i have all the linkage disconnected, does the shifter gate box unbolt from the shifter mount bracket?
It should, there should be a 3/8 bolt on bottom, 7/16 bolt on top and it should come right out. 9/16 and 5/8 wrench.
You probably could have fixed that shifter for about 10 bucks. It sounds like it only needs a bushing kit and re-adjusting
^^^^ what he said. Don't toss the old one, especially if it's original to the car. A bushing kit can possibly save it.
Any speed shop used to sell the kits with the steel bushings. You can probably find one online in 5 minutes and enough information to do the job yourself. I took a fast look and came up with this tutorial, looks like it should help you. I learned something new about setting the detent bolts! http://www.automedia.com/4-Speed_Shifter_Tech_Tips/ccr20060801st/1 Bob
You can also send a Competition Plus shifter back to Hurst for a factory rebuild for a fee of course. http://www.hurst-shifters.com/?page_id=17 I wouldn't get rid of it until you are positive you are happy with the oem style shifter as the originals were pretty sloppy and that is why guys almost always pulled them out and replaced them with the Hurst shifter.
Watch these 2 clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDWB_XIwoak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR0hkFT_YmQ
You don't adjust them when they're out of the car. You adjust them when they are mounted solidly and hooked up to the shifter arms on the fork shafts and in neutral. Find a Phillips screwdriver or an allen wrench that fits snugly into the alignment hole in the side of the main housing of the shifter. If it won't go in all the way, you'll have to disconnect the shift rods from the fork levers. Let the rods hang down and jiggle the shifter levers back and forth until the alignment tool (your Phillips or Allen wrench) will go all the way through the shifter unit. Once you have the shift arms aligned, then take each rod in hand and re-attach them to the fork shafts, screwing them in or out of the Hurst shift levers until they will drop into the fork lever holes without forcing them. Start with the inside rod first and work your way to the outside one. Once you have them lined up and bolted up, then set your stop screws (if present) and the double-nuts to ensure the adjustments stay as permanent as possible. This is AFTER you've replaced all the bushings and snap rings with new. I always used the carbon steel bushings, plastic wears out too quickly. Hope that's descriptive enough, and if I've missed a step or mislabeled a part, I'm sure the Mensa members will step in and straighten us out.
Your Hurst shifter is much better than the Muncie shifters........guys who were serious back then pulled out the Muncies and put a real Hurst in their cars. As the guys said, Hursts are easy to rebush and adjust and are pretty much bulletproof. Mine is over 25 years old and shifts like brand new. Don
Thanks for those. Sorry that I was not more clear. I can't work on the shifter/rods while the transmission is in the car. I have to pull it while attached to the engine. I'm building a new tubular subframe, so the next time the engine is out to install the subframe I will take a look at the shifter. It may be an original Muncie unit. Meanwhile, I have to decide if I'll replace the 4 speed with a 6. I'm tired of being slow on the straights due to limited top end.
if you pull drive shaft drop cross member tranny will swing down enough to work on might have to pull dist or cap because it may hit firewall
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