The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1950 chev truck T5 hurst shifter stick

I have a 1950 chev truck with bench seat and a t5 from a 1985 s10 with a hurst short throw .Has anyone found a shifter stick as a direct fit.i found this one (see picture) I think it might work?Apparently this stick shift works on the 1955 chev tri5 cars with a bench seat

I've thought about using some angle iron and square tubing, and making a bracket for a SM 420 type shifter adapted to a T-5. Use heim joints or tie rod ends as pivot points.
Jerry

There are 2 versions of the factory S10 T5 shifter. Regular and short throw. The regular can be modified to make it a short throw, but I’ll not try to explain that here.
The S10 shifter handle screws onto the shifter stem. You will likely need to modify the stem to accept your chosen shifter handle. Making your own shift handle might give you a better result than buying one. The pics I show feature a tall shift handle I made from a steering shaft. The other shift handle was from a salvage yard.
Most vendor shifter handles are shaped for linkages that are to the left of center of the Saginaw or Muncie tranny. The T5 shifter box is dead center. You can see what I did in this web link to bring the shifter knob position a little closer to the driver for a more comfortable shift throw. Link here

I just made a box end for my T5 and then bent my own out of bar stock, welded the two together. Doesn't take long and has been working flawlessly now for 4-5 years.

I do recall having to use a broach (probably made a broach) to open up the square end to fit tightly on the T5 shifter "nub". then drilled and tapped for a couple set screws to keep things from moving.

But doing that, you can bend the bottomost part as far forward as you need and contour it accordingly after that. Oxyacetylene is your friend there.

Hi Rick- i used a hurst blackjack shifter ($280 from speedway) & a double bend lokar part no. xmsl6b2 shifter handle in my 53 t5 install for $86 (also speedway -open box, saved $100)

I modified a Camaro T5 for a Stovebolt friend by installing an S10 tail housing with cable speedo connection. I made him a new shifter handle from one of the T5 steel support rods often found in the S10 trucks. Here are some pics. He’s happy with the end result.

The shifters all look good . Because the cab is out getting ready for paint I,was reluctant to buy a stick shifter as it may be awhile before I see my cab and don’t want to complicate the return . I too looked at the Lokar MSL6b2 .A question for “ 69 coupe “did you use the original transmission cover. If so that looks like the path of the least resistance sort of speak. The reason i looked at the hurst stick part 5388620 is because it seems to bend forward at the bottom hence hopefully be centred in the transmission cover

i did use the original transmission cover (a repro from npd part no. k-4105-47a for $70) Had to cut a 4"ish hole & the hurst shifter stuck up about 1" above the cover

Great good to know.

Mine just has an SM420 stick welded to the T5 base. It's perfect.

I used a SM420 shifter arm like Eric did except that I notched a flat spot on one side to match the flat-sided T5 stub, then drilled and tapped for holding them securely together, them TIG welded them together as well. Makes for a nice originalish look except that the T5 comes out of the floor further back than the SM420 does. Close enough for me.

I picked up a Model T shifter at a swap meet for $20 bucks, held it up to the T5 shifter stub, marked it, cut the T5 stub off and after sectioning both the new/old shifter and the stub, welded them together. I had a perfectly good SM420 shifter on the perfectly good SM420 that now lives in the corner but it's trading stock and didn't want to molest it. The Frankenstein shifter looks stock to all but the true fans of our rigs. Now that I think about it I had to cut the end of the T-Model shifter off and weld on the threaded stub of a 340 Mopar rod bolt to get the needed fine 3/8" thread to mount the shifter knob. Pretty simple stuff.

RonR

Whatever that shifter came from it sure as heck wasn't a Ford Model T. All gear shifting on Model T Fords is done with foot pedals.

Don't want any 'bolter going on a snipe hunt for a non-existant part.

Otto said "Whatever that shifter came from it sure as heck wasn't a Ford Model T. All gear shifting on Model T Fords is done with foot pedals."

Model T Model A, I always get confused on those foreign models.

Thanks Otto, an image of a Model A shifter like I used below.

RonR

Hahah! That's a good one.