HOW TO: Installing a Lokar Nostalgia on a TH350

I just installed this tonight and while the paper documentation gave all of the needed info I figured some pics would help somebody out there.

I wont go over the step-by-step from the instructions but I will explain what is done in each picture, and there are A LOT of pictures....

Item: 23" Lokar Nostalgia ATS6350AN
Transmission: GM TH350
Car: Bastardized Model A

Here is the shifter unboxed and laid out


Here is what is actually measured. The 23" is the amount of the stick and knob minus all the working bits below.


The first step in installing these aluminum guides/bushings in the side of the trans, one goes in each hole in the trans (one on each side)


The side mounts, and tail mount then get loosely fitted onto the center piece.


Underside of the same piece


The top bolts come out of the tail


The sides are screwed into the bushings we installed earlier, the brackets themselves are threaded.


Secured with a jamb nut. I will note that there are bolts for the tail piece however I didn't feel they grabbed enough thread so I reused the ones I had in there.


The shift lever assembly is fitted on, you can choose where it sits on the center bracket.


Installed


The heim is installed on the lever assembly


Heim and lever arm on the transmission


The rod is measured and installed, secured with jamb nuts


Other side


Check the gears and the neutral safety switch


and admire your work.....










I am very happy with the install and the feel of the product. I don't want to turn this into another Lokar vs. Gennie debate. My decision was literally based on pricing and availability - I ordered it yesterday and it arrived today.

Hope this helps somebody, someday

UPDATED - Added some tips from fellow users;

 

Cool...this will come in handy if I go with that trans.

Does it have a reverse lockout feature?
if not, other than "don't hit it", how does it prevent you from throwing it into reverse while driving along?

Do the handles come in different lengths?

 

Good post man and thats going to be a radical car when finished.There is nothing wrong with a LOKAR shifter if installed right.

 

Great post.This shifter has a gate system that keep it from going into reverse.Only problem that I don`t like is the gate is open from 2nd to neutral.This means if you at highway speed in drive and lean on the shifter it can fall back into second. Won`t go to first. Don`t know why their shifter are like this but the last two I installed(on a Ford tranny) were like this.Are the chevys set up the same way??

 

Great post! The a is coming along nicely.

 

Yes there are detents and a button has to be pressed down in the center of the knob to move it.

There are quite a few lengths and styles available.

Thanks, I'm just taking a break from sheetmetal work for a bit doing some mechanicals, I am still hoping for it to be driving this year, finished is still a ways off....

Yep, same issue/feature

Get back to work on your car.....

 

Don't forget the final step which is to tighten the nut & jamb nut on the right side of the shifter to keep it from popping down into second as you are flying down the highway.

 

I need to double check mine now to make sure I remembered that bit

Love your car BTW, you have good taste

 

For reference how far are you channelled ??

 

Here are some reference pics. I would have to measure the channel, but it's quite a bit. The chop is around 4 and it was shortened 18.5.

 

I'd add to double-check the nuts holding the wires to the neutral safety switch. Mine loosened up a couple times resulting in unplanned stops till I Locktite'd them .

 

Great post! I have the same setup and works well. One thing I did was add Loctite to all the screws.

 

I added a few of your tips to the first post for others.

 

Uploaded some more pics....

 

I will be installing one on my ford AOD. I am sure the procedure will be the same. I was wondering what length to get for my T and was thinking of the 23 inch, however, after seeing yours I believe it will be taller than I want. Will probably go shorter now. Thanks for sharing.

 

The height really depends on your setup. My body is very channeled and the trans sits up a bit, it would have looked completely different in my roadster.

 

looks familiar..700r-4 set up

 

Only difference looks to be in the side brackets.

 

Thanks for the PM's guys yes I removed the pics from the server but they are back now.

Hope they help.

 

Thanks for posting these pics. this will be some good help in the near future.

 

How long is the shifter throw from Park to Low with the Lokar/TH350 setup?


I should be getting my Lokar in the mail this week and want to try to figure out (as close as possible) where the shifter should mount on the bracket. It looks like it would be a lot easier to get things setup outside the car before reinstalling the engine.

 

The right side triangle mounting bracket from main bracket to the trans housing is a good place to mount a original style park brake lever. That what I did on my '37. It was easy to locate and I only drilled one extra hole. Even the original front to rear brake rod fit. Joe

 

Hey thanks for the post!

I bought mine used and just threw it in a few years ago , naturally didn't know any instructions or what parts I was missing

I've never been able to get the revers lockout or anything to work properly.

I sure wish I'd realized I could move the shifter back before I installed it! When I put mine in park the shifter hits my A/C unit before springing back about an inch, if that makes sense.

I installed mine with the floor cut out so it was a lot easier than most.

On my friend's lowered 54 chevy he finally just dropped the trans to install it.

EDIT: I'm sure I don't have the side bushings which has got to be causing me some excess movement, like when I put the car in park, for instance.

I got sick of fooling with the thing and went on to other stuff, but when I get back I'll see if I can't come up with something to fix that. yay!

 

HA!..great minds think alike..planning on doing that with my original A hand brake lever

 

THANKS for posting this Probesport. I am finishing up putting a 350/350 in my 65 Chev truck and have been shopping Lokar and other shifters. Your post along with the great comments and follow-ups gives me the info I needed to decide. I will probably get the 17 inch single bend shifter and floor brake (I think they come in black) kit so it will look as original as possible.
Joe

 

Yep, good point. I had that problem with the Lokar in my 23 . If I hit a bump or bridge joint on the interstate it would drop down into 2nd.....scared the hell out of me each time. I finally tightened up the nut and jam nut and never happened again. I actually like the Lokars and plan on using one in the next car.

One thing I might add. Some people object to the little button you have to push down to change gears, but if you add the adapter and a larger knob, like the 8 ball one, it makes shifting so much easier and comfortable. All you have to do is lay your palm on top of it and push the whole knob down............so much better.

Don

 

FWIW, on the picture marked," heim and lever on trans ", the shift selector shaft threads dont appear to be at all into the Nylon part of the Nylock. I like to use a thin nut with a external star washer on mine with a drop of blue lock-tite. Years of trouble free service and reliability. Hope that helps. TR

 

I had that problem with my swan handle Lokar shifter. It would sometimes jump into neutral, other times down to 2nd. That long shifter handle gets to whipping fore and aft over road bumps. I had to grind a slot in the detent plate for the drive position to fix the problem. Don't know why the good folks at Lokar didn't think to do that.

 

Great post. It has helped me make several decisions for my 41. Seeing the height of your shifter really helped. Thanks.