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Sloppy Hurst Competition Plus shifter?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DK832
  • Start date Start date May 28, 2006

DK832

New Member
Apr 11, 2006
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Copenhagen, DK
May 28, 2006
#1
  • May 28, 2006
  • #1
When looking at my shifter on the side of the Toploader, there is a about 2-3 mm play alltogether in the stack of parts between the side and the backing plate. Hard to explain (didnt take a photo, doh!) but there are 3 lever arms made of stamped out plate, controlling a gear selector rod each, and about 3 spacer parts out of plate as well. Should all these "guts" be stacked tightly together or is 2-3 mm total space OK? If the space is not OK, what to do (short of replacing the whole unit)?
 
D

D.Hearne

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Sep 29, 2000
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south louisiana
May 28, 2006
#2
  • May 28, 2006
  • #2
Sounds about normal to me. They're not "tight" compared to the new car shifters of today, but a far cry tighter than the factory floor shifters were. You ought to have experienced the old "3-on-the-tree" column shifters. The distance the knob traveled from say, 1st to second was about 2 FEET Loads of fun to learn to drive. And even better once you mastered it. Nothing like taking it to the limit on a windey, sandy road. Like in the Dukes of Hazard movie.:SNSign:
 

HistoricMustang

Active Member
Apr 11, 2003
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Confederate States of America
May 28, 2006
#3
  • May 28, 2006
  • #3
Order the metal bushings and pitch the nylon that come with the kit.

A ton of difference in shifting!

http://www.ajusa.com/cgi-bin/stores...ajr_skey=19ee262ff6d438dcec94e53ce6cff562#q13

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com/tech.html
 

pabear89

Active Member
Apr 15, 2003
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High in the Hills of So Ca with the Voices in My H
May 29, 2006
#4
  • May 29, 2006
  • #4
DK832 said:
When looking at my shifter on the side of the Toploader, there is a about 2-3 mm play alltogether in the stack of parts between the side and the backing plate. Hard to explain (didnt take a photo, doh!) but there are 3 lever arms made of stamped out plate, controlling a gear selector rod each, and about 3 spacer parts out of plate as well. Should all these "guts" be stacked tightly together or is 2-3 mm total space OK? If the space is not OK, what to do (short of replacing the whole unit)?
Click to expand...

Well Hurst has stamped that do not disassemble on the side of thier shifters.

But.....Mine was so stiff from years of build up that I took it apart anyway.
Lining all the parts on the bench to make sure it went back togeather correctly.
There is spring steel spacers inbetween the shift levers that keep them spaced. after cleaning them all off and using lithiam grease it is much smoother and seems tighter now.
Ps. Hm is correct get the Metal bushing set for the shift rods,
it will make shifting feel much more positive.

PB
 

DK832

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Apr 11, 2006
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Copenhagen, DK
May 30, 2006
#5
  • May 30, 2006
  • #5
pabear89 said:
I took it apart anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks everybody. I actually did take the Hurst apart, following the good write up from Mike at Toploaderheaven. Turned out to be quite clean and well greased in most places. Bushings and all was in the mail yesterday so that goes in today, then we'll see how tight it becomes.
 

DK832

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Apr 11, 2006
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Copenhagen, DK
May 31, 2006
#6
  • May 31, 2006
  • #6
I put in new selector arms yesterday as the old ones were widened out in the rectangular holes, they were kind of butterfly shaped (does that make sense in english?) and apparently allowed for some moving about. New bushings everywhere too and then an adjustment of rod length. Feels much tighter now; no looking for 2nd and no trouble getting 1st or 2nd after being in reverse.
Thanks for the input everyone!
:SNSign:
 
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