nfran

I recently rebuilt my 65 M21 Muncie and was going to install a used Hurst shifter instead of the Muncie shifter, like the feel of the Hurst much better.
While the tranny was on the bench, I installed the Hurst shifter and linkage, put the 1/4" drill into the adjusting holes of the shifter, adjusted the rods accordingly. I get all 4 forward gears nicely but no reverse. I redid the adjustment over and over but still the same result, no reverse. It seems like the shifter does not want to engage reverse. Any thoughts or help?

GCD1962

Is the reverse lever moving ? Can you manually move reverse lever into gear?

drivette

Did you push down on the handle while trying to engage reverse?

66jack

like Volkswagons shift pattern

Bluestripe67

I have never heard of any Hurst that you have to push down for reverse, especially a Vette. Mine is nicely slotted to the left and forward/up. Dennis

1963GrayGray

I always install my Hurst shifters on the bench as you did. The transmission must be very stable on the bench to allow you to put enough
left hand pressure to engage the shifter into reverse.
There is much more stability when the transmission is installed in the car.
Hope that this helps.
Dave

MikeM

Yep! That's probably the trouble. One of the nice little features of the Hurst!

A stock shifter shift MUCH, MUCH nicer!

babbah

KC John

Not on my car, I just pull the shifter all the way to the left and up.

Kerrmudgeon

To get the Hurst into reverse you need to give it a good slap to the left to get past the safety gate lock out, but like what has been said if the lever engages the gear without being hooked to the shifter, there's no problem.

0Willcox Corvette

Can you feel the engagement if you remove the linkage and shift it by hand?

I've seen tail shafts put on and not get the arm loaded properly, could be the detent ball and spring or the reverse shifter fork is not on the reverse gear... They will act like this sometimes.

Just a thought..

nfran

The tranny was stable on the floor and blocked. I've had Hurst shifters in the past and knew about the good slap left. I wasn't aware of a Hurst shifter especially in a Vette that you had to push down to engage. While the shifter was off the tranny, all the shift arms moved freely with no binding anywhere. When I tried to slap it into reverse, it just doesn't want to travel far enough left to engage reverse , goes back to 1st gear. If I manually move the tranny arm into rev, it goes in smoothly with no binding. I didn't want to install the trans with the Hurst bracket attached because it's such a bitc* to work due to the lack of space in the tunnel area of the Vette.

Kerrmudgeon

that's strange, both of my cars 62 and 66 had Hursts, and I installed both of them, and you didn't have to push down on anything. I'm thinking something isn't allowing the shifter to move all the way to the proper reverse position. Check to see if it's hitting the trans or one of the levers. I think you said it was used.......could it be bent somehow?

Chuck Gongloff

Could you have installed the reverse pawl upside down or flipped over on the transmission? I've done that.

I've never seen a Hurst that you have to push down to get into reverse. Just pull it to the left.

Chuck

1snake

On Comp. Plus shifters, you slap to the left. On Super Shifters, you push down and to the left. I've had several of them. They have been like that for 40 years.

aworks

If your sure it is not the trans. Put the shifter in a vise. Then push the shifter over into the reverse position. You will see a detent moving out the side of the shifter. If the shifter go's into reverse in the vise check to see that the detent is not hitting the adapter plate on the trans. The wrong combination of shifter and adapter will cause the detent to hit the adapter and not allow the shifter to move over to the reverse position.

Chuck Gongloff

Didn't know that. I've always had/used the Comp Plus Hurst models.

Chuck

MikeM

......................I didn't want to install the trans with the Hurst bracket attached because it's such a bitc* to work due to the lack of space in the tunnel area of the Vette.




Maybe the lack of that bracket is causing interference as aworks suggests?

nfran

I did have to order a bracket for the shifter to mount to the tranny. I'll have to check that out more, could be that the bracket is the culprit. I too have always had/used Hurst shifters over the many, many years with cars, never ran into a push down version. Learn something new everyday!
Does any know or have pictures of the shifter case apart? When I got the shifter in the mail, the back bracket on the shifter was off and the large slide pin holding all the shims and plates was partially out. I'm thinking possibly that when I took it apart to clean, I may have either reversed or exchanged one of the shim plates even though it took pictures of it prior to that. Hurst offers no pictures or help; they want you to send the shifter in to them for $165. Too much of a mystic for such a simple mechanism!

MikeM

I have a Hurst shifter that has a separate handle I believe you have to pull up so you can get the primary handle in reverse. It's been a long time since I used it.