4 speed shifter problems need help here

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trudysduster

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well I bought a new set of shifter rods for this 4 speed A833 going into an a body. tried to hook them up and they didn't work. It seems that the shifter I have Hurst shifter (3917993) is not the correct shifter for an a body 1973 Dart Sport. I think it crosses to a B E body. according to what I have found, I need either a 3914076 or a 3916789 for this 1973 Dart Sport. can anybody confirm this and tell me if that is the Hurst shifter I need for this application here. I am getting real discouraged and aggravated tonight with this situation. I probably need to put this up and leave it alone for now. we just found out tonight that a close family member of my wife has 12-24 hours to live and we will be probably be leaving for Gulfport, Ms. sat. morning for a funeral. She cannot get out before then and it is tough. But I need to go ahead and put this out there so maybe someone can guide me through this and I can get the right shifter here. ANY help on this would greatly be appreciated. Thanks,Bill
 
Best thing to do in these situations,is walk away. Leave it for another day.
Come back with a clear head. Things work much better that way.

In the mean time,get a diagram of an A body 4 speed.
Make sure the shifter levers and rods are installed correct.
I'm guessing you have something installed incorrectly.

Tip: Both shift levers must be in neutral when installing the shift rods.
 
one of the rods will not fit in the hole on the shifter. the rods are new from PG Classics and supposed to be for the a body . I am going to walk away. have a funeral to go to. be back next week. please check the shifter #'s I posted. not sure if the shifter is correct. I am lost on this stuff.
 
Here is a pic of both the first is 4 spd the next is overdrive
 

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I may try that when we get back home. is there a big difference in the shifter for an a body verses a B E body. If the rods are the right ones how far off is the 2 shifters.
 
Not sure I'd drill the shifter yet. Tough to fix that if wrong. Maybe you can get a different end for the rod.
 
They are the same. Some hurst shifters have bushings on the ends. Of the rods. Replacement rods are bigger to be used without the bushings. Is it the reverse rod you are having problems with? The others are easily fix by changing the adjuster. I have the adjusters
 
ok, I had a minute to take some pics of what I have here. let me know if anything stands out here. I think the bottom rod is too long. can you tell anything. the hole in the shifter is too small for the rod.
 

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He had the rods going to the wrong hole. I changed them. 3rd-4th gear to the outside hole.1st-2nd to the center hole and reverse to the inside small hole.reverse hole is too small for the adjuster. I cant get the 1st-2nd gear to move back and forth. my rods don't look like the rods you show in the picture. whats wrong in this picture.
 
ok, I had a minute to take some pics of what I have here. let me know if anything stands out here. I think the bottom rod is too long. can you tell anything. the hole in the shifter is too small for the rod.

Do not drill the reverse hole out !!!!
You have your reverse rod backwards. The adjusting part goes forward.
 
1. Shifter mechanism has a hole to align all the shifter plates. Get a drill bit and push it through the shifter,with all the plates lined up.
In your pic 2, you can see the hole.

2. Make sure all levers are in neutral.

3. Look at the diagram,and follow it to a T.
 
Old man Mopar showed you 2 pics.
First pic is of a standard A833.
Second pic is a overdrive 833.
Notice how the forward shift plate is reversed.
Unless you have an OD trans,follow the first pic,or the diagram I gave you.
 
ok, I see what you are talking about. I did turn the reverse rod the other way but there is no way the rod will go in the holes. the small end will fit in the shifter now but the other end where it goes into the plate hits and will not allow the rod to go through the hole. it is hitting. look at the pics. is that the correct reverse rod I have. or did they send me the wrong ones. I have to do some things this evening to get ready to leave for the funeral in the morning. May not get back on this till later, but I will. thanks for the help. will check back later tonight. I tell you, I will be the first to tell you this. this is my first time dealing with one of these in over 40 years. I don't know sh*t about them so bear with me. I really appreciate the help. Bill
 

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johnny dart, you talking about the rod going through the forward shift plate being reversed. I see the rod reversed, not the plate itself.
 
one of these shift plates is offset, the other 2 is flat. I think he put it in the wrong place. I bet the flat ones go on the forward gears and the offset plate goes on the reverse. maybe that is why the rod will not fit properly. After I get home later tonight I may be able to try moving these around and playing with this.
 
Ok..Lets get some terms straight.
Shift levers....Attach to the trans.
Shift Rods....Self explanatory.

The very forward shift lever = 3rd an 4th gear
Middle shift lever = 1st an 2nd gear
Bottom shift lever = Reverse

There are 2 flat shift levers and an angled shift lever.
The angled lever goes on 1st an 2nd gear.
My shift levers actually are stamped what they are,on them.

Before you do anything,make sure "All" shift levers are in neutral.
When in neutral,the tail shaft should spin.
If your trans is not in neutral,it will never shift correctly.

Start with the 2nd an 3rd rod. Look at the diagram.Install it exactly as pictured.
Now install the 3rd an 4th gear.
Lastly reverse.
 
In the last pics you showed us.
Look at the 1st an 2nd shift lever.

Now look at the rest of the pics we gave you.
Notice anything different ?

The shift rod needs to enter the other side of the shift lever.

Again: Can't state this enough. Make sure the trans is in neutral !

So what year/car are these off of ?
Original or aftermarket ?
 
"Before you do anything,make sure "All" shift levers are in neutral."

Pin in the shifter too!
 
Ok, went out and set the tranny right side up on the table. made sure the gears was in neutral. both front and rear spline turns freely. Put a drill bit in the shifter as seen in the pic. put the angled shift lever back on the bottom. turned the rods like shown in the pic.3rd-4th gear rod went in the outside hole fine. BUT as seen in the pic I could not adjust the other 2 rods in enough to get them in the holes. I am talking about the 1st-2nd rod and the reverse rod. It lacks about a good inch to inch and a half or more to get shortened up enough to get in the hole. Do you think they sent me the wrong rods. Bill
 

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Try hooking it up without the pin in the shifter.

What are these levers suppose to be out of ?
Factory or Aftermarket ?
 

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Daves69, I removed the shifter and took a pic behind the shifter. it looks like there is a plate on it. Johnny, I am pretty sure if I pulled the drill bit out it may hook up. but is that what I need to do . these levers came with the rods I bought from P G classics. I took a pic of the levers that was on the tranny. I believe they are factory. they have numbers on them. Tyler went and pulled the old levers off and didn't look to see how they went. he put the new ones on that came from P G. He probably should have left that alone and just messed with the rods. I didn't know he was doing that. Had a long talk with him about not paying attention to how and what he takes off on these old cars. what about this adapter plate. do they have different ones for different applications. I don't know what this tranny came out of or what the shifter came out of. looking at the pic of the reverse rod on the tranny above ( Johnny Dart)and looking at the one on mine, they look different. there is a second bend on his which would make it shorter than mine. I don't know what it is. I am going to have to look at this a little closer next week when I get back. I have a funeral to go to tomorrow 750 miles south of me. going to be a long day. look at the pis below of the adapter plate and of the levers that was on the tranny and see if you can tell anything from that. I will be back about Wednesday and hopefully have tome to figure this out. I appreciate all the help you guys are giving me. I believe I would have sold this turd by now if not or put an automatic back in it. Thanks, Bill
 

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