Hurst Pro Matic shifter

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rod7515

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i have a Pro Matic shifter in my 66 dart with a 904 trans. I am having a lot of issues getting it adjusted. My valve body is a standard forward shift.
The first issue I had was the original cable melted down due to the header heat. I replaced it and this time I have wrapped the cable in 2 different types of heat wrap which is doing a good job of protecting the cable.
With both cables I put the trans in neutral and adjusted the cable from that position with shifter in neutral as well.
I have all gears from park to 1st but what I find is that sometimes the shifter will need to be bumped forward twice to get it to go into drive. Once in a while i acts like it does want to click into drive and I have to bump it a couple of times. Ive tried moving the cable forward and backwards in the bracket for adjustment.
Are these shifters just not a good quality. should I think about a different shifter? I like this one because I was able to mount it into the console where it looks like it was factory. What would you recommend to try to help make this operate better. Or is it just a matter of using it until it loosens up some from being new?
Here are some pics of it in the car. It has full range to move inside the shifter area without hitting anywhere.
Thanks Rod
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I had to adjust it two or three times before I got it just right. I pulled the trans into 1 and the shifter into 1 and adjusted it to that.

Once I got it just right it worked flawlessly, only problem was the wife couldn't operate it, lol.
 
Thanks 89on35s. That's why I want to make it work like it should. It almost looks factory!
Rod
 
i have a Pro Matic shifter in my 66 dart with a 904 trans. I am having a lot of issues getting it adjusted. My valve body is a standard forward shift.
The first issue I had was the original cable melted down due to the header heat. I replaced it and this time I have wrapped the cable in 2 different types of heat wrap which is doing a good job of protecting the cable.
With both cables I put the trans in neutral and adjusted the cable from that position with shifter in neutral as well.
I have all gears from park to 1st but what I find is that sometimes the shifter will need to be bumped forward twice to get it to go into drive. Once in a while i acts like it does want to click into drive and I have to bump it a couple of times. Ive tried moving the cable forward and backwards in the bracket for adjustment.
Are these shifters just not a good quality. should I think about a different shifter? I like this one because I was able to mount it into the console where it looks like it was factory. What would you recommend to try to help make this operate better. Or is it just a matter of using it until it loosens up some from being new?
Here are some pics of it in the car. It has full range to move inside the shifter area without hitting anywhere.
Thanks Rod
View attachment 1715387332 View attachment 1715387333 View attachment 1715387334

What replacement cable did you use?
If it is not the gray hurst cable the eyelet on shifter end is bigger and leave enough play that it won’t fully go into some gears. You can make a bushing to take out the slack and it will work perfectly.
 
I have same shifter (model 2) in a 65 console without T handle or button. Works great, valet had no clue as to how to get it in gear. after watching him fidgit with it, I parked it myself.
 
Heres the part number I used,
Hurst Shifter Cables 5008555

If i remember correctly it was gray, however I have it completely cover in the heat shielding now that I cant see to be sure.
Rod
 
pishta, why would you even have ask vallet to park something with that in???
My dad cant figure it out either. I have to walk him thru it everytime I need someone in the car!
Rod
 
I think i did it as a "watch this" moment with my girlfriend. I used to valet so I was hip on the shame the guy would face with his peers. As a valet, I parked an old F350 with a failed PS pump so steering was super heavy as well as a nasty 4sp trans. I told the keymaster I needed to get this truck when it came up as its a POS, and the tipsy owner was so impressed with my handling of the truck when I pulled it up that he gave me a $50 tip. Yeah, that one didn't make it into the communal tip jar that night...F'n awesome job as a senior in high school: Weekends sucked but I always had gas and 'walkin around' money.
 
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Yeah I have the Hurst promatic 2, and I have tried a few times to get it adjusted right and still have trouble with reverse sometimes. I'll get it right someday.
 
i have a Pro Matic shifter in my 66 dart with a 904 trans. I am having a lot of issues getting it adjusted. My valve body is a standard forward shift.
The first issue I had was the original cable melted down due to the header heat. I replaced it and this time I have wrapped the cable in 2 different types of heat wrap which is doing a good job of protecting the cable.
With both cables I put the trans in neutral and adjusted the cable from that position with shifter in neutral as well.
I have all gears from park to 1st but what I find is that sometimes the shifter will need to be bumped forward twice to get it to go into drive. Once in a while i acts like it does want to click into drive and I have to bump it a couple of times. Ive tried moving the cable forward and backwards in the bracket for adjustment.
Are these shifters just not a good quality. should I think about a different shifter? I like this one because I was able to mount it into the console where it looks like it was factory. What would you recommend to try to help make this operate better. Or is it just a matter of using it until it loosens up some from being new?
Here are some pics of it in the car. It has full range to move inside the shifter area without hitting anywhere.
Thanks Rod
View attachment 1715387332 View attachment 1715387333 View attachment 1715387334
I just bought the same shifter, and have a factory console in my 74 Duster. What did you do to get it in there?
 
Iron racer, I'll have to get you pics of my install. We are away now but will send when I get home. It looks great coming out of the console and I finally got it to work that I can use it but its still not 100%. I'm hoping to race it a few times this year and then I'll tell you if I keep it or not.
Rod
 
1B055FA0-5499-48B9-9CB1-9FB10C3A9C23.jpeg

Iron racer,
In the photo above you can see I have the shifter bolted down to the floor after spending lots of time taking the console in and out trying to position the shifter body so it was centered in the console and would shift thru all gears. I did not mount the console until after the shifter was welded into place using spacer adapters to get the correct height and position. I couldn’t be sure this would work until everything was put into a final position. I had to space the console up high enough to allow all the mechanical mechanisms clear the console plate. Believe me, I spent lots of time trying to get it right including making brackets for the console so I could get it into the correct location. My car did not have a console originally in it. In the end it worked out great and I think it looks fantastic in the car. It now shifts thru all the gears without issue but I still can’t say im in love with the shifter. I have put a hurst “T’” handle on it that includes a button for the line lock. It’s one of the reasons I want to keep the setup in the car. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions let me know.
Rod
 
I think i did it as a "watch this" moment with my girlfriend. I used to valet so I was hip on the shame the guy would face with his peers. As a valet, I parked an old F350 with a failed PS pump so steering was super heavy as well as a nasty 4sp trans. I told the keymaster I needed to get this truck when it came up as its a POS, and the tipsy owner was so impressed with my handling of the truck when I pulled it up that he gave me a $50 tip. Yeah, that one didn't make it into the communal tip jar that night...F'n awesome job as a senior in high school: Weekends sucked but I always had gas and 'walkin around' money.
I got my first job the day I turned 15 (might have bs'd my age to the boss)closing down a restaurant till 2 in the morning and still went to high school.. like you said, I had plenty of walking around money. My 1st boss, James, a red headed cat. I'll never forget that guy because he taught me the value of good, hard,work ethics and the fact that he would. bump you up on the payroll the more you learn, and harder / faster you worked. Minimum wage 3.35 an hour and I think my first raise was a quarter within a week.. At this point I've been a carpenter for about 33 years....
 
View attachment 1715745504
Iron racer,
In the photo above you can see I have the shifter bolted down to the floor after spending lots of time taking the console in and out trying to position the shifter body so it was centered in the console and would shift thru all gears. I did not mount the console until after the shifter was welded into place using spacer adapters to get the correct height and position. I couldn’t be sure this would work until everything was put into a final position. I had to space the console up high enough to allow all the mechanical mechanisms clear the console plate. Believe me, I spent lots of time trying to get it right including making brackets for the console so I could get it into the correct location. My car did not have a console originally in it. In the end it worked out great and I think it looks fantastic in the car. It now shifts thru all the gears without issue but I still can’t say im in love with the shifter. I have put a hurst “T’” handle on it that includes a button for the line lock. It’s one of the reasons I want to keep the setup in the car. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions let me know.
Rod
Thank you Rod! YESSIR! I already foresee problems with the factory console, one of my main concern was that shifter feeding up and or not even fitting underneath. I read one post on B bodies only where the guy trimmed a little bit of the shifter another gentleman had to cut the little bucket out it's a little recessed for your shift indicator light bulb. I'm thinking I may remove that piece stash it safely inside the house somewhere and maybe make a little steel thing to go underneath it to hold the indicator in as I don't want to push her up that little cup there that's definitely hitting it that shoves the cable around. I'm also going to have to carefully grind off the factory brackets for the floor shifter because I don't want to just throw them in the trash but I think the best thing I've heard all day was the fact that you said to raise the console if I can just push that thing up a little bit that might solve a lot of my issues without having to fabricate and get really silly with it... although I spent two hours with a Dremel cutting one of the original seat nuts off the bottom of the car because I didn't want to just take its reminder to the stud for my tracks on the factory buckets.... if it would have been an old work truck or something like that, id just ziothat thing off of 30 seconds with the cordless Dewalt angle grinder. Definitely looks like I'm going to be tell him that console around that thing for a minute. My plan of action, after I do a little bit of sanding ,Rust encapsulation, and painting the floor, is Mark Stevens Point center line on the floor pan of the existing Factory shifter then I'm going to carefully grind through the spot Wells saving the factory shift for floor Mount brackets then I'm going to try to get the shift for plumbed up as level as possible while the car is as level as possible and maybe zip it down with a couple self-tapping hex heads... ? Does that sound like a viable start I've never put one in the car that had a factory console..
 
I got my first job the day I turned 15 (might have bs'd my age to the boss)closing down a restaurant till 2 in the morning and still went to high school.. like you said, I had plenty of walking around money. My 1st boss, James, a red headed cat. I'll never forget that guy because he taught me the value of good, hard,work ethics and the fact that he would. bump you up on the payroll the more you learn, and harder / faster you worked. Minimum wage 3.35 an hour and I think my first raise was a quarter within a week.. At this point I've been a carpenter for about 33 years....
I'm right there with you with that $3.35 min wage scale. IIRC gas was about .80 a gallon at that time and I always had gas money. What else did I need?
 
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