The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Do you have a Saginaw 4 Speed in your truck?

Guys. Help me out here. What do I do about the location of my shifter now that I have the saginaw four speed tranny in my truck? The shifter comes up underneath my seat.

I really want to keep the stock look of my bench seat. I've thought about "looping" the shifter around the front of the seat and then curve it back up so the knob is directly above the shifter insertion point. That way I should still be able to push the shifer down to put it in reverse... right?

I'm desperate. I can either drive it tomorrow, or tear out the tranny and look for a T-5 and start over. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME START OVER! Driving it tomorrow seems like a much better idea.

Thanks.

Mainjet

There is a shifter that works for this. It mounts forward of the original location on the tranny and clears the seat. I saw it in Custom Trucks a few years back and kept the issue as I am using a Muncie. They actually ran a feature on the install for the shifter. The down side is that I'm in Iraq and not home with the magazine so I can't give you the name of the company. You should be able to contact Custom trucks and explain that your looking for the article and hopefully they can help you from there. I hope it works out for you, I can't wait to get back to work on my 59'. Good luck

Check with Patrick's in Arizona...they sell a great shift lever that will work with the Saginaw.

I HAD A SETUP LIKE YOURS ONCE AND HAD A HURST
SHIFTER WITH A HANDLE THAT WENT DIRECTLY FOREWARD
SEVERAL INCHES AND THEN EXTENDED UP TO THE KNOB
OR HANDLE AND THE STOCK SEAT DID NOT HAVE TO BE
ALTERED IN ANY WAY, AND IT COULD BE SCOOTED
FOREWARD FOR THE WIFE TO DRIVE TOO.WITH NO
INTERFERRENCE.

I had to take a break from the discussion, but made a shifter in the mean time. I bent a big 'U' into my shifter. It actually looks like the old "arrow through the head" that Steve Martin used to wear.

The seat fits where your head would go and shift knob is where your girl should be sitting (booo!), but it works and I didn't have to screw up my seat. I was worried about being able to push down for reverse, but it works fine. I wish I knew how to put the links into a message and I'd show you my 20 minute solution to what I thought was going to be a major problem. Been driving her ever since... Well until we got the sleet and snow today (darn this weather).

Thanks guys.

as all have stated just modify something to work for your needs...doc

GMCGUY is right I have a 4 speed sag and used a hurst with the forward config that works OK

73-75 Chevy Vegas with saginaws had floor mounted shifters. Ditto for 75-80 Monza.
Maybe something like that would work?
MV

I just got my patrick's catalogue... they have an install kit for the saginaw into a stovebolt...
even a new floor panel to make it work...