My dad has a '52 1/2 ton 2wd Chevy pickup. It is running a hopped up 235 and is backed by a Saginaw car 4-speed. He is desperately trying to find a shifter for it because the restoration is done on the truck and he's ready to drive it! Lol. He ordered one through Patrick's (that's specific for this application) but it's been backordered for about 10 months!! This is literally the only thing left to do on the truck. Has anybody had any experience with this setup? Any suggestions on a shifter that he could use? More bolt-on, less hacking...the better.
I used a factory Vega shifter(might be kind of hard to find nowadays) when I installed a saginaw 4 speed in my 69 stepside.The shifter bolts to the floor,not the trans.I cut the stick and angled it forward to clear the bench seat.I drove the truck for years without any problems.
Try T&F Shifters out of Lebanon, OR. 541-451-1929. Ask for Mark. I have a 54 chevy pickup with the original 235 and put a Saginaw 4 speed on it and converted the rear end to open drive. Called T&F in early July 2015 and within a couple weeks i had the shifter and a week later it was on the road. I've got about 1,000 miles on it and could not be happier. $425 but it is worth every penny. Bolted right in. I've never installed a shifter on any transmission ever before then and if I can do it, just about anyone can. I did convert to front disk brakes and the new dual res master cylinder and tubing made it a little tight with the shifter linkage on the driver side of the transmission but a little adjusting and everything worked out great. Used center floor pan that came with trucks that had column shift and after cutting the hole in it screwed right back on. I had to make my own boot for the shifter but you could probably buy one to fit. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Back in the 70's I picked up a Hurst Competition Plus four speed shifter for $5 at a swap meet, I bought three shifting rods at the junk yard (I thought he screwed me at $15 for three), built my own bracket, cut the arms to the right length and it served me well for many years. This winter I decided that I needed to move the shifter up and to the rear (I can't reach as well as I did back then) so I did a new mount (just a piece of iron with four holes of which two were tapped for the shifter) recut the arms for the right length and it is more comfortable and seems to shift better. Now, none of my blathering really solved your problem, so.....I think if I were you I'd contact Hurst and see if they can come up with the parts (shifter and installation kit) you would need, then you can search on line for those exact parts. Good luck, sounds like a fun project.
This saga is still continuing. He ended up buying a Hurst shifter and has installed it. He said that everything seems to work great but that he can't seem to get it in reverse for some reason. He said that it shifts great into all four forward gears but the shifter won't even entertain moving over into the reverse position. He has adjusted and readjusted the linkage but no luck yet. If anyone has any ideas here, please let me know. And also a big "Thank You" to everyone that has contributed here.
If you are trying to get the shifter further forward, I did that on my 27 roadster. I took a peice of heavy angle iron and cut it so that it bolts to the back of the trans giving a base to bolt the hurst shifter to. I used a ban saw and fitted it tight to the case so,that the base lined up,with the shift arms. I then made the shift rods from left over pieces. I made the reverse rod as short as possible. It worked great. That was in 1995 and it is still going. I hope this helps.
Did you buy a whole installation kit, or mount to a home made bracket. I was installing a hurst shifter with a flat plate adapter in a 65 chevy truck and the main pin in the shifter would extend outside the shifter body and hit the plate, if I recall. Might need to cut a hole in the mount plate for clearance?
I've been waiting for my Patrick's shifter kit for two years now! (was told they were in stock when I ordered) Didn't take long to cash my check but I am still getting excuses on the shipping date. Last dime I spend at Patrick's.
Do you have any pictures of this shifter ? Thinking of similar combo in a 50 Chevy pickup but 283, Vega 4 speed.
SASROD may be right, that pin hitting won't let the lever go over to engage reverse. Worth a look. Lippy
My son put a Hurst shifter on a 4-speed Saginaw connected to a 327 SBC in a 1939 Chevy 1/2 ton truck, he loves it!
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