Need a clean looking race shifter

[dohcsvt]

I have a 73 Mach1 that was originally a 351c 2v/FMX/2.73 open diff. Currently a 460/C6/3.73 locker. It still has the stock shifter in it as I have never wanted to cut up the console. However, I am now ready to start tracking the car and would like to install a ratchet shifter or similar, but want it to look clean. It doesn’t have to look completely stock, but I don’t want it to look gaudy. If anyones has a recommendation I would really appreciate it. I have tried to think of a way to modify the stock gate to only allow shifting forward one gear at a time with a positive stop, but I can’t think of anything. Thanks in advance.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

There are 2 shifter that I can think of that will probably fit in the stock console, one is a gated shifter that will definitely accomplish what you want and the other is a detent shifter and I am not sure how positive stops will be with it.
- The first one is the B&M Unimatic, that shifter tries to mimic the 4 speed look. It should be small enough to fit on your car inside the console space. It has like a 12-13 inch handle, and has a positive stop feature that I am not sure how well it works. When put into your car you would just use a 4 speed boot over the shifter and you should be able to keep your console. Car will look as if it had a 4 speed shifter in it.
- The second one is the Clayton Machine gated shifter, that is now owned and sold by Lokar. This shifter is gated and will positively stop on your second gear shift. That shifter has a very small bolt pattern and I am almost positive that it will fit in the stock shifter location and fit inside your console. You would probably need to cover it with a 4 speed boot too, but if you look at the way that shifter is made, I would not doubt that you could fit it inside the steel housing case where the stock shifter fits, and have just the handle sticking out of the floor. Since you can replace the handle on that shifter, you could modify your stock handle and mount it on the shifter mechanism, and then put your plastic shifter bezel back in and make everything look stock. Would probably be a pain to do, but it may be possible to do it.
Here is the clayton machine shifter: