Just got off the phone with Jegs about a Hammer Shifter

jimfitzgerald · Apr 29, 2004

Blev said:
I was looking at JDs Performance and saw the PA Street/strip right after I posted. Is $255 a good price? I really appreciate your input, thanks

I don't really know. Just search around and see what prices you can find. Good luck.

Islander03GT · Apr 29, 2004

The Jerry Mod scares me. I know he's a Ford Engineer, blah blah blah, but if its that simple to make these trannys stronger why didn't ford build them like that, or why doesnt he either offer them pre-drilled out to the new size, or why hasn't B&M, etc picked up on it... The shift kit I bought for my S10 looked like its basically the same thing. Just the seperator plate with different holes in it.

If it works, great. Seems shaky to me though.

And yes, I've read the articles.

jimfitzgerald · Apr 29, 2004

Islander03GT said:
The Jerry Mod scares me. I know he's a Ford Engineer, blah blah blah, but if its that simple to make these trannys stronger why didn't ford build them like that, or why doesnt he either offer them pre-drilled out to the new size, or why hasn't B&M, etc picked up on it... The shift kit I bought for my S10 looked like its basically the same thing. Just the seperator plate with different holes in it.

If it works, great. Seems shaky to me though.

And yes, I've read the articles.

Neither is going to make the tranny stronger. You need a built tranny for that. That's why I bought a PA Super Comp tranny. The shift kits and Jerry mod make the shifts firmer and quicker. I think Jerry's article explains the differences.

Islander03GT · Apr 29, 2004

so jerry's mod is basically a do it yourself shift kit?

RickJamesbch · Apr 29, 2004

Islander03GT said:
so jerry's mod is basically a do it yourself shift kit?

Yes, safer too.

GT98 · Apr 30, 2004

I bought the transgo high performance shift kit and the b&m hammer shifter
the guy i talked to said a shift kit is exactly what you want if u wanna manually upshift and downshift without harming ur tranny.

Mustangl3 · Apr 30, 2004

with a manualk valve body does the tranny still shift by itself if u start out in D

GT98 · Apr 30, 2004

i think it still shifts manually even if u do put it in D. the street/strip valve body lets u go either way. my question is...how does the hammer shift exactly. if u put it in drive do u slap it foward to upshift and pull back to downshift? or do u have to put it in 1 and then shift to 2 then D? people are explaining it differently.

sloryd · Apr 30, 2004

Hammer and PA

I have the PA street/strip (not manual)valve body and the hammer shifter.
You can hold 1st and 2nd to any speed but the tranny will still shift itself into OD at 75-85mph same as stock. The 1-2 shift at WOT is neck snapping and the 2-3 is hard,when driving civilized the shifts are firm but not harsh.

The hammer shifter stays in one position and ratchets back and forth and has a red OD disable button to the right of the handle on the base plate, you ratchet to each and every gear up or down. Trust me this gets really old when parking(three ratchets to Park)Starting in 1st you ratchet the shifter to 2nd and again to D slap it again and your in N where the handle will stop until you lift the lever to ratchet to R and Park.

the PA valve body was simple to install and I still have my stock piece untouched.

jimfitzgerald · Apr 30, 2004

Mustangl3 said:
with a manualk valve body does the tranny still shift by itself if u start out in D

No, if you have a manual valve body, the tranny will not shift by itself. That's why they call it a manual valve body. You have a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, neutral, and park. You also have a button for OD.

jimfitzgerald · Apr 30, 2004

OK, let me try to explain this one more time.

Manual valve body...you do all the shifting manually. The tranny will not shift by itself at all.

Street/strip valve body...you can shift manually or put it in drive and let the tranny shift automatically

B&M Hammer shifter...replaces your stock shifter only, does not affect the operation of your tranny at all. You can use it with a stock tranny or either of the two valve bodies listed above.

The B&M Hammer shifter is a lever than has a spring action that always returns it to the "straight up" position. You push it forward and let it spring back to advance the gear selection. You pull it back and let it spring forward to move the gear selector rearward. You can also install it so it works in reverse of what I just described.

Personally, I would not use the B&M shifter with a stock valve body. I would use the stock shifter and let the tranny shift itself. If you want to do your own shifting, I would go with the manual valve body (that's what I have) or the street/strip valve body and get the B&M shifter.

One major advantage of a manual valve body is that you no longer use the computer to control your shifts. This becomes important in a high HP car where it is sometimes difficult to get the shifts programmed correctly

GT98 · May 1, 2004

this is gonna be my last time asking cuz my retard level is quickly goin up
with my setup (transgo shift kit and B&M Hammer shifter) do i put the shifter in D and ratchet it foward to upshift and pull it back to downshift, with each ratchet returning it to D? i'm asking cuz B&M's website makes it sound like u put the shifter in 1, ratchet it into 2, and then it springs back to the 1 position for the 3-4 shift. my question is, how can u manually downshift (which ill be able to do with the shift kit) if the shifter is already in the 1 position? theres something im not seeing

Islander03GT · May 1, 2004

Rick James said:
Yes, safer too.

I dont understand how its safer... seems like it has a better chance of getting screwed up.

jimfitzgerald · May 1, 2004

GT98 said:
this is gonna be my last time asking cuz my retard level is quickly goin up
with my setup (transgo shift kit and B&M Hammer shifter) do i put the shifter in D and ratchet it foward to upshift and pull it back to downshift, with each ratchet returning it to D? i'm asking cuz B&M's website makes it sound like u put the shifter in 1, ratchet it into 2, and then it springs back to the 1 position for the 3-4 shift. my question is, how can u manually downshift (which ill be able to do with the shift kit) if the shifter is already in the 1 position? theres something im not seeing

OK, assume you are in Park when you start the car. You will pull up on a lever and pull the shifter all the way back to shift to reverse. When you release the shifter it will spring forward to the straight up position and you will be in reverse. To shift from reverse to neutral you will pull up on the lever and pull the shifter all the way back again. When you release the shifter it will spring forward to the straight up position and you will be in neutral. Now, to shift from neutral to drive, you repeat the process, but you no longer need to pull up on the lever. Once in drive, you will be able to operate the car as normal with the stock valve body and a shift kit. The shifts will just be firmer. If you want to manually down shift from drive to 2, you just pull the shifter back and release it. It will spring forward and you will be in 2. It you want to shift from 2 to 1, just pull the shifter back again. It will spring forward and you will be in 1. To shift from 1 to 2, just push the shifter forward. It will spring back and you will be in 2. Continue this same process for D and then neutral. To shift from neutral to reverse, you have to pull up on the lever again, and then push the shifter forward. Do it again for park.

jimfitzgerald · May 1, 2004

Islander03GT said:
I dont understand how its safer... seems like it has a better chance of getting screwed up.

If you do a searce on www.modulardepot.com and read the write-up by Jerry W, he explains why a shift kit is bad for your tranny and why the Jerry mod is not.

99prmustang · May 3, 2004

i no this question is draggin but i have read this entire thread and no real answer has come up...this mainly goes out to jim, but anyone who can asnwer please do. i have the hammer shifter installed and a new converter in my room a-waiting install. i am in need of a valve body. this thread has shown me the difference between the street/strip and the manual. my only questions are....on the PA manual whut does the transbrake mean? and how is the tranny going to react to manually downshifting with either of the two valve bodies?

thank you

eric

jimfitzgerald · May 3, 2004

A transbrake is for launching while drag racing. After you stage the car, you press and hold the transbrake button and release the foot brake. The tranny is locked in first and reverse at the same time. You then rev the car close to the converter stall rpm and release the transbrake button when you want to launch. The car launches much harder and quicker with a transbrake, lowering you 60 foots. With the manual valve body, you obviously have to downshift manually. I only downshift as I slow down and only from 2 to 1 after I stop. Downshifts are fine as long as you watch you speed and don't downshift at too high a speed and over-rev your engine.

GT98 · May 4, 2004

this is getting ****ing rediculous. ive literally called about 30 speed shops in the baltimore/DC area to have my shift kit installed and u know what answers ive been getting? no we dont work on 98's, we dont touch autos (a ford speed shop that specializes in automatics only said this), we only do imports , yeah we can do it but it'll cost around 350 (for a $100 kit ) or they're numbers were disconnected. k just needed to vent. i need help cuz i dont trust myself whatsoever when it comes to trannys. thanx all

SLOW 97 · May 4, 2004

First off, shift kits are NOT harful to your trans. In fact the increase clutch band and clutch pack life. Quicker, firmer shift= less heat created. Also, shift kits are cake to install. As for manual valve bodies, they arent not for the street and neither are most street/strip valve bodies because they used a fixed line pressure which means neck snapping shifts all the time even at part throttle which in time will probably start blowing seals. Manually downshifting is not bad for your tranny. What do you think is happening at wide open throttle and the kickdown cable downshifts your trans? The ratchet shifter is pretty good, my buddy had one in his fox. It's nice because you can bang the shifter up quickly and not skip 2nd and go into drive. Plus I think it looks cool. But it is a bit of a PITA going from Park to drive because you have to pull it back three times to get into D from park.

Dr. Wu 2000 · May 4, 2004

I just read this entire thread, and my conclusion : It's an auto
doods, just mash the pedal and go. Get a custom chip and tune, that
will make everything ok. Firmer shifts, revs more freely, etc. Save your
money and buy some track time.

Just got off the phone with Jegs about a Hammer Shifter

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