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Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:33 pm

Get a used Empi and scavenge the parts needed....

Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:23 pm

catbox wrote: If you have a shifter that is missing the bottom plate what can you do to replace it?

Is scavanging from an EMPI clone the best way?

Thanks for the help...

That will work, but keep in mind you will be using crap mild steel in a critical part of the cage that was originally hardened steel. I have seen Empi shifters with the lower shift gate(square hole the stub shaft pokes through) hogged out almost in an oval shape after 6 months of hard abuse in a sand rail. They are junk.

I continually get customers asking what can be done, and I recommend two things. Find a donor real Hurst cage, or buy a different shifter that is complete. People who don't know what to look for when buying a used Hurst should realize the lack of that bottom lockout plate takes a nice shifter and turns it into a nice doorstop. Keep an eye on the knob threads as well. They can be chased and fixed if mildly damaged, but those who got a T handle with a set screw jammed into them will frequently be past the point of return.

Sat Sep 09, 2017 5:47 pm

I've always wondered why Hurst supplied a polished white knob on all the shifters for American cars, but gave us a dull black knob.

Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:36 pm

Bruce wrote: I've always wondered why Hurst supplied a polished white knob on all the shifters for American cars, but gave us a dull black knob.

Great question. :?: Where did you get yours? 8)

Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:39 pm

glandnut wrote: catbox wrote: If you have a shifter that is missing the bottom plate what can you do to replace it?

Is scavanging from an EMPI clone the best way?

Thanks for the help...

That will work, but keep in mind you will be using crap mild steel in a critical part of the cage that was originally hardened steel. I have seen Empi shifters with the lower shift gate(square hole the stub shaft pokes through) hogged out almost in an oval shape after 6 months of hard abuse in a sand rail. They are junk.

I continually get customers asking what can be done, and I recommend two things. Find a donor real Hurst cage, or buy a different shifter that is complete. People who don't know what to look for when buying a used Hurst should realize the lack of that bottom lockout plate takes a nice shifter and turns it into a nice doorstop. Keep an eye on the knob threads as well. They can be chased and fixed if mildly damaged, but those who got a T handle with a set screw jammed into them will frequently be past the point of return.
Great info.You should make a video on this subject.

Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:29 pm

APPLEGREENVW wrote: Bruce wrote: I've always wondered why Hurst supplied a polished white knob on all the shifters for American cars, but gave us a dull black knob.

Great question. :?: Where did you get yours? 8)

Custom made. One off.

Tue Oct 10, 2017 12:23 pm

Just waded through all 6 pages of this topic, and learned a lot, Thank You Glandnut and Bruce and everyone else... :D

Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:24 pm

whoever said to get the reverse lockout wire replaced by "holding your mouth right" was absolutely correct...I tried probably 50 times, and finally, after about an hour, it went all the way through...

Tue Oct 17, 2017 11:56 pm

Too late now, but a tip is to curve the wire more than the bend of the shifter. Then when you try to feed the wire down from the top, it will naturally point to the side of the tube nearest the rear of the car. Where the slot is for it.

Dave, you didn't do the reinforcement plate upgrade!
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Thu Oct 19, 2017 9:12 am

Bruce wrote: Too late now, but a tip is to curve the wire more than the bend of the shifter. Then when you try to feed the wire down from the top, it will naturally point to the side of the tube nearest the rear of the car. Where the slot is for it.

Shoot, why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Bruce, I am going to play with this shifter a bit, the nylon plate is nice and tight, but if I have to take it back apart for any reason, I'll be getting one of those steel plates from you..

Fri Nov 03, 2017 11:23 am

Got it all back together, and promptly went from first, to reverse. I guess I didn't bring the reverse lockout collar up high enough, so here I go again with that stupid cable, gonna have to make a new one. I know there should be some "spare" when I lift the reverse lockout collar back up, but I don't have anything better to do today.. 8) <EDIT> I figured it out, I had the round reverse lockout collar too low, and it would pop over the bottom plate. I fished a new cable through, got it so the round collar rides in the middle of the raised area, and now it works like a new Hurst ;)

Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:47 pm

Picked up an old Hurst shifter at a swap meet just for the shift ball and I was looking at it today and turns out it's missing a few pieces. The bottom plate, the side spring that pushes to third/fourth and the side plate. I went back out to the bug to inspect the shifter that was in it and it turns out it is a curved copper shifter in perfect working order. I thought the chrome had all come off and I was going to replace it. Now I have this chrome curve shifter that I don't need. After powering through all six pages on this thread it help me identify my shifter and helped me decide to keep it. Thanks so much.

Thu Nov 22, 2018 8:39 am

I’m having trouble getting the side spring in place and didn’t find mention of installing it. Any preferred methods? Thanks, Mitch

Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:04 pm

I've had this shifter for years waiting for a bug to put it in. Discovered this thread and now I'm wondering if it's a RHD version. Can anyone confirm this for me?

Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:14 pm

Dibaltic wrote: I've had this shifter for years waiting for a bug to put it in. Discovered this thread and now I'm wondering if it's a RHD version. Can anyone confirm this for me?

I have one for a rhd.

Put it in your left hand as if it was in your beetle... Feels good huh.

The way the trigger is cocked to the side is a quick give away.

Sat Jul 06, 2019 10:48 am

Miklo wrote: Dibaltic wrote: I've had this shifter for years waiting for a bug to put it in. Discovered this thread and now I'm wondering if it's a RHD version. Can anyone confirm this for me?

I have one for a rhd.

Put it in your left hand as if it was in your beetle... Feels good huh.

The way the trigger is cocked to the side is a quick give away.

Thank you for the information :)

Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:35 pm

No one ever said how to tighten the pivot ball if it’s too loose or heavily worn.
You can lightly plane the 2 inside faces of the nylon blocks to tighten up the clamping force. Lay a piece of 220 grit face up on a flat surface and sand the nylon block face by rubbing it back and forth a few times. Test fit the pivot ball, and repeat the until the ball fits more snug.
Do not over do it- you want to snug it up, not clamp it down.
Lube ball and re-assemble with Bruce’s racer plate.

Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:17 pm

aluk wrote: I’m having trouble getting the side spring in place and didn’t find mention of installing it. Any preferred methods? Thanks, Mitch

I realize that this post is 2 or 3 years old, but Jeff aka Glandnut said he will send me a video showing how the Hurst guru does it... If he's okay with it, I'll post if after I get it, but not until Glandnut says it's okay..And YES this time I am using one of Bruce's steel reinforcement plates

Thu Feb 11, 2021 1:58 pm

Jeff did send me a video, but I am not sure how to get it on here. He makes it look so simple; I think he has done this before 8) Thanks to Jeff and Bruce for all the info, I've always like the curved chrome Hursts, ever since I bought one brand new back in Ye Olden Dayes. Can's seem to get this one to make a smooth 3 to 2 downshift, it wants to catch, I can only assume at this point that when the Type 2 hockey stick had the detent drilled into the top, it is just a tiny bit off.. That's okay, it's just one of the pleasures of having an old VW :D

Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:02 pm

If it's a video you would have to post it on YouTube, then you can post the YouTube link here