Help....yes, I've been reading the many many threads about A/T shifters

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burrpenick

burrpenick

'69 Barracuda
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But, I need some basic explanations before I start thinking about what product I actually want for my 72 Duster w/904. I am not a racer, but this trans is already set up w/a reverse manual valve body and I seemed to like that on a past Cuda and welcomed that option on this newly acquired car: its like the fun of a manual w/out the hassle of a clutch!

I dont love the look of many aftermkt shifters I see that appear to be sitting on a box. My car has a split bench seat- no console, and I prefer a simple black rubber boot on the floor. Recently used a B&M UNIMATIC shifter on a GMturbo 350- it had the look that I wanted, but as someone else mentioned, you needed some practice to know the locations of each gear, and that truck was an automatic shift- not the manual valve body that I have on this Duster, so maybe that B&M looked right but would NOT be a good choice for my car.
Does anyone make a floor mounted shifter (besides that B&M unimatic and maybe the similar or exact one from Mr Gasket?) that does not appear that its sitting on a box? I GUESS the ratchet action is something nice to have on these type shifters, dont think the UNIMATIC had that. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
I'd like to get rid of the shifter handle and dial on the column. Was thinking about carefully cutting the protrusions off with say a dremel tool, then laying some fiberglas mat over it and working it smooth with filler. Can that piece easily be removed and replaced/twisted/filled?
 
That Unimatic is a deathtrap. As you know, you have no idea what gear your in unless you count down from park or N. All real shifters are going to be in some sort of housing, or box as you call it. The Hurst Pro-matic 2 (double check on reverse valve body compatibility) has a nice looking housing. The Hurst Quarter stick is pretty small but looks pretty spartan. The B&M's have the largest box short of the Cheetah.
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pishta said:
That Unimatic is a deathtrap. As you know, you have no idea what gear your in unless you count down from park or N. All real shifters are going to be in some sort of housing, or box as you call it. The Hurst Pro-matic 2 (double check on reverse valve body compatibility) has a nice looking housing. The Hurst Quarter stick is pretty small but looks pretty spartan. The B&M's have the largest box short of the Cheetah.
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Hurst Quarter Stick, is sweet.. Currently running a Hurst Pro Matic 2.. Agreed.. hate shifters , that look like pyramid foundations... I bought my brother's Camaro.., mid '90's...Hurst Auto Stick..

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For the life of me I cannot think of the brand of mine, but it's a "loose copy" of the Art Carr/ Winters which is also good

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I've always been a b&m quick silver person. It doesn't sell that box problem, but I sure do like to action. My car right now is more dragstrip so I kind of like that raw open without the box or little Chrome selector piece on top.
 
How about a boot over the box, or, where the box used to be?
 
rumblefish360 said:
How about a boot over the box, or, where the box used to be?
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A cheeta shifter will do u well. I scooted mine back 5" from stock location ,in the stock console w/ a new home made top plate works very well, no missed shifts.
 
famous bob said:
A cheeta shifter will do u well. I scooted mine back 5" from stock location ,in the stock console w/ a new home made top plate works very well, no missed shifts.
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THANK YOU. Cheetah is mine, almost identical to Winters/ Art Carr. Several members on here like them. You can get reverse gates for them as well

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^^^ Okay I'll play devil's advocate here and say that big box looks like it's got an extra box attached to it?
 
On a serious note it's about getting that that box lower. I imagine there's some way you could make some kind of depressed tray in your tunnel to kind of lower the shifter down into the floorboard a little bit and then cover it the top of it with a boot so it just kind of seems as if the shifter is coming straight out of the floorboard. Now on the contrary to that I put my wife's on about a 1-foot pedestal for drag racing. But I do understand the low-slung shifter you're talking about and I could see it again being done bye cutting a square out and then making a box that fits that square that drops down about two or three inches and puts the mechanism below the floorboard. Anyways just spitballing out some ideas.....
Of course this would all have to be relevant to where you comfortably like the shifter and how much room there is underneath the floorboard to the transmission the Driveline. But I'm sure some of that could be sucked up a little bit.
 
A friend of mine had a Hurst Quarter Stick in his '68 442, with factory console. He modified the console so it would set in the opening at the right height where only the stick and lever protrude past a flat aluminum plate he made. It looked really slick...wish I had a pic of it to share.

This Buick T-type has it set up similar to what he did

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