the hurst "competition plus" was the "after market" replacement for the OEM factory Hurst shifter chrysler started using in the1969 model year. the "comp plus" shifter had beefier parts than the OEM shifter and had a tighter feel when shifting. it also had a shift fork "throw" adjustment bolt. the "throw" distance is a little shorter than the OEM hurst on the comp plus. the comp plus after market shifter had a larger, heavier shifter handle with approximately the same angle as the OEM handle. the comp plus was the most popular for street racing and will stand up to about any street race abuse possible.
the hurst "super-shifter" is like the comp-plus but it has a shorter throw - by at least 1 inch for 1-4 gears. this shifter also has a straight shift handle instead of the bent OEM/comp plus shifters. the super-shifter was a serious "drag racing" shifter. because of the straight shift handle and the shorter throws, the super-shifter could actually cut quarter mile times for very good 4-speed shifting drag racers.
whatever shifter you use, all of them are only as good as the shifter adjustments, your rod adjustments and how good the trans is. for non-OEM hurst shifters, there are two critical adjustments: FIRST: lining up the shift rod shifter forks. this is done by putting a small bolt or screw-driver across the slot in the bottom of the shifter housing and lining up all the other slots of the shifting forks with that bolt. when all of the forks are lined up, that is your "neutral" position. you then put the first and second transmission shift bolts (the bolts come out of the side of the trans) in "neutral". you put the third bolt (the reverse bolt) in "neutral" (i.e. not in reverse position).
once you have made sure first and second and reverse on the trans are all in neutral, you connect the three shifting rods from the shifter shifting forks to the three shifting bolts on the side of the trans. be careful that the "allignment" bolt on the shiftter holding all three shift forks in one place stays in one place. you adjust the shifting rod threaded end collars so that each rod will connect to the shifter forks and the transmission bolts (remaining in neutral) without either the transmission bolts or the shifter forks moving. the reverse rod is connected the same way - shifter fork alligned and transmission NOT in reverse.
when all the rods are connected, get in and try shifting the shifter. it should shift into all four gears and reverse with little friction. if you find that the shifter is shifting in a "backwards" manner - 1st is where second should be, second is where first should be - you did not have the first/second trans bolt in "neutral" when you connected the rod. take the rod off, put the trans bolt in the correct position and start over.
now to the SECOND shifter adjustment - the bolt sticking out of the front of the shifter housing. that bolt is the "stop" for the shifter when going into each gear. to adjust this bolt, put the shifter in FIRST, then screw the bolt INTO the shifter housing leaving a space between the head of the bolt and the shifting fork. now shift the shifter in and out of FIRST a few times getting a feel on how far the shifter will naturall travel when the trans is shifted into FIRST. when you identify when the shifter "feels" like it is securely in FIRST, unscrew the shifter housing bolt OUT of the housing until it contacts the FIRST gear shifting fork. once this bolt makes contact with the shifting fork, screw it out further LIKE ONE THREAD! - JUST A LITTLE BIT - then tighten the lock nut on the bolt against the shifter housing. then shift through all the other gears and determine if the trans FEELS like it is going all the way in gear for each gear. if it feels right, the throw adjustment bolt is correct. if your trans comes out of gear when driving, this bolt may need to be screwed into the housing a little.
now remember, your shifter is only as good as the trans it's connected to. if you have correctly connected and adjusted the shift rods and the shift throw bolt and the trans does not feel like it is going into gear right - or worse yet, the trans jumps out of gear when you are driving, you may have a synchronizer problem in the trans. if you experience the trans not going into gear or jumping out of gear, adjust the throw bolt as noted above, change the gear oil in the trans and see if this helps. if you've done everything right, changed the gear oil and are still having problems, you've got an internal trans problem.
the above procedure is pretty much the same for every shifter that uses shifting rods on the side of a trans. that was ALL general motors, mopar, ford, American Motors cars and trucks from like the 1920's through the 1980's. "top loader" manual transmissions where the shifter fits down into the top of the trans use an entirely different designed shifter. i do not believe ANY manual transmission car by any manufacturer after about 1995 uses side transmission shifting rods.
the above is "4 speed shifter 101". i hope it helps you or another FABO reader.
