How to Hook Up a Hurst Shifter
With car clubs hosting car shows and televised auctions bringing record prices for horsepower kings, the trend of hopping up our cars is once again back in vogue. Four speeds are still king at the drive-in. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as dropping your clutch and banging the gears as you leave the cruise-in. Unfortunately, shifters treated with such abuse will wear out over time. The solution could be to hire someone to install a new shifter into your car or you could opt to do it yourself.
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Instructions
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1
Park the vehicle on a hard flat surface. Apply the parking brake and place shifter in neutral position and remove the shifter knob. This is accomplished by twisting the knob counterclockwise. (There may be a jamb nut that will need to be loosened with a wrench first.)
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2
Raise the vehicle. Jack high enough to allow you to work under the vehicle. Place jack stands under frame of vehicle and lower the jack until vehicle rests on the jack stands.
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3
Remove old shifter. From underneath the vehicle, remove shifter linkage from the transmission by removing wire clips from linkage rods with pliers. Unbolt the shifter mechanism from the transmission with the wrench. Once unbolted, ease the shifter down and away from the transmission, guiding the shifter handle through the shifter boot and transmission tunnel as you lower it.
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4
Install new Hurst shifter. Following manufacturer's directions, install shifter onto the transmission and tighten the bolts with the wrench. Using the nylon .250 inch (¼-inch) rod supplied with your new shifter, place it through the small hole on the side of the shifter body and through all three shifter arms. Beginning with the arm closest to the transmission (the reverse arm), place the shortest shifter rod into the arm on the transmission and install a new bushing and wire clip with pliers to secure it. Thread out shifter rod end until it slips into the shifter tab on the shifter. Install new bushing and wire clip to secure it. Next install the first-and-second gear shift rod. This is the longest shift rod. This will connect to the shift arm farthest to the front of the transmission. Install this rod in the same manner as the first rod. Finally, install the third-and-fourth gear shift rod. Install this rod in the same manner as previous rods.
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5
With the shifter and linkage in place, set the positive stops to prevent damage from over shifting. The shifter stops are two bolts and jam nuts protruding from the front and rear of the shifter housing. The front stop is for second and fourth gear. The rear stop is for first and second gear. Have a helper screw the new shift knob onto the shifter handle from inside the car, and place the shifter in first gear and run the rear bolt in until it just contacts the shifter arm. Tighten the jam nut. Now ask your helper to shift the transmission into third gear. Run the front stop in until it just contacts the shifter arm and tighten the jam nut. Have your helper run the shifter through all the gears and ensure that there is no interference.
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Lower the vehicle. Raise the vehicle off of jack stands and remove stands. Lower the vehicle.
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Tips & Warnings
While this can be accomplished alone, it is much easier with a helper.
Do not work under any vehicle without proper supports.
