My son and I are looking for a source for a gear shift. We have installed a 4 speed top loader from a '65 mustang in our truck. The mustang gear shift is too close to the seat and too short.

Any suggestions on where to get a shifter that will work? Do they even make a shifter that will work

 

I saw a post on another board about this. A guy said that a shifter from a Jeep CJ with a 4 speed will bolt to the top of a top loader and positions the shifter in the right place.

Mike/Ohio

 

I have installed several of those in pick-ups. I am currently using a hurst "competition plus" shifter and shift rods with a Hurst "truck" shift handle. It just so happened that the shifter was available used and was cheap. Also, there was a long shifter handle available at a reasonable price at the time. If you want new, I think the kits are about $175.00 from speed shops without the shifter handle. It is about another $30.00. The real trick is to get the shifter in the correct location. Is your truck 67 to 73? If so, it should not be too much of a problem. There are several different tailshaft housings that fit that transmission. At least one of them will work. There is also an adapter plate that will work with the original mustang tranny. If you are having trouble locating parts, send me an email. I know that I have another shifter, at least one adapter plate, and several tailshaft housings.

 

As posted above, the Jeep Borg Warner T-176 (4spd) tower will fit with some small amount of grinding. There was an article in one of my rod magazines that dealt with it. The only down side is that the thing is somewhat fragile if you frequently shift hard.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-Jan-02 AT 07:08 PM (EST)]>As posted above, the Jeep Borg Warner T-176 (4spd) tower
>will fit with some small amount of grinding. There was an
>article in one of my rod magazines that dealt with it. The
>only down side is that the thing is somewhat fragile if you
>frequently shift hard.

The post was wrong... the Toploader was a ford designed ford marketed non jeep transmission, it was later sold to tremec which I believe has bought out borg warner this is how a toploaders shift linkage looks. The Borg Warners I have seen aside from the T-10 are internal shifters like the T-18

 

You may be right. It might have been produced by Tremec. I am going to try and find the article tomarrow.

 

Hey P21, since you got it from a mustang I'm assuming that it's the short tailhousing, how much did you have to shorten your driveshaft?

 

Thanks for the info. To help me better find a shifter from a CJ, what model, year, and engine size I should look for?

>I saw a post on another board about this. A guy said that a
>shifter from a Jeep CJ with a 4 speed will bolt to the top
>of a top loader and positions the shifter in the right
>place.
>
>Mike/Ohio

 

The truck is a '69 half-ton short bed. The trans has a long tailshaft with the linkage attachment at the rear most point on the tailshaft. The fit in the truck is great but, as you know, the shifter will be right up against the bench seat.

Prices for a Hurst Competition Plus kit are around $320 without the shifter. Needless to say if you have a truck shifter that will work in our application I would be interested in learning more.



>I have installed several of those in pick-ups. I am
>currently using a hurst "competition plus" shifter and shift
>rods with a Hurst "truck" shift handle. It just so happened
>that the shifter was available used and was cheap. Also,
>there was a long shifter handle available at a reasonable
>price at the time. If you want new, I think the kits are
>about $175.00 from speed shops without the shifter handle.
>It is about another $30.00. The real trick is to get the
>shifter in the correct location. Is your truck 67 to 73? If
>so, it should not be too much of a problem. There are
>several different tailshaft housings that fit that
>transmission. At least one of them will work. There is also
>an adapter plate that will work with the original mustang
>tranny. If you are having trouble locating parts, send me an
>email. I know that I have another shifter, at least one
>adapter plate, and several tailshaft housings.

 

My son is 18 going on 16. We replaced the straight 6 and three-on-the-tree with a small block and for-on-th-floor. After seeing him toast a rear-end in the driveway I think anything fragile is out of the question. Thanks for the info. Thats one shifter I will avoid given our application. (Notice I never mention how Dad plans to drive the truck)



>As posted above, the Jeep Borg Warner T-176 (4spd) tower
>will fit with some small amount of grinding. There was an
>article in one of my rod magazines that dealt with it. The
>only down side is that the thing is somewhat fragile if you
>frequently shift hard.

 

From my research the tailhousing appears to be long. The shifter linkage is at the rear most point of the tailhousing. (Just our luck) the short tailhousing from our three-speed would fit but the output shafts of the two transmissions are not interchangable. (Again, just our luck) We shortened the driveline 7.5 inches. we will see how well we measured this weekend when we install it.


>Hey P21, since you got it from a mustang I'm assuming that
>it's the short tailhousing, how much did you have to shorten
>your driveshaft?

 

Sorry about the delayed post. I have been out of town due to a death in the family. The Hurst shifter will work with that transmission in your truck as will the original mustang 4 speed shifter. The key is to mount the shifter farther forward. On two trucks I changed the tailshaft housings to one that was the same length, but had the shifter mounting holes farther farward. On the truck that I am driving now, I used a heavy adapter plate (not home made) to move the shifter farward. I think that either method would work with your truck. The only caution if you change housings is to make sure that the speed-o-meter cable gear lines up. The shifter rods have a lot of adjustment and will work in either position. If you want to email me (or post) some measurements (or a picture), I am pretty sure that I have an adaptor plate that will let you move the shifter farward. Yours for the cost of shipping. Send me an email at dbrents105(No Email Addresses In Posts!) for fastest response. In any case, good luck with it. I have really enjoyed mine.

 

Forgot to mention the shift handle. I do not have another long handle for the Hurst shifter. I might have one for the Mustang shifter. I will have to look. I guess it has been a while since I looked at those Hurst kits. They were $175.00, including shift rods, the last time I looked at them. Time sure flies when you are working hard.

 

>Sorry about the delayed post. I have been out of town due to
>a death in the family. The Hurst shifter will work with that
>transmission in your truck as will the original mustang 4
>speed shifter. The key is to mount the shifter farther
>forward. On two trucks I changed the tailshaft housings to
>one that was the same length, but had the shifter mounting
>holes farther farward. On the truck that I am driving now, I
>used a heavy adapter plate (not home made) to move the
>shifter farward. I think that either method would work with
>your truck. The only caution if you change housings is to
>make sure that the speed-o-meter cable gear lines up. The
>shifter rods have a lot of adjustment and will work in
>either position. If you want to email me (or post) some
>measurements (or a picture), I am pretty sure that I have an
>adaptor plate that will let you move the shifter farward.
>Yours for the cost of shipping. Send me an email at
>dbrents105(No Email Addresses In Posts!) for fastest response. In any case, good
>luck with it. I have really enjoyed mine.

Thanks for the info. We installed the original Mustang shifter in it original position (near the end of the tailshaft). We adjusted the shift linkage to lean the shifter all the way forward which moves the shifter away from the seat. We then straightened and rebent the Mustang shifter to where it no longer hit the seat except in reverse. It works but the shifter is too short. I guess our next step is to lenghten the shifter. Maybe we will be able to fix the reverse lock-out spring we destroyed when heating and bending the stick. I guess I should mention we have not tried to put the tunnel cover on yet. The shifter and linkage looks like it will fit within the cover.

Thanks again for you info.

 

I still think I would consider the adapter plate, which simply moves the shifter several inches forward. I am pretty sure that the one I have will work. You can have it, if you want to try it. Also, I was looking today at a falcon 4 speed. It looks like the identical tailshaft housing, except that the shifter mounting holes are about 6 inches forward of where they are located on the mustang tailshaft. Anyway, good luck with it. Let me know if you want the adapter.