Bench Seat & Floor Shifter....Ideas? Concepts?

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71Dartman440

Kansas440
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Curious...Any picts out there with bench seats and raised competition automatic floor shifters? Want to retain the bench seat, but there's not much in terms of space between seat and dash...any unique set ups out there where the shifter is perhaps raised (pedestal) enough to clear the seat?

:rolleyes: So I've had this concept of sacrificing an aftermarket long pistol grip shifter as a pedestal, weld a base to top & bottom to serve as a means of raising the shifter to just above seat level...am I :rolleyes: ?

Thinking out loud here...looking for any picts/ideas?
 
Only idea I ever had there was alter the seat base frame so its center section is the same length as the arm rest when folded down.
A torch and a welder required for the frame mod and a sewing machine for the seat skin mod.
If you do this I'd love to see it.
 
I've seen Redfish's idea and it's cool when done well. Another idea would be the truck floor shifters but they are all pretty terrible in terms of "performance". Perhaps a street rod catalog would have something too. Just make sure it's not custom fit to TH350s only...lol.
 
Not the best picture with the fire extingusher covering the home made mount, but it seems to work ok. The seat will adjust quite a ways forward before hitting the mount. i made the mount out of a 2'' wide aluminum strap that raises the shifter approx 3'' off the floor.
 

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This is in my buddies Dart. It is a B&M.

PA241351.jpg
 
How 'bout a pistol grip with cable operation?..........You can do one of these and they fit in front of the bench just like in a Roadrunner......The Hurst shaft bolts to a B&M Universal floor mount system, and add your choice of boot.
 

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This is another crazy idea. Mount a plate to the bottom of the bench seat that creates a shelf for the shifter to bolt to. That way the shifter moves with the seat. You would just need to work out how the cable would move back and forth through the floorboard. I am sure there is enough slack in the cable to allow the seat to move back and forth through its full motion. You would have to check for clearance of the shifter and the dash with the seat all the way up.
 
This is another crazy idea. Mount a plate to the bottom of the bench seat that creates a shelf for the shifter to bolt to. That way the shifter moves with the seat. You would just need to work out how the cable would move back and forth through the floorboard. I am sure there is enough slack in the cable to allow the seat to move back and forth through its full motion. You would have to check for clearance of the shifter and the dash with the seat all the way up.

That is not a crazy idea...in fact its in part what planted the seed. When I lived in Texas several years ago, there was a pro-street Chevy step side short bed pick-up there that had just that...a seat frame mounted shifter that followed the seat back and forth. It was a very slick set up. It had the cable running out the back of the shifter & under the seat so could not see how the owner dealt with movement of the cable.

Thanks for the pictures...some great ideas.
 
Sorry, digging up an old thread. Ordering the Kilduff Machine short horseshoe shifter for my Swinger this week. I'll post when I receive it and get it installed. Should fit good with my factory bench seat.
 
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