Transmission / Overdrive: Three speed floor shift?

[John Brayton]

Hi Guys,

I'm building a rat-rod using a 52 Champ engine and three speed tranny. I'm hoping to find a floor shift setup and avoid the column shifter. Did anyone make such a shifter?

Thanks!!

[SN-60]

Sure, many companies made floor shift conversions for the t-96 and its bigger brothers. Good deals can be found on high quality shifters such as the 'Hurst Syncro Loc' on ebay....which is where mine came from!

[John Brayton]

Sure, many companies made floor shift conversions for the t-96 and its bigger brothers. Good deals can be found on high quality shifters such as the 'Hurst Syncro Loc' on ebay....which is where mine came from!

That sounds promising....is Syncor Loc the parts name or is there a code?

[SN-60]

That sounds promising....is Syncor Loc the parts name or is there a code?

'Syncro-Loc'..was/is the name Hurst used for what is considered by most folks to be their best three speed floor shifter. Hurst made other good three speed shifters such as the 'Mystery Shifter'...but the 'Syncro-Loc' is the one to get if at all possible....Once again, it is no longer in production, but there is usually two or three good used ones for sale on e-bay most all the time....good luck!

[doofus]

Hey John, if using O.D. trans you will run into trouble with lock out cable. all the shifters are alike in this respect, takes a little extra engineering to sort out ,just be aware. Luck Doofus

[SN-60]

Hey John, if using O.D. trans you will run into trouble with lock out cable. all the shifters are alike in this respect, takes a little extra engineering to sort out ,just be aware. Luck Doofus

That's something to watch for on an O/D trans for sure, but to tell you the truth, I had no clearance problems with the O/D cable whatsoever on my Speedster install....The mounting bracket and shifter body also cleared the O/D lever itself. I did fabricate the mounting bracket though....the factory one placed the entire shifter to far rearward.

[rkapteyn]

Avanti never used the T10 4speed but had a 3 speed floor shifter for the T86 overdrive .
Can this be used in John's application?
I read about some complaints about the original shifters but I invite the experts to comment.

Robert Kapteyn

[SN-60]

Avanti never used the T10 4speed but had a 3 speed floor shifter
for the T86 overdrive .Can this be used in John's application?
I read about some complaints about the original shifters but I
invite the experts to comment.

Robert Kapteyn

I don't think so, because I believe the factory Studebaker Avanti three-speed standard shift linkage would place the entire shifter too far rearward.....BUT, I'm speaking of a C/K install. On John's Rat Rod the factory Avanti linkage would possibly fit OK.

[Flashback]

Check your PM John

[jclary]

I don't know how many were built, how many brands sold them, but I do know that three speed floor shift cars were available in the early sixties. I had a friend, who's father died at an early age, before I knew him. That left him and his mother alone on their rural farm. The reason I remember this particular car is that my Mom, and most women I knew at the time, wouldn't think of having anything but an automatic, no manual shift cars.

One day, Dean's mom drove up, as happy as could be, grinning from ear to ear. She was driving her brand new Plymouth Valiant, slant six engine, and a three speed manual floor shift. We were in our teens. Dean got his license shortly thereafter. When his mom was not looking, he kicked that little car around pretty bad. That shifter must have been built pretty tough, because I don't recall any problems, even after getting punished by my friend. I don't know what happened to that car, but a few weeks ago, I attended Dean's funeral. We hadn't kept in touch over the years, but it seems that he lived a pretty good life.

Before getting assigned for a year's government sponsored free trip to Vietnam (1967/68), I bought and completed a hot rod 53 Chevy truck. It was being built in the base hobby shop at Bergstrom AFB, Austin Tx. I installed an aftermarket three-speed floor shifter in it. The main thing I recall about that shifter was the nylon bushings in the shifter mechanism. When they wore, they would cause interference and hang ups. Keeping those bushings in place, lubricated, and the linkage adjusted, was critical to good service.


On the current availability of three speed floor conversions...If you find one, look for signs of wear. Make sure the linkages are tight, and not sloppy. If there are "plastic" looking bushings, try to determine if they are cheap plastic (that can become brittle and crack off) or some tougher material, such as, nylon or delrin. If you opt for metal bushings, remember, they will require frequent inspection and lubrication. Due to the location, shifter linkage is exposed to road grit and grime. Also, due to location, they are easy to neglect until problems occur.

It has been so long ago (now), that I don't recall all the details. However, I think I improvised some new bushings from copper or brass. Unfortunately, I had to sell the truck after returning from Vietnam to help pay some of my college expenses. After graduating from college, I was longing for another "old" truck when I accidentally stumbled across an "old" 1955 Studebaker truck....Have had it ever since.

[t walgamuth]

I have a three speed floor shift from a fifties corvette...56? Not sure. I bought it off ebay when I was planning to use the three speed od truck trannie in my CE. I'll sell it reasonably.

[PackardV8]

The Hurst Indy shifter is available new from Summit/Jegs/local retailers for cheap. It's not as good as the original, but with a bit of fabrication, it can be made to work with a rat rod.

First question to be answered, is your Champion from a car, with T96 tranny or from a truck with a T90 (would have T86 on the case)?

jack vines

[SN-60]

[QUOTE=PackardV8

First question to be answered, is your Champion from a car, with T96 tranny or from a truck with a T90 (would have T86 on the case)?

jack vines[/QUOTE]

Really not important what type of trans is behind John's Champion engine, as it is very unlikely he'll find a 'direct fit kit' for this application.
Better to find a good condition shifter unit first, with shifting rods and trans levers if at all possible. The mounting bracket itself will more than likely have to be custom made, as I've done twice on Studebaker installations in the last year.

[PackardV8]

Really not important what type of trans is behind John's Champion engine, as it is very unlikely he'll find a 'direct fit kit' for this application.
Better to find a good condition shifter unit first, with shifting rods and trans levers if at all possible. The mounting bracket itself will more than likely have to be custom made, as I've done twice on Studebaker installations in the last year.

But the top shifter conversion is especially fitting for a rat rod. In order to direct him to the correct threads covering these, we have to know which tranny he has.

jack vines

[RadioRoy]

It should be possible to take a top shifter from an earlier Jeep CJ and bolt that right into the transmission, if it's a T-96.