Factory Shifter and Linkage vs Hurst, Pros and Cons

Islander · Addicted!

Factory Shifter and Linkage vs Hurst, Pros and Cons

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I love those old original shifters but I can guarantee that most of the replies you get will be in favour of a Hurst...

ARCADIAN · Poncho Master!

Yes Carl you are correct. Islander I have the bench seat original style (repop) Muncie Shifter in my Chevelle, it works ok but is very sloppy and noisy. After reading up on the "new" Chinese Hurst shifters it was recommended to try and buy a "vintage" rebuilt one. I found one with a business called Manchester Muncies,the handle was rechromed & the mechanism completely rebuilt, shipped to me $310 U.S. I bought the correct install kit where I work for $210. I will install over the winter and should tighten things up. (I did like the vintage look with the original shifter though!)

eeluddy · Uber Guru

The original shifters in all my old Corvettes rattled and locked up once in awhile. One time leaving me stuck in 4th gear in Montreal heading back home to Kitchener. Clutch was a bit smelly but I got it home and had it changed to a Hurst linkage & shifter.
Same for a few of my Mopars. The original Inland shifters were as junky feeling as the Muncies.
If you're stuck on original look I think you can get a Hurst linkage and adapter to the Muncie style shifter.

Beaumont67SD · Guru

I have always preferred the look of the Hurst Comp Plus gray cast "T" handle over the original white Muncie ball.
- some period correct items, done in good taste...the Hurst handle just feels right, when laying down rubber
When I bought my '67 SD, I was glad it came with the Hurst shifter instead, while it did need a new bushing kit due to much wear.
- I have never looked for a factory correct one

Islander - got any pictures of you semi survivor 1966 Beaumont Custom...love to see it.

-- Edited by Beaumont67SD on Wednesday 24th of December 2014 07:41:12 AM

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Comp + shifter all the way.. With the Muncie handle if you I want to look era correct. You'll possibly have to do some fabbing, to attach, but that is all under the boot....

inland or Muncie shifter. Are just a little sloppy compared to the hurst.

if you buy used linkages, but the hurst pit pack with all new bushings and clips.. Tightens things up real nice.

i have a super comp hurst and handle in the 65 lemans..very positive shifting..I re bushed the linkages.

do you have a pic of what the original Muncie handle for 66 looks like?

2drpost · Uber Guru

get yourself a pre chinese hurst, you can find a bracket to adapt the muncie handle

muncie shifter is comparable to the 3 in the tree shifter.

Beaumont4008 · Uber Guru

They do sell a Muncie replica handle to fit a hurst shifter and they also sell an adapter to fit a Muncie to hurst shifter.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

I put a Hurst in my 66 Corvette, and my 69 Z28, and my 72 Ventura, and my 75 Corvette, and liked them

Short precise shifts

I now have a 66 B-Body now with a original Munice shifter I find it strange to say I like it biggrin

I think original shifters are like Quadrajets carbs they are really great or really bad

I'd vote for a Hurst they are expensive try for a good used one

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I know when 67rag396 was still with us, he had a stock Muncie shifter in his 67 396 2+2, but it was very sloppy. He went with a rebuilt Hurst Competition Plus shifter in about 2007 and was much happier. I am putting a 70 M20 behind a 70 LS6 454, and while I had initially wanted to go with Muncie shifter, I too have decided to go with a rebuilt Competion Plus. Not sure about your application, but my Muncie shifter bolted to the crossmember, not the transmission which didn't help the situation.

Steve C · Guru

How about a hurst shifter with a GM handle like this....... http://canadianponcho.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=118110&topicID=33813218&p=3

Steve C · Guru

This is the bench seat one. If you have a bench seat.... https://www.impalaparts.com/product.php?productid=6467SHBH

Islander · Addicted!

ARCADIAN wrote:
Yes Carl you are correct. Islander I have the bench seat original style (repop) Muncie Shifter in my Chevelle, it works ok but is very sloppy and noisy. After reading up on the "new" Chinese Hurst shifters it was recommended to try and buy a "vintage" rebuilt one. I found one with a business called Manchester Muncies,the handle was rechromed & the mechanism completely rebuilt, shipped to me $310 U.S. I bought the correct install kit where I work for $210. I will install over the winter and should tighten things up. (I did like the vintage look with the original shifter though!)

Arcadian, I remember asking you about the shifter that you installed in your Chevelle as this is the look I was going for, it sure looks right! Maybe you could post a picture for other members to see. I have had the opportunity to buy a few repro shifters but have been warned they are not that great. Same goes for the "new" Chinese Hurst models, although it might just be the stigma of offshore crap in our old North American vehicles!

Islander · Addicted!

Beaumont67SD wrote:
I have always preferred the look of the Hurst Comp Plus gray cast "T" handle over the original white Muncie ball.
- some period correct items, done in good taste...the Hurst handle just feels right, when laying down rubber
When I bought my '67 SD, I was glad it came with the Hurst shifter instead, while it did need a new bushing kit due to much wear.
- I have never looked for a factory correct one
Islander - got any pictures of you semi survivor 1966 Beaumont Custom...love to see it.

-- Edited by Beaumont67SD on Wednesday 24th of December 2014 07:41:12 AM

I posted one pic here, http://canadianponcho.activeboard.com/t59183303/post-pictures-of-your-beaumont/?page=2 , from a year ago.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

jlysholm · Guru

Steve C wrote:
This is the bench seat one. If you have a bench seat.... https://www.impalaparts.com/product.php?productid=6467SHBH

I also bought the Muncie shift handle from www.impalaparts.com (but for a console)

Works awesome with the Hurst Comp shifter!

ARCADIAN · Poncho Master!

Islander to see the bench seat shifter in My '65 Chevelle check out Bought a 1965 Chevelle 300 on this site and go to page 2 there are pictures of the interior showing the shifter.

deleted · Guru

............my buddies 69 Impala SS had the factory muncie and it looked good and shifted great . In my 67 Impala SS396 I put in the Hurst Competition Plus and shifted it with the handle below which I kept after I sold the car. It was a solid shifter, short stroke and worked excellent. You know you could cheat alittle like I did on a friends 69 GTX one time. Use the hurst linkage but weld on the factory style stick , the weld is hidden by the boot, so you have a stock look but the action of a Hurst.

Islander · Addicted!

rabbit64cs wrote:
Comp + shifter all the way.. With the Muncie handle if you I want to look era correct. You'll possibly have to do some fabbing, to attach, but that is all under the boot....
inland or Muncie shifter. Are just a little sloppy compared to the hurst.
if you buy used linkages, but the hurst pit pack with all new bushings and clips.. Tightens things up real nice.

i have a super comp hurst and handle in the 65 lemans..very positive shifting..I re bushed the linkages.

do you have a pic of what the original Muncie handle for 66 looks like?

I don't have a pic close at hand, the general look is like the Impala, Chevelle, Chevy II or I should say Parisienne, Beaumont, Acadian from 1964-67(JohneeD posted a pic), round chrome stick with two ear reverse lockout. The stick attaches to the shifter body with two vertical studs and nuts. I have learned there is quite a variation in the sticks, 67 Beaumont/Chevelle for buckets/console has a different bend than 64-66. Bench seat for big car has a different bend than A body(Beaumont/Chevelle) and probably Acadian/Nova. Console cars came with a chrome ball with no pattern, as the shift pattern was on the console, bench seat cars in 64-67 came with a white ball with a black shift pattern inlay.

I had a complete bench seat shifter, it turned out for a B body, and the only parts that properly interchange with Beaumont are the shifter body and lever arms that bolt to the transmission and I didn't want to steal parts from it so I passed it on.

On a related issue, you could get a Saginaw in 67 and while the shifter body and stick are the same, the linkage is completely different, rare and not reproduced.....