Any way to mount a Hurst shifter to a torque arm H

[taguy4]

I have a basic Hurst Competition Plus Saginaw shifter I would like to install it in my 77 Vega, preferably without having to hack up the floor. Is there a bracket or install kit which would work to install it with the torque arm suspension? I've seen a kit available for '73-75 Vegas (3738604) but the description says it won't work with torque tube Saginaws. I've also seen this post viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30193 that mentions needing bracket #117 0070 for torque tube h-bodies, which is apparently no longer available.

It looks like the Hurst shifter that goes with the above mentioned kit (3918790) has a stick receiver that offsets the stick pretty far to the right, so I would need to get this part to turn my shifter into one resembling 3918790 since my shifter has the straight stick receiver. Fortunately it looks like you can buy just this part rather than having to get a whole new Hurst shifter, which would be costly.

In addition to the stock Vega Saginaw 4-speed on my car I also have another torque tube Saginaw that has the three tapped holes in the back of the tailshaft housing for a F-body shifter mounting bracket: any way to make this work for what I want to do if there's no good way to use the transmission that came with the car? The torque tube holes in the tailshaft housing of this 4-speed are not drilled.

[cosvega76]

The Cosworth Vega I owned had a Hurst shifter on it. There was a bracket that bolted to the two left hand bolts securing the main housing to the tail shaft housing and one of the bolts on the tail shaft housing, if I remember correctly. I'll look at home and see it I still have a photo of it. I don't think that bracket is available anymore.


Chuck

[cjbiagi]

Here's the best pic I have of it.

[taguy4]

Thanks. That's helpful. It looks like that shifter is the one Hurst has listed for early F-bodies with Saginaw 4-speeds and the bracket the one for early 70's Chevelles and such. So everything cleared okay when it was in use?

[cjbiagi]

This was a actual install kit for a Monza, I installed this probably around 1976 or 77. Not shown is another brace that runs from the big bracket to the top bolt on the trans. I think Nova's also used a similar design. The original Monza kit fits perfectly. I also installed a much shorter stick which gives you nice short throws.

[taguy4]

I pulled the gearbox out of my car tonight and studied the situation. This one also has the three holes in the back of the tailshaft housing for a shifter bracket to bolt to. This is a no groove box, meaning it has the 2.85 first gear making it fairly close ratio, especially for a base model 4-cylinder Vega.

I've never liked that the shifter on these cars mounts to the floor and not the transmission, then to add insult to injury the shift rods have large slots in them for adjustment which seems like it would invite the linkage to go out of adjustment if the bolts start to loose their grip. The shifter is mounted to a large plate which in turn is screwed to the trans. tunnel with four small sheetmetal screws. I turned these screws out and nothing comes loose and the threads sticking thru the floor don't move, so they must be broken and what is holding the plate to the floor is all the seam sealer that was used there.

It looks like as long as you have a shifter with a stick that is offset to the right far enough to come thru the center of the hole in the transmission tunnel and a way to mount the shifter high enough to clear the toque tube/counterweight it should work. To use a Hurst shifter boot and trim you're going to have to make a new custom plate to fit the opening where the original one was anyway. I have several F-body style shifter brackets and some Hurst rods I can tinker around with to see if any will work, unless someone here eventually chimes in with a definite set of parts to make it work.

[Howler73]

I just climbed out from under my car after reinstalling my transmission and installing a Competiton Plus shifter and saw these posts. My car is a 75 Monza with a crate motor 350 and a 4 speed. I bought my shifter (which I consider 1 of the 3 holy grails of H-bodies) from Hurst Shifters Online over 10 years ago. Somebody mentioned them in a forum post so I took a look and low and behold they had both the shifter and install kit so I bought it immediately and then figured out what to say to my wife about the money I spent. The shifter is Hurst #391 7875 and the install kit is #373 8619. I believe that the shifter was also used in 2nd Camaro as they both have an offset stick mount. However the install kit might be impossible to find especially if there was one specifically for the Vegas. Oh, if you have the trans out I would install the shifter while you have it out. I know I installed mine on my 76 Monza I bought new while the trans was in the car but it sure was a pain this time.

Ken

[my80bird]

hello everyone

got a question about mounting kits for the Saginaw 4speed I have been on the hunt for a kit to mount a Hurst comp plus shifter to my 4 speed Sag for my 1980 sunbird notch back with no luck as they are not made any more .

I just happen to find a Saginaw out of a early Camero but it does not have the three holes for the torque arm. but the mounting kit looks like the one Clyde posted above on his tranny
does this look like it would work ??

[cjbiagi]

That does look like it, if it is not it is probably close enough to work with maybe minor mods.

[my80bird]

yes that was what i was thinking....

thanx Clyde