'81 crappy/broken shifter
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
'81 crappy/broken shifter
Hi all,
Recently bought an '81 with a Richmond 4 spd. The reverse lockout doesn't work, and the distance between 1st and 3rd seems awfully close making it easy to have it in 3rd when starting out. Also seems balkly- esp. when cold- maybe that's the tranny though. Any ideas how to fix it up?
Thought about sticking my old shifter from my '71 in it (has a Hurst now), but parts lists seem to give a different model shifter for '71 and '81. Anyone know if it would fit? The Richmond looks the same as the Muncie in my '71.
Thought I could fix reverse lockout after looking at the '71 shifter, but no dice after looking closer at the '81- it is different in the '81. Don't want to spend big money for a fancy shifter for this car.
Thanks,
Dave K
Recently bought an '81 with a Richmond 4 spd. The reverse lockout doesn't work, and the distance between 1st and 3rd seems awfully close making it easy to have it in 3rd when starting out. Also seems balkly- esp. when cold- maybe that's the tranny though. Any ideas how to fix it up?
Thought about sticking my old shifter from my '71 in it (has a Hurst now), but parts lists seem to give a different model shifter for '71 and '81. Anyone know if it would fit? The Richmond looks the same as the Muncie in my '71.
Thought I could fix reverse lockout after looking at the '71 shifter, but no dice after looking closer at the '81- it is different in the '81. Don't want to spend big money for a fancy shifter for this car.
Thanks,
Dave K
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
There is no reverse lockout on the 81. The T-handle connects to nothing. My T-handle was broken, and it was a simple remove/replace. Unscrew the ****, take spring/rod/handle out, replace. As yours, my 1st and 3rd are close.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,891
Likes: 2
From: Baltimore MD
BTW - I'm sure you all are aware that an 81 with an original manual transmission is very rare - out of a production run for the 81 model of about 42 thousand cars, only 5 thousand had manual transmissions installed.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,891
Likes: 2
From: Baltimore MD
Hi all,
Recently bought an '81 with a Richmond 4 spd. The reverse lockout doesn't work, and the distance between 1st and 3rd seems awfully close making it easy to have it in 3rd when starting out. Also seems balkly- esp. when cold- maybe that's the tranny though. Any ideas how to fix it up?
Thought about sticking my old shifter from my '71 in it (has a Hurst now), but parts lists seem to give a different model shifter for '71 and '81. Anyone know if it would fit? The Richmond looks the same as the Muncie in my '71.
Thought I could fix reverse lockout after looking at the '71 shifter, but no dice after looking closer at the '81- it is different in the '81. Don't want to spend big money for a fancy shifter for this car.
Thanks,
Dave K
Recently bought an '81 with a Richmond 4 spd. The reverse lockout doesn't work, and the distance between 1st and 3rd seems awfully close making it easy to have it in 3rd when starting out. Also seems balkly- esp. when cold- maybe that's the tranny though. Any ideas how to fix it up?
Thought about sticking my old shifter from my '71 in it (has a Hurst now), but parts lists seem to give a different model shifter for '71 and '81. Anyone know if it would fit? The Richmond looks the same as the Muncie in my '71.
Thought I could fix reverse lockout after looking at the '71 shifter, but no dice after looking closer at the '81- it is different in the '81. Don't want to spend big money for a fancy shifter for this car.
Thanks,
Dave K
BTW the reverse lock-out should work - the "T" handle wasn't just put there for looks.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
I wind up doing that to all my manual sports cars though. When I put a hurst in my '71, I cut out 1 1/2" of the shifter below the boot and had a friend weld it back together at a different angle- now it's perfect.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
BTW - I'm sure you all are aware that an 81 with an original manual transmission is very rare - out of a production run for the 81 model of about 42 thousand cars, only 5 thousand had manual transmissions installed.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, saw some stats recently- think it said 8% were manuals. Had to look a little while to find this one with a 4 spd- got lucky too. southwest car with AC, a perfect frame, new drivetrain and suspension= ZZ4 w/ 330 hp (lot faster than I thought it would be), clutch, tranny, brakes, suspension, coated headers and magnaflow. 100k miles and just needed cosmetics- L88 hood was in primer, bumpers banged up, interior falling apart but complete (re-dye carpet and put stuff back together). $300 later and really only needs seats recovered and weatherstrip now and a few small interior parts to look really good. Didn't want to have to convert an auto though I know it can be done- there's even whole kits out there, but $4k to convert a $7500 car doesn't make sense.
Yeah, saw some stats recently- think it said 8% were manuals. Had to look a little while to find this one with a 4 spd- got lucky too. southwest car with AC, a perfect frame, new drivetrain and suspension= ZZ4 w/ 330 hp (lot faster than I thought it would be), clutch, tranny, brakes, suspension, coated headers and magnaflow. 100k miles and just needed cosmetics- L88 hood was in primer, bumpers banged up, interior falling apart but complete (re-dye carpet and put stuff back together). $300 later and really only needs seats recovered and weatherstrip now and a few small interior parts to look really good. Didn't want to have to convert an auto though I know it can be done- there's even whole kits out there, but $4k to convert a $7500 car doesn't make sense.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
[QUOTE=IrishJoker;1575691316]That's very strange, in mine, I have to pull the shifter towards me then up to engage 1st gear, straight down for 2nd, and when shifting into 3rd from 2nd gear, the shifter automatically wants to travel to "center" in the "H" pattern, with just a little up and right motion it's in to 3rd gear and of course straight down from there to 4th. The shifter should automatically want to reset to the "center" of the H pattern when it comes out of 2nd gear. Sounds like yours is messed up.
Apart from the no reverse lockout, it's really only a little iffy finding 1st- from there it's fine running thru the gears. I may be too used to my '71 with Muncie and hurst. This Richmond in the '81 seems "notchier".
Apart from the no reverse lockout, it's really only a little iffy finding 1st- from there it's fine running thru the gears. I may be too used to my '71 with Muncie and hurst. This Richmond in the '81 seems "notchier".
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
Good to know- thanks. Been so long since I put that hurst in the '71 - I probably forget what the original was like- as in crappy by comparison probably.
