mrvette

Years ago, I put a 200 4r into my '72 vert, it was a muncie 4 speed car....the shift lever is a HURST chrome thing, intended for a stick shift, I think, and of course an 8 ball on top.....but it's a simple design, move the lever and the car rolls.....no buttons, key interlocks, anything, and just a magnetic switch to trip the relay for reverse/backup light in back.....

SO, what is needed is a method of stopping the lever from moving out of park without the key being in the RUN position/start......

SO, just how do the later cars do this?? and mate up with the simple levers on the side of a mid 80's 200 trans, same as a 350/400/700???

I thinking of a solenoid that may move a latch bar outta the way, but want to do the KISS principal here, not spend too much time fabbing up something.....

thanks guys....

GENE

TimAT

The original plan was a cable from the trans to a lever on the steering column. One of the not so good things was if the battery to engine to frame ground got a little nasty, electricity, being what it is, would ground thru that cable and the end result was the cable welded itself together and then you couldn't shift it at all. Not much of a problem on stuff that sees regular maintenance, but some of the old clunkers that came thru the dealers back then.......

BLUE1972

The newer cars use a solenoid to lock the shifter. The simplest I ever saw was a solenoid that was similar to the anti dieseling idle solenoid on a Chevy carb to close the carb when you shut off the motor. There was a relay to only allow the solenoid to energize when the brake was applied ( brake light wire). There was a spring to extend it with no power. It pushed a pin through the shift handle.

The newest cars don't have a real shifter and the computer controls the shift. The handle or there is a lever or **** is for show.

0Willcox Corvette

Gene-

It's common for customers to just wire the lever in place so it can't move on you. We had one in the shop the other day.

Willcox

Big2Bird

mrvette

Thanks man, I tried the AZ location, but the fellow could not help my specific problem, as it's a total custom, and his only suggestion was to fab something up.....oh well, not the first time....so the trick is at this point to find a solenoid that can push/pull a pin but only when lever is in park, and key on.....which is fine if the solenoid don't burn up....but being in HOT airflow the current draw needs be limited, OR when in gear the current to the solenoid is interrupted,.....

the electrickals are easy for me, as you know, but the mechanicals are getting harder due to the damn arthritis......

Big2Bird

Gene, just get a used c3 auto shifter assembly, add the 4th detent, and be happy.

0Willcox Corvette

Gene-

I explored the idea of converting a 69 wiper door actuator to an electric solenoid design... Possibly that would work for you if you could fab up a bracket. I got lucky, my customer used some bone head motor mounts that were 1.5" taller than stock.. so changing the mounts to the factory mounts allowed me more room and I didn't need the conversion.

But what I learned was kind of neat. People are using solenoids from power seats off another car... and then there was one fella that used a china solenoid... and it was quick, fast and precise.

My issue was clearance, but it's been resolved but if you want the solenoid numbers they were using I'll dig it up again for you.

Ernie