I just bought a 81 1/2 ton with 225 and 4 sp o/d. I wont shift in and out of gear and the shifter is very loose and sloppy. I called Cyrysler about a new one but they wanted $300 and I thought that was a bit steep. I'm going to have to start looking through the junkyards so is there any other shifter that is compatiable with mine? Like a standard 4 sp without o/d? Is a car shifter going to be the same as a truck? Thanks for any help!

Nathan

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81 1/2 Ton, 2 WD,225, 4 Sp With O/D
81 3/4 Ton, 4 WD, 360, 727
70 1 Ton, 4 WD, 225, 4 Sp

D

Before you buy a new shifter, be sure to check that the 2 bolts that hold it to the tailshaft are nice and tight. Another problem may be the tailshaft bolt holes are stripped or damaged and cannot be tighten.

you can still get bushings and spring clips in a pack from hurst. these go in where the rods connect to the shifter and require drilling the holes oversize but still make a big difference depending how much wear you have here. another common wear point is in the thru bolt that the shift lever pivots on. i had one that was ready to snap once. just get a grade-8 or stainless one at your local hardware store. as far as i know the shifter mechanisms are pretty much the same. the only real difference i've seen is in the chrome sticks and the shift rods. although i haven't done it, i've always thought the hurst reman service mentioned above would be money well spent.

-james

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Another place where you will get looseness is where the levers bolt to the side cover. The hold down nuts get loose and the "blocks" can round-off.

Get under there and take a look for looseness in the linkage while someone works the shifter form above. Tighten or shim-out any looseness then re-adjust the linkage.
DD

The levers on the tranny and on the shifter are hardened. It's even tough with a carbide drill to ream the holes large enough for the bushings. That was my plan and gave up on it. BUT, the rods wereheld in place by cotter pins on my shifter. Using some shim washers and the clips from Hurst made a world of difference in the slop.

Also, make sure everything is lines up properly. There is a hole through the mechanism that you put a 3/16 diameter rod through then adjust the rod ends.

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Dave Clement
68 Barracuda (Hot-Rod \6)
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze4pgxf/

Ok first of all thanks for all the replys! I ended up having no luck scouring the local junkyards, but I did find a half way decent shifter on ebay. Now heres my new problem... how the heck do you get the "stick" seperated from the shifter mechanism??? I dont see any bolts, rivets or anything that seems to be holding the thing on. Any help would be appreciated!

Nate

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81 1/2 Ton, 2 WD,225, 4 Sp With O/D
81 3/4 Ton, 4 WD, 360, 727
70 1 Ton, 4 WD, 225, 4 Sp

D

Thanks again for the help. I got the old stick off and its on the new shifter. Now all I have to do is put it back on the truck and see if everything works!

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81 1/2 Ton, 2 WD,225, 4 Sp With O/D
81 3/4 Ton, 4 WD, 360, 727
70 1 Ton, 4 WD, 225, 4 Sp