Rattling shifter
 

It's a beautiful day here in Southern Ontario! About 60 degrees.
I took my '63 convert out for a country spin this afternoon.

It's been going on since I bought the car but never got around to asking the Forum about the shifter that kind of rattles when under a load. It's not bothersome to anyone but me.

It's a 327/300. I assume it's a muncie but I haven't been under the car to check. It shifts perfectly fine, clutch engagement is excellent and runs like a dream.:cool:

Any idea what makes the shifter rattle? If I lay my hand on it, it becomes quieter.
Thanks

They all seem to rattle, it's very common. If you look at old posts you'll see what I mean. I and many others have tried to cure it but the only cure seems to be a Hurst shifter conversion. I'm adopting the old "if it aint broke don't fix it" attitude. Gary

Thanks Gary. I guess I should have done a search first.
Good know there is a fix in the Hurst conversion.

hang a shoe over it, that's what i used to do...
Bill

Seems the transmission mounted Muncie shifters suffer this the worst. My '64 had a bad problem with this at freeway speed. A new rear housing bushing and slip yoke, and having the drive shaft and half shafts rebalanced made most of the vibration problem go away. A bit of shifter buzz/rattle is still there, but comes in at higher (than before) freeway speeds.

Here's an older thread that might help:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...er-rattle.htmll

I make the assumption that a noisy rattling shifter is just part of the ambiance of driving a four speed C2.

If the noise becomes too much for you, I would recommend installing a set of side pipes.

That's sure to drown out the offending noise! :thumbs:

I just kinda chuckle every time a noob posts this topic. Been there done that, got the Hurst! I used to wrap a towel around my 66 to hush it up. It's even worse on short throw. I rebuilt mine and it still did it before I retired it. Some people here have dealt with it but I suspect they use the long throw position with rebuilding. Have fun.....from Ottawa. :D
:canadaflag:

I have a Hurst shifter on mine. It rattles a bit at freeway speeds but I just rest my hand on the shifter when it starts to bug me. :auto::auto:

You don't state whether shifter is original or aftermarket. Original '63 shifter had a spring on the lower part of the lever. If spring is missing shifter will buzz some.

My '66 shifter.....quiet as a church mouse. :thumbs:

just switched the muncie out on the 64 for a hurst-world of diff here, i like it

As I recall, there was a factory correction for this that was documented in a GM Service Bulletin for '63 shifters. Seems the solution is to cut up some of the nylon window-crank spacers,creating small "C-shaped" washers that can be slipped behind some of the shifter pivot shafts to take up the slack.

Sorry for the rough description here - but if you search around on this or other Corvette websites - I'm sure you'll find the Service Bulletin posted by someone. The fix is clearly illustrated.

I rebuilt the Muncie shifter on my '66 with the rebuild kit that is available from most of the vendors (along with John Z's tech article from a few years back) and it's great. Plus, I love that clunk-clunk feel of the Muncie shifter.

Ray

I went to a Hurst shifter, but I wish I had just rebuilt the Muncie with the kit. But when drag racing, the Hurst was just absolutely perfect.

I thought I would give an update on the rattling shifter. ....
I bought a new rubber O ring as someone suggested. I unscrewed the knob and installed the O ring. Although it still rattles slightly, it's noticeably better! Thanks for the help.

:D:lurk:

Answered my own question: you must replace the entire shifter and *also* buy the shift handle to make it look original, if you don't buy the set as it is (~$430).

Found the service bulletin here, although it says this was a 1963 problem only (mine is a 1966, and it definitely has this problem--I can feel the slop in the tolerances that is allowing the rattling): http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ation-959.html

My Hurst shifter rattled so I check the adjustments and adjusted the 3rd 4th rod and it stopped. Good luck

I know its a 2 year old thread...so here is FIX for the rattle....I did this on mine, plus, put in new bushings under the T handle and all is good,,,:thumbs:

PER JohnZ...:D

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ow-to-fix.html

That's what I needed! The need for an extra weld is obvious once you look for it.

I'm still going to try to insert a (1/16" thin?) nylon washer into the top retaining rod just in case, because it seems there's still some extra metal-on-metal play, and I'd really like this problem to go away. It's been annoying me for about 15 years now, and I'm not old enough to have anything bother me for that long yet ;).

Now to find a welder....