When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I purchased my 1969 back in 1974. The stock shifter wasn’t to my liking, so I swapped it for a Hurst shifter. It is now 51 years old. It seems to be getting a bit sloppy. I went to Summit and they now get almost $500 for a new one…
Are there rebuilding kits? Does someone rebuild these? Are there alternatives to a Hurst?
Hurst sold out years ago. Here is my direct experience with my 69 & 75.
I bought a new comp+ in 1981 for my 69- it was perfect, I bolted it on and adjusted it, no issues to this day.
I bought a new comp+ in 2004 for the 75. I had the 69 trans out so I did a quick comparison. The new one was much sloppier, nothing like the older one. I returned it to Summit, they shipped me another one- it was the same. I called Summit and they had me ship it to the Hurst service center in Reno, NV. I don't know if that is even an option today. A month later it came back "repaired" - it was the same, sloppy crappy fit the other new one had. I then took it apart and got a shim kit from Hurst and rebuilt my new shifter and it was then like the old one and worked fine. I have not bought one since.
That is really bad news for people who would like to upgrade their shifter with a nice new Hurst. When re-installing my engine/transmission the shop rebuilt the Muncie Shifter and made it as tight as it could be with new parts everywhere. It was okay and much improved after it was overhauled properly by an experienced person.
Years later, I bought the Hurst Shifter for my 1968 C3 BB as the factory shifter was too vague for my likes. I installed the Hurst having never done anything like that before and it was easy and worked perfectly. The difference is amazing, the Hurst has shorter throws and perfect engagement every time. The Hurst is a worthwhile upgrade in my opinion. I did buy mine back in the mid 1990's when they were still a quality product. I am sorry that Hurst has gone down the road of crappy parts. If I needed another one I would buy a used old Hurst unit and rebuild it myself.
Just my $0.02 worth.....Unlike the 60s-80s, when there were thousands of cars rolling off the assembly lines in Detroit, which were front engined, rear wheel driven, with a "regular" manual transmission in between, the cars of the last 30 years, those that still have a manual transmission, for the most part have a shifter that is somewhat "integral" to the transmission case. Therefore, the market for the traditional Hurst shifter has shrunken drastically, and the support for that piece of automotive history has shrunken proportionally.
The best shifter for a Muncie, hands down would be a Long. I have one on my Richmond but have driven one with a Muncie. They are the cream of the crop in shifters. They are not inexpensive however. Paul Cangiolosi at 5speeds makes his own solid steel bushings for Hursts which definitely help get rid of some of the slop, but I agree with Gary, that they are not the same as the older ones. If you look up Paul on YouTube, I believe he did a video of a Hurst rebuild.
Here's the likely source for Long Shifters, AFAIK. I figure if my Hurst fails, I'd give them a try. The metal bushing "pit pack" seemed to help my Hurst, but I have not tried rebuilding the shifter itself. https://www.gforcetransmissions.com/shifter_4speeds.asp
Is this the Paul Cangialosi video you meant? He has many more.
A buddy just put a new hurst in his 74, and he found a guy that blueprints them, so he had that person go through his prior to install. I believe this guy is in FL. My buddy found him online. If you're interested, I could ask my buddy where he had the work done. I will say, his Hurst works great and much better than the Hurst that I just took out of my 79, when I did my 5 speed swap.
A buddy just put a new hurst in his 74, and he found a guy that blueprints them, so he had that person go through his prior to install. I believe this guy is in FL. My buddy found him online. If you're interested, I could ask my buddy where he had the work done. I will say, his Hurst works great and much better than the Hurst that I just took out of my 79, when I did my 5 speed swap.
Paul makes his own bushings that really tighten the shift up I rebuilt mine and it’s super tight and accurate 0 slop .. go on his website well worth it
The problem I found 20 years ago was not the bushings, it was the shimming of the gates inside the shifter. Here is the play I found in the shifter it was a lot more than the 1981 shifter I paid $180 new for.
The problem I found 20 years ago was not the bushings, it was the shimming of the gates inside the shifter. Here is the play I found in the shifter it was a lot more than the 1981 shifter I paid $180 new for.
Evidently Paul Cangialosi agrees with GTR1999 based on the video posted by Bikespace in post 8 above. And Paul goes to great length to resolve the gate shimming issue, among other modifications, before any new Hurst shifter leaves him destined for his customers.
The problem I found 20 years ago was not the bushings, it was the shimming of the gates inside the shifter. Here is the play I found in the shifter it was a lot more than the 1981 shifter I paid $180 new for.
I tend to agree as when my Transmission was rebuilt by Larry at D&L Transmission, he gave me new Shifter Bushings, Buttons, and Clips. I email Larry, and when I rec'd no reply I Googled his site. I think he retired.
I tend to agree as when my Transmission was rebuilt by Larry at D&L Transmission, he gave me new Shifter Bushings, Buttons, and Clips. I email Larry, and when I rec'd no reply I Googled his site. I think he retired.
Larry is still around and selling parts/rebuilding. I bought some parts from him 2 weeks ago.
Hurst shifter
