I finally got out the original shifter, that T-bar in the **** is a pain. When trying to get it out, the V-grip slipped off and hit me in the mouth, now I have a fat lip.
I will install tomorrow morning, any advice for adjusting the movement? How much grease to use on the bottom ball of shifter? How do I know it is in correctly before I drive the car? I do not have a Torq wrench, it mentions to torq the screws 8-10 lbs, can I get away with out the torq wrench.

Thank you
Dave

 

In case you haven't seen this, here's a web page for the install.
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/pat...rInstall.shtml

The tension adjustment is strictly up to you and what is comfortable. I initially left the factory setup in and then took out the smaller center springs to lighten the side-to-side motion.

Just put a very light coat of grease on the Hurst lower ball to help ease the plastic bushing on.

As far as if it's in correctly, you can try it by shifting it without driving it. Shift from gear to gear to see if they all engage. It will be stiffer than you're used to but will go in gear very precisely.

Without a torque wrench, I suppose you can just tighten it the best you can. The screws on mine were tight going in, plus I used loctite on them.

Remember that if you're going to leave the stops in, use loctite to ensure they don't come loose and leave you stranded. This happened to me. I just removed the stops since the tranny has built-in stops of it's own.

Good luck and sorry 'bout the fat lip. :seeya

 

thank you for the excellent web page of info. I do not do this all the time, so I just need a little confidence. Hate to ruin the car you know.

 

Hi Dave,

Sorry about your lip...the price we pay for this car :). As far as springs go, it would help if you had some idea of how firm you want the shifter to feel. Have you driven a car with a Hurst, B & M, etc.? While you can swap springs without pulling the shifter back out of the car, I wouldn't advise it. There are several small parts inside of the shifter, all of which you know will find their way into your transmission tunnel the moment you take the shifter apart :eek:. The "stock" tension of the Hurst (which I believe uses the stiff inner/light outer spring) is slightly less than that of a Ripper. My personal vote would be to use the lightest inner and outer springs, but everybody has their own opinion. Worst case is you try it for awhile, pull the shifter out, and change them.

For the grease, I just used enough to get a thin coat around the ball.

I think it's pretty tough to install the shifter incorrectly. I made sure I was in neutral before I put the shifter in place, since that more or less made it drop in. Basically you won't be able to bolt the shifter down unless it's in o.k. I've swapped my shifters out probably 10+ times, and never had a problem.

If you'd like, you can borrow my torque wrench. If you over torque the screws you're likely to snap them or potentially crack the base of the shifter, etc. If you don't torque them enough, you may end up with a vibration problem. So a torque wrench really is the best bet...if you're interested, let me know if you want to drop by sometime Saturday afternoon or Sunday.

Finally, I'd suggest removing the stop adjustment screws. They're not needed, and there's always a chance they'll work lose and either vibrate or interfere with the shifter.

Good luck, and let me know if you need anything.

Collin

 

no I did not try any car with one already. I always need to add more tools, so I will pick up a wrench. I will open up the shifter and see inside.

 

Getting the shift **** t-bar out is easy if you do it another way.

Joecoool help me do my Hurst install and he used 2 flat head screw drivers. One on each side (left and right). You then pry the bar up using both screw drivers at the same time. The bar will come out in under 5 seconds. You really bend the rubber on the shift **** for a few seconds but there has not been any lasting effects. As soon as you take the pressure off it goes back to normal.

My shift **** has been removed several times this way and you can not see any marks.

Also you may want to do a search on my name and read about my Hurst experience, it may save you some time a few days from now. It relates to the shift throw stops on the front and back of the shifter.

 

OK gentlemen, just finished with the install and test drive around the block. I took the stops all the way out and kept the original springs in. It is a lot short throw than the stock.
Thank you for all the sugguestions.

I will go out later and really try it.

 

Congratulations!! :cheers: Let us know what you think...