Aftermarket Auto shifter

[Silverback]

Anyone running an aftermarket automatic shifter?

What do you like/don't like? Why?

Pics?

 

[turtle5353]

Anyone running an aftermarket automatic shifter?

What do you like/don't like? Why?

Pics?

Heres a thread with a little info. http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-looking-for-shifter-help

I installed a B&M Sport ratchet shifter in mine and love it. Had to trim the console some to get it to fit but i didnt mind. turned out pretty decent. I like the ratchet shifter because you never have to worry about missing a shift (hitting nuetral at 5500 rpm!). Heres a pic

 

[cazsper]

I actually have the same shifter and love it. First of all, it just looks cool (if I have to have an automatic, it should at least look cool). When I bought my '73, it had some other shifter with a broken handle. I also like the positive shifting. Not to mention, my wife can't seem to figure out the reverse lockout so she doesn't want to drive it..lol.

Since I don't have a console, I didn't have to deal with fitment issues.

 

[pegasus]

Having the same delema myself at the moment, will be having my C6 rebuilt with a reverse pattern full manual valve boby, so need a shifter thats back to front pattern wise. I couldn't make up my mind on either a B&M Hammer shifter or a Hurst V-Matic so I brought both, I like the look of the Hurst but i think the Hammer will be a better fit into the console...

 

[Mister 4x4]

Pegasus, you need to check with Summit - they also have some right-hand drive versions of the B&M Megashifter, Starshifter, and Sportshifter. Hopefully, Hurst has one too, for your purposes (I'm making an assumption based on your location).

I've been tossing around the idea of an aftermarket shifter as well. I've recently done an AOD conversion, and must either rebuild and adapt (to the AOD cable configuration) the factory shifter, or make the AOD's factory shifter ('89 Mustang GT donor) fit into the console - which will look kinda weird because the Fox-body mounting point is at more of a sloping angle away from the firewall than the '71-'73, therefore, the shifter itself is shaped much differently.

I've always loved the look of the B&M Megashifter since I first saw one in a mid-'80s Trans Am. The Hammer Shifter looks great as well, and seems to look like it might fit into the full console without too much trimming, unlike the Megashifter, Starshifter, and Sportshifter (which look quite a bit larger and will require some trimming or 'something'). I'm just not entirely sure about the Hammershifter because I haven't read-up on its specs (physical dimensions, et al) to know what it's all about. I'm hoping to not have a shifter sticking up so high that you could use it as a coat hanger, and the Megashifter has an 11.75" height from the mounting surface - which sadly, seems just a little much to me as the factory full console rides fairly low based on everything I've seen. When I find some specs on the Hammershifter, and now the Hurst V-Matic, I might have more options to consider.

Whatever I do find out, I'll be sharing of course.

 

[Silverback]

I would kill for something like the TCI streetfighter for the new mustangs:

http://www.tciauto.com/tc/streetfighter-reg-05-09-ford-mustang-ratchet-shifter.html

but I've already talked to them about trying to adapt it to other applications and they seem to indicate that it would be next to impossible. I have 2 different cars that I'd use one in if I had any faith that it could be done (this one with a 3 speed C6, the other with a GM 4 speed), but I'm not sure that I'm up for spending >$500 on an experiment to see if I can get it working.

Can anyone think of something with a similar look/function that does come with a ford 3 speed gate?

 

[Mister 4x4]

I would kill for something like the TCI streetfighter for the new mustangs:

http://www.tciauto.com/tc/streetfighter-reg-05-09-ford-mustang-ratchet-shifter.html

but I've already talked to them about trying to adapt it to other applications and they seem to indicate that it would be next to impossible. I have 2 different cars that I'd use one in if I had any faith that it could be done (this one with a 3 speed C6, the other with a GM 4 speed), but I'm not sure that I'm up for spending >$500 on an experiment to see if I can get it working.

Can anyone think of something with a similar look/function that does come with a ford 3 speed gate?

Ha! That's almost exactly what the '89 Mustang/AOD shifter looks like - there might be a little more slope to it, though. The big difference is the lock-out button is on the side, just like the factory '71-'73 automatic shifter though.

I wanted to actually use it because it 'looks' factory enough (and is already matched up to the cable and everything), but the slope will cause the 'Park' end to be almost 2 inches lower than the 'back-end' of the shifter itself... which would look quite goofy, I believe.

I need to actually take the full console in and test-fit everything. It might not be as bad as I think (although I'm not optimistic). I'll take some pictures, of course.

 

[Silverback]

When I was a kid I always wanted a megashifter, but after seeing a couple of rather badly installed versions in person I decided that was way too clunky for me. In pictures I think the v-matic looks kind of clunky, but I don't know that I've seen one in person, but it seems almost universally liked, I kind of wonder if I got my hands on one if I'd end up liking it.

I like the cleaner lines of something like the Promatic, b&M quicksilver the, the b&m ProRachet... (I really like clean, functional lines, and this thing will definitely see some hard street and serious track use if I ever get it running), the thing is that I haven't seen many of them in person (funny, I used to work at a speed shop). the b&m designs really speak to me in pictures, but I'm worried that a lot of people say that when they get them next to comparable hurst products they aren't as nice.

I wish i could see a bunch of them and get my hands on them, I know that I don't want something like the cheetah/winters style gated race shifters... they're beefy, strong and functional, but just not what you want to see in a street car.

Ha! That's almost exactly what the '89 Mustang/AOD shifter looks like - there might be a little more slope to it, though. The big difference is the lock-out button is on the side, just like the factory '71-'73 automatic shifter though.
I wanted to actually use it because it 'looks' factory enough (and is already matched up to the cable and everything), but the slope will cause the 'Park' end to be almost 2 inches lower than the 'back-end' of the shifter itself... which would look quite goofy, I believe.

I need to actually take the full console in and test-fit everything. It might not be as bad as I think (although I'm not optimistic). I'll take some pictures, of course.

I don't remember the fox mustang shifters looking all that sloped, but I haven't been in one for a few years. My brother has a similar vintage LTD (LX, 5.0, aod..., actually a cool car for an 80's 4 door) with a floor shifter and it looks _a lot_ like the factory shifter in my 71, but without the chrome, it's actually an OK looking shifter. I might be able to find a picture of it if you're interested (probably in the background from when we were welding a rollbar in it)

 

[pegasus]

Pegasus, you need to check with Summit - they also have some right-hand drive versions of the B&M Megashifter, Starshifter, and Sportshifter. Hopefully, Hurst has one too, for your purposes (I'm making an assumption based on your location).

G'Day Mister, This is one of those rare occasions when the US stuff is a bonus, I will be leaving the 72 Mach left hand drive, In my state W.A [Western Australia] we now have Vintage registration for cars 25 years or older and when importing cars built before 1989, there is not need to convert them to RHD, only need an automotive engineer to look over the car and sign off on a report saying the car is structually sound and complient to Australian ADR's [Australian Design Rules] for a car manufactured in Australia in that year [1972], If that makes sense?

 

[Silverback]

I think I'm down to 3 possibilities, I posted a pole. Please vote!

 

[Mister 4x4]

I don't remember the fox mustang shifters looking all that sloped, but I haven't been in one for a few years. My brother has a similar vintage LTD (LX, 5.0, aod..., actually a cool car for an 80's 4 door) with a floor shifter and it looks _a lot_ like the factory shifter in my 71, but without the chrome, it's actually an OK looking shifter. I might be able to find a picture of it if you're interested (probably in the background from when we were welding a rollbar in it)

I'll get a picture of my '89 Mustang shifter sitting flat in the stock shifter space, and maybe even one with the full console around it as well. If it's all good, then I'll just go with it (because it actually does shift just fine... it would purely be an aesthetics issue).

But if it's as goofy as I think it will be, I'll either need to boost up the front portion of the shifter with some spacers/shims, or go with a different solution.

Either way, while I was poking around on Summit last night, I discovered a cool shifter cable heat shield that I will be picking up regardless of what set-up I go with. The shifter cable is crazy close to the drive side header collector, and having something that would protect against all that heat would be required, I think.

 

[auron73mach1]

mine has a hurst after market on it but I'm not sure what kind

 

[Silverback]

Well, you guys have seen the 3 shifters that i narrowed it down to (with a distant possible 4th: Hurst Promatic 2).

I stopped by Speed Unreasonable (well I haven't been there for like 15years but used to frequent them enough that I still recognized some of the guys, and even told them last night that we used to call them that and that it's no longer the case, they actually meet Jegmit prices without the handling fee but with taxes... i thought I was just going to look but... Check them out, Speed Unlimited in MD, good mail order prices too!) and looked at a few of them.

They had the Promatic, Hammer (fox body console version, but good enough to get an idea) and ProRatchet in stock and i got to play with all of them.

In order of height:

• proratchet - just over 9"
  
• hammer - just over 10"
  
• promatic - just over 11"
  
• quicksilver - yea, they didn't have one there, but they did have the dimensions, over 12"
  

that ruled out the quicksilver, the promatic felt like it was on the tall side

Feel:

• the hammer was nice but it felt a bit like a toy, or like a factory shifter. It's probably fine, but if I had one I could see going through it and cleaning/tightening it up. I really didn't like the handle
  
• promatic- it felt really good going front to back. It is supposed to be the same action as the quicksilver, I really liked the lift up to get past the lockout. I suspect that I'd like the quicksilver too (it looks beefier int he pics) with a shorter stick. It did feel a bit sloppy side to side but it really was quite acceptable. I suspect that this one would really be the nicest if you wanted something that looks and works aggressive in a street car
  
• Pro ratchet- this thing is beefy... the mechanism/bracket assembly/floor mount is easily, by far the heaviest that I saw, it was all made of heavier guage steel, even the stick was thicker and heavier. the mechanism was by far the most positive feeling OTOH, it's very industrial/purpose built looking, with just a simple brushed aluminum cover and plastic simple indicator (probably a pro for me, a con for everyone that was standing there with me). The action is heavier than the promatic, I'm not sure if that's a pro or con without using it, it feels very positive and substantial.
  

So guess what followed me home:

I'll probably end up doing something to dress up the look a little (right now I'm considering turning my own billet knob, maybe a custom gear indicator plate), but for right now I'm pretty happy with what I've seen.

FWIW, for those of you that don't know Hurst and B&M are the same company now and you can see it in their products (like they both had the same bag of parts to adapt their cable to the transmission linkage), but it looks like B&M stuff generally gets a better selection of hardware (the Promatic looks a lot like the entry/street versions of the B&M stuff, not that that's a bad thing. the other side of that is that the Promatic is also _MUCH_ cheaper $149, and the Pro Ratchet is the most expensive $204 (actually, I didn't check the price on the quicksilver since they didn't have one, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's more, if it's built at all like the pro ratchet + the extra dress up stuff). If money is an object, I don't think anyone would be disappointed with the Promatic, it's a nice shifter. I just went with the Pro Ratchet because it was a little nicer (more substantial), I liked the fact that it was the shortest (I've had a tenancy of cutting down the sticks in all of my cars, significantly, and if it turns out to be too short for whatever I decide to do for a console it would be easy enough to build a base to space it up), and I liked the fact that it can be setup with a 4 speed gate (in case I want to swap in an OD later, or if I decide that it's too "industrial" for this car it will fit right in in my TA)

 

[73 MACH 1 MAN]

Thats the same shifter I bought but from jegs. Speed Unreasonable will match the price with the attached admin fees but te tax keot me from buying it there. 12 bucks is 12 bucks and I got it in 2 days!! I also bought the B&M "T" Handle with the switch in it for my Line Lock!

I bought a 8 Point Rollbar from SU on 11/28 but the didnt have the loop. They told me it would arrive in 2 weeeks. Well after many calls and always being promised 1 more week I called them tis morning and they told me up to another 2 weeks. I told him that wouldnt work I needed to get my car together to get it to the bodyshop. So he came back and told me he found it through another Warehouse and would have it in tomorrow. Not very happy with them right now! If it doesnt arrive tomorrow I going to demand to cancel the order!

 

[auron73mach1]

 

[nosdelacruz]

Hurst quarter stick all the way!

 

[Mister 4x4]

Here's what I was talking about with the stock '89 Mustang GT (Fox body) AOD shifter. Because the back end of the indicator housing sits so high, I'm thinking there's a little more slope than originally thought.

If I can make some kind of adapter or spacer for the front of the shifter and have it all work with the full console without looking dumb, then I'll stick with it. Otherwise, I'm thinking a B&M Megashifter is in order.

 

[Silverback]

Yea, that's going to be ugly even if you do get it to work.

Sorry I can't find a better picture of the shifter in my brother's LTD, but you can kind of see the profile of the base here (yea, partially blocked blocked by the steering wheel. I can try to get you a better picture but I believe that this is the same one that was used in all the similar vintage (early/mid 80's) fox chassis based bigger cars (LTD, Marquis, T-bird, Cougar, Fairmont...) with a floor shifter. These cars were available with an AOD so it should be a drop in for your application, and will bolt to the floor or to a flat console.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Yea, that's going to be ugly even if you do get it to work.

Sorry I can't find a better picture of the shifter in my brother's LTD, but you can kind of see the profile of the base here (yea, partially blocked blocked by the steering wheel. I can try to get you a better picture but I believe that this is the same one that was used in all the similar vintage (early/mid 80's) fox chassis based bigger cars (LTD, Marquis, T-bird, Cougar, Fairmont...) with a floor shifter. These cars were available with an AOD so it should be a drop in for your application, and will bolt to the floor or to a flat console.

I can't see the picture from here at work (dang proxy server), but I know what you're talking about because my '82 Mustang had a shifter almost exactly like the ones in our cars. I'll be doing some more research either way, but an early Fox-body shifter might be the way to go.

I also have another thing to work on: the AOD has the reverse light switch and neutral lock-out switch internal to the transmission. Those things on our factory transmissions are all found on the shifter itself. Whether I go with plugging those things into an aftermarket (or later-model) shifter or the transmission itself, I'll be adapting 'something.' I'm thinking it'll be easier to just adapt the AOD harness itself and plug into the tranny, and not have to worry about it with whatever shifter I go with (still gotta get lights to the indicator though). I'm open to any suggestions, however.