While my car is apart, I figured I'd post up a quick tutorial on how to adjust the rods on your factory 4 speed shifter. First thing is you need either the plastic Hurst tool or a 1/4 drill bit. Next you'll need to get under the car and put the shifter into neutral. This is what factory linkage looks like- If you look at the shifter mech, you'll see a 1/4" hole at the bottom. This is where the tool or the drill bit gets inserted. The tool lines up all the shifter levers in the mechanism. And a pic of the tool in the shifter. Naturally, this shifter is adjusted so the tool fits. If your shifter is out of adjustment, you may need to loosen up the adjuster nuts on the rods to get the tool installed. And a picture of the nuts loosened up on the rod. Make sure the trans levers are all in neutral as well. Now with the trans in neutral and the shifter itself in neutral, adjust the nuts against the trunion on the rods and tighten them up making sure you tighten then up evenly on both sides Do the same procedure for the 1-2 rod, the 3-4 rod and the reverse rod. And dont forget to take the tool or the drill bit out!! Your done!
Jason , Thank you I will need to follow this in the near future . If I have the trans out of the car can I mount the shifter on the trans and adjust it without the trans bolted to the bellhousing and engine ?
I’m very familiar with this, especially after finding out why I couldn’t get the shifter linkage adjusted correctly. It helps to have the right mount
You should make a video about adjusting the pedal free play and the lower clutch adjustment rod. There seem to be quite a few threads about trouble with that.
Hello Jason, I'm hoping you can help. After my last stop a the shop, ,my 4 speed is having trouble shifting into 1 and 3. I finished with the setting up you show above. It's a older shifter likely never rebuilt, but the shifter handle doesn't seem to "go far enough" to shift, still works but doesn't feel right. One of the shifter bars seemed bowed. I think they might have been a rod trying to pull it lot of "lock". Any ideas? Thanks, Mike
A picture might help mike. Maybe one of us can spot what's wrong. Is the shifter an aftermarket with stop bolts? Sounds like it could be. If the forward stop bolt is adjusted "in" too much, it could restrict the shifter from going into first and third fully
Jason, is the support out for those adjustment shots you seem to have a lot more access than I do. to be clear it was working fine till the monkeys at the shop starting pulling on it. I'll try and get a picture. Anything common about 1 and 3 in the linkage or shifter?
I just edited my last post. Yes, its a little tight with the crossmember in place. My crossmemeber is currently out for powdercoating so it really opens up the area. Thats one reason I took the opportunity to make this thread
The shifter is an original Buick one. If the 1/2 rod and 3/4 rod were both bend and shortly could that explain this issue? Is there a pictorial of the level positions for 1, 2, 3, 4 & Reverse?
