I'm trying to source a 3 spd floor shifter to install on my 56 Sky Hawk T86 w/OD. Since no matter what I come up with, I'm going to need to fab up mounts and shift rods and rod mounts for the shift forks, it would APPEAR that I can buy just about ANY shifter. Am I correct in assuming this? I'm stock piling parts for the trip home to NY this spring to put on/in the Hawk, and I'd LIKE to come up with what I can for a Shifter...Preferably a Hurst Straight Line Any help, guys?...
-
-
Perhaps this article found on Bob's Studebaker site will help-refers to a hurst conversion, but I'm sure it would help with others.
Also: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...-Floor-ShifterLast edited by karterfred88; 03-03-2016, 02:18 PM. -
If possible, try to source a Hurst 'Syncro Loc' three speed shifter....These are about the highest quality three speed floor shifter ever made, and good used ones (And sometimes NOS ones) show up on e-bay all the time.
E-bay is where I found the Syncro Loc I installed into my Speedster (The Doctor's Car)...and I'm quite happy with it (T-86 O/D)
If you buy a used one, try to find one that came out of a Ford...the mounting brackets and rods are all very similar to Studebaker!
Attached FilesComment
-
-
Gotta Love those Speedster Dashes, they are angled just right to aim the Instruments straight into your Eyes!
The ONLY thing I don't like about my '57 Golden Hawk Dash in the '54 Starliner is that it is straight up and down.
Last edited by StudeRich; 03-03-2016, 05:56 PM.StudeRich
Second Generation Stude Driver,
Proud '54 Starliner Owner
SDC Member Since 1967Comment
-
Thanks Rich,...and I'd say a '57 GH dashboard in a '54 Starliner is a 'natural'!
Comment
-
For better or worse, this is what I bought...out of a Ford Pick-Up. For the money, it was the most complete, and in the best condition. I'll need to replace the "universal" shifter arms. They just don't look Like something I'd like to use...
Last edited by 345 DeSoto; 03-05-2016, 03:07 PM.Comment
-
I'm fairly 'up to speed' on this, and it looks to me like you chose well!
That Hurst Indy shifter is a good choice....and the main mounting bracket in the picture looks like it will line up with the upper rear bolt in the T-86 case.
The smaller bracket should span across the top of the T-86 case to the other top rear bolt.
Don't throw away those shift rods....I can tell that they are Hurst (from the ends) and should work OK. (at least for 'normal' shifting!)
....PS..although those universal shifter arms look kind of funky, they can be mounted in several different positions, and work VERY nicely!Last edited by SN-60; 03-05-2016, 04:13 PM.Comment
-
Why not keep it on the column? My 56J has been on the column almost 160,000 miles now, and is yet to wear out a single shift component. I swapped the 62GT from floor shift back to column 35,000-40,000 miles ago, and it still works perfectly.
There is nothing wrong with floor shift, but IMHO, cars that came with column shift look better if kept that way. It would be different if column shifts had inherent problems. But once totally disassembled, lubed, and reassembled correctly, they are as dependable as floor shift. Matter of fact, I wore out a couple of floor shifters in the 62GT.Comment
-
To each his own Joe, but I strongly doubt that Hurst floor shifters have the excellent reputation (and following) they have enjoyed over many years simply because the shifter lever has a nice chrome plate job!!
(To put it another way,.....why would someone add a PCV system to a 56J engine when the stock oil fill & road draft tubes, as Packard designed, certainly look much more 'original'?
)
Comment
-
SN-60 - One thing I like about the Hurst kit is the shifter rods...substantial and infinitely adjustable. I'll take your advice on the arms. BTW, I have a white 4 speed shift knob, off one of my old cars, that I'll be using...
JOEHALL - I learned to drive using a floor shifter (Model A), and all my subsequent cars with standard shift have been floor shift. I just don't care for column shift...Last edited by 345 DeSoto; 03-06-2016, 07:37 AM.Comment
-
While I was in the Air Force, most bases had a "hobby" shop. In 1967, I bought an unfinished '53 Chevy truck hotrod from another airman being reassigned overseas. The setup was a 327 from a wrecked Vette, standard three speed, connected to a rear end from an Olds. Included in the parts was some kind of floor shift conversion kit. (Probably bought from Western Auto, or Sears back then.) I managed to finish cobbling the parts together and got the truck licensed and on the road.
That cheap shifter mechanism was a nightmare. The combination of my inexperience, cheap plastic bushings, flimsy brackets, and poor alignment spoiled any benefit I thought I would have from the "cool" factor of having a floor shift. For the first few weeks, shifting that thing was an adventure in itself. I was constantly crawling under the truck tinkering and adjusting. Finally, I found a Hurst kit similar to the one you have. By that time, I had learned a lot about the mechanics of the shifter mechanism. Installing the better, more substantial Hurst, taught me that it is extremely important to install the shift mechanism "square" to the transmission linkage. That is, to make certain that each of the shift levers move freely in a straight line, and that "neutral" is truly neutral. In addition,when in the neutral position... extreme left or right movement does not, in any way, clash or interfere with the opposing gear lever.
By the time I had installed the Hurst mechanism, I had pretty much worked through the troubles with the cheap shifter. I had replaced the plastic bushings with a combination of homemade copper bushings, and washers, realigned the mounting brackets, and taken the mystery out of the shift motion. I sold that mechanism to another airman to pretty much offset the cost of the Hurst. It taught me that, even with the cheap units, good alignment, lubrication, and durable components are key.John Clary
Greer, SC
SDC member since 1975Comment
-
As mentioned above, nothing wrong with aftermarket floor shifts. My 56J in the late 1960s had one, installed by a prior owner, who'd also removed the hubcaps and painted the wheels flat black.
To me nowadays, OEM column shift in Studes is just personal preference. Yesteryear, I drove the 62GT with a floor shift about 250,000 miles, and it worked OK. But I replaced it twice, due to wear out. All were "Syncro Loc" design, originally by Hurst, then Fox-Craft, then Mr. Gasket IIRC. I do not recall any differences.
Similar to column shift, all the above begin to get sticky if the sliding plates are not greased every 20,000 miles or so. To do that, it is necessary to remove the boot, cock the lever to one side, and use a thin screwdriver with grease on the tip. While at it, then is a good time to tweak the rods, which will need increasingly frequent adjustments as the shifter wears. The wear is on the ends of the stud that aligns with the holes in the plates, and the plate holes themselves. With wear, the once crisp neutral becomes increasingly sloppy, as does column shift. So as with column shift, a floor shift is not, "set it and forget it". Anyone who has not experienced the above, simply has not driven their Stude enough.
My point is, if trying to, "fix" a Stude by adding a floor shift, the column shift is not broken. Either is OK, its just personal preference, along with flat black wheels, LOLLast edited by JoeHall; 03-06-2016, 08:04 AM.Comment
-
Back in the day we would go to Western Auto and buy a Fox Craft shifter for
$19.95. I believe they were made from recycled soup cans so you never never
tried to power shift. They looked cool though.Comment
-
There have always been several styles/price levels of floor shift conversions. There are flimsy, wimpy ones that are POS from day one. And there are beefy ones that will take a lickin and keep on tickin. IMHO, the only ones worth installing are the beefy ones, with rectangular shaped shift lever, and all metal components. They also come with an assortment of plates and rods, so it can be adapted to fit just about any 3-speed stick shift tranny.Originally posted by paul shuffleburg View PostComment
-
What HE said ^^^^^^Comment
Comment