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Hot Rods Gennie, Lokar, American shifter. Which one to get?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HotRodRyan, Dec 18, 2019.

  1. uncle buck
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 1,876

    uncle buck
    Member

    I'm with Dean. I have had a Gennie in my 36 roadster with a TH-350 for 35 years and it has been trouble free the entire time.
     
    chryslerfan55 and aussie oldie like this.
  2. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,286

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Cool but does the park lock out still work?
     
  3. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    Bought a Gennie shifter back in the nineties for a 350th and had no problems with it.
     
  4. Dave Mc
    Joined: Mar 8, 2011
    Posts: 2,576

    Dave Mc
    Member

    Had a problem with a Gennie that would shift itself when hitting a hard bump / pothole , so I adapted the Gennie upper to a Mustang unit which has more positive Detent ( notches ) problem fixed
     
  5. mj40's
    Joined: Dec 11, 2008
    Posts: 3,303

    mj40's
    Member

    I have a Gennie in my 40 Coupe. It works well. In the early days they had a problem of vibration causing them to drop down a gear when in drive. They had a fix for that and much better now. My 32 coupe had a Lokar and I hated it. When it was hot it would not shift into park. Let it cool for an hour and it would work again. It was not the trany but in the shifter itself. My new to me 32 Coupe has a Lokar and it works fine. Not fond of the knob button though. Makes it hard to replace with something cool.
     
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  6. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Beanscoot
    Member

    I'd hate to break a nail while accidentally shifting into Natural.
     
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  7. 1962 dodge lancer
    Joined: Feb 26, 2013
    Posts: 43

    1962 dodge lancer
    Member
    from joliet, il

    go with the gennie.
     
    aussie oldie likes this.
  8. DIYGUY
    Joined: Sep 8, 2015
    Posts: 883

    DIYGUY
    Member
    from West, TX

    btw, bought my Gennie from summit, less $ than from Gennie and no freight.
     
  9. David Gersic
    Joined: Feb 15, 2015
    Posts: 2,730

    David Gersic
    Member
    from DeKalb, IL

    I’m pretty sure that this is really two knobs. The first, from Lokar, mounts to the stalk and operates the detent mechanism just like their other knobs. The difference is that the “button” of this knob is a threaded stud, so that the second knob (user supplied) has a place to mount.

    So, yes, the parking detent works. You push down on the whole knob assembly instead of the normal Lokar push down on the button in the middle of the knob.



    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  10. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,286

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    ^^^Good explanation! I will be changing knobs at some point after reading this.
     
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  11. flatout51
    Joined: Jul 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,209

    flatout51
    Member

    I've had both lokar and gennie. The gennie is way bigger in my experience and the instructions are far more vague. That being said they are solid. The lokar I had did develop a rattle after some use, the cable that runs inside the shifter. I'm about to decide on one for the AOD going in my shoebox and I'm going to go lokar again. I like the smaller package and I'll be using their TV cable, throttle cable and pedal so I just want to keep it all the same brand. I will be using one of their shift knob adapters to run my HAMB shift knob.

    Sent from my SM-G977U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  12. papajohn
    Joined: Nov 2, 2006
    Posts: 896

    papajohn
    Member

    I have, what looks like a Lokar. Not crazy about it. Shifts kind of vague. Wanted to get a longer handle, but heard bad things about them bouncing between gears.
     
  13. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    I had a Lokar with the long handle and a heavy shift knob and it did the same thing; changed gears on a hard bump like RR tracks. It seemed like the detents weren’t strong enough. I put a lighter shift knob (old Bakelite) and it was better.


    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  14. I have used a Gennie on my 36 since the mid 80s without problem, I can't vouch for the others. I would buy another in a heart beat. Mitch.
     
  15. Binkman
    Joined: Nov 4, 2017
    Posts: 378

    Binkman
    Member

    I needed a shifter for my '34 2- dr project. The car has a new 302 and an FMX trans that came with the car.
    I looked at Summit, Jeg's Speedway, EBY, etc. They wanted $250-$350 bucks for a shifter.
    One day I was buying something on Amazon and thought to look there for a shifter.
    They listed an American Shifter for an FMX trans for 44.00. I conacted them to verify and bought it. They even shipped it for free during the holidays last year They said it was old stock and being discounted.
    It works great even if it is from the Hoffman guys.
     
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  16. flatout51
    Joined: Jul 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,209

    flatout51
    Member

    I bought a set of Hoffman group 32 rails. Far better quality than speedway rails and way less money. Fast shipping, I had zero issue.
    Sent from my SM-G977U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  17. 5brown1
    Joined: Apr 13, 2008
    Posts: 234

    5brown1
    Member

    I have both and prefer the Gennie. I like the detent feature which make is much easier to select the gear
    you want. I find the Lokar much more difficult to operate.
     
  18. Yes, DAVID GERSIC's explanation is spot on.
     
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  19. 0NE BAD 51 MERC
    Joined: Nov 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,782

    0NE BAD 51 MERC
    Member

    Actually at back to the 50's this last summer Lokar had a new shifter on display that is like a Gennie where you shift by the detents and does not have the button. They said it was brand new and would be going into production last fall. The display piece had a nice solid feel to it and you could install any knob you want.. You may want to check with Lokar about price and availability. Larry
     
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  20. 19Eddy30
    Joined: Mar 27, 2011
    Posts: 2,314

    19Eddy30
    Member
    from VA

    I have a set of Hoffman 32 rails , CHECK them, the set I have every body bolt hole where 1 inch to2-1/4 inches off , gas tank holes off by 1/2 to 1 inch , fire wall holes wrong location / backwards ( have 2 Original Fords ) frame was advertised for full fender car , No bolt holes . I have a original Ford sub rails , frame must have been drilled / stamped after a night of drinking , Try to contact Hoffman , No response , So I let the bank deal with . Hoffman parts are hit or miss!!
    Re-drilling holes / welding not to big of a deal
    "Time ", But that not what I paid for .
    I think about people that are building on a budget / limited tools or skill to correct problems. Then become discourage
     
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  21. Almostdone
    Joined: Dec 19, 2019
    Posts: 892

    Almostdone
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have the Gennie. I like the side detent they use. Reminds me of my dad’s old GTOs.
     
  22. error404
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 383

    error404
    Member
    from CA

    I'm pretty sure that the shifter in my 33 is a Lokar. It seems to work just fine, don't know how easy it was to install, it was on there when I got the truck. I'm guessing the shift knob is supposed to be black, but in the light it has a purple tint to it. FYI.
     
  23. missysdad1
    Joined: Dec 9, 2008
    Posts: 3,305

    missysdad1
    Member

    I did the research and pulled the trigger on a Gennie. I wanted one that mounted on the transmission not the floor, one with mechanical connection to the shift arm not cable, one that had side detents and one that I could custom fabricate my own shifter lever. The install isn't completed yet, but so far so good.
     
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  24. flatout51
    Joined: Jul 26, 2006
    Posts: 1,209

    flatout51
    Member

    I bought mine for my 33 pickup. It will be channeled and the rear bobbed so the stock holes do not matter to me. But mine are very close going off of the dimensions found on Wescotts website. Only issue I found was from the rear axle area back they spread a little wide. But that's an easy fix.

    Sent from my SM-G977U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  25. Jimbo von Cartier
    Joined: Nov 19, 2012
    Posts: 20

    Jimbo von Cartier
    Member

    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  26. DOCTOR SATAN
    Joined: Mar 21, 2014
    Posts: 710

    DOCTOR SATAN
    Member
    from okc

    Replaced bandm star shifter with a gennie, loved it...
     
  27. Blake 27
    Joined: Apr 10, 2016
    Posts: 1,504

    Blake 27

    I am biased, my brother Tom Phipps designed and started Gennie Shifter Co. in the early 80s.
    One of the things I like best is the shift pattern, identical to most modern column shift cars. It's intuitive after driving passenger cars for years.
    The two jam nuts on the right side of the shifter adjust the friction drag eliminating "bump" shifting.
    I thought I'd include a couple pics of an early Gennie Shifter add featuring the late Angela Aames. Ad shoot--2.jpg-final.jpg Ad shoot-.jpg-final.jpg
     
  28. uncle buck
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 1,876

    uncle buck
    Member

    Mine is that same early tubular mount design. It has worked flawlessly for 45 years - not that I noticed with Angela’s beauty in the same picture....


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
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  29. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,264

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Lokar. All I use for automatics.
     
  30. Rramjet1
    Joined: Mar 13, 2018
    Posts: 226

    Rramjet1

    Most of my cars have had Lokar and they worked great.
    Present car has Genie. I really like it.


    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    chryslerfan55 likes this.

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