whats the best way to bend a handle

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DaveBonds said:
These are not heat treated. They only need to move a shifter, linkages, forks and synchro hubs against the strength of the transmission's detent. This is a piece of mild steel and it will bend like a pretzel cold, with enough force, but not nearly as uniform, as easily or as controlled as with heat. Have you ever seen what a strut rod does in a collision? If Chrysler were going to spend the dough on heat treating anything, it would have been those.

I bend metal like this all day, at work to make things for street rods.

If you want to salvage the chrome and bend it low, do this;

Set the flat end in a vise with two pieces of sheet metal or even some washers on the flat sides, so the knurling of the vise doesn't chew the shifter mount, get a soaking wet rag and wrap the handle, about 2" above the bend in the rag, keep a quart of water nearby and wet the rag as you use a torch to heat the bend at the base. the bigger the rag, the better to hold more water.

Put the bend where you want it and continue cooling the handle area that is covered by the rag with fresh water. Let the bend air cool until you can handle it and test fit.

The chrome will come off at the point of heat, but if you use a wet rag as a heat soak, it should keep the temp controlled and will keep the chrome you have looking good, where it is visible.

Ask me how I know. ;)
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Yeah, I might do this as opposed to selling it, maybe......seems like a good procedure that would probably turn out well.
 
I tried to bend a Hurst shift lever similar to yours for a hobby stock car several years ago by putting it in a vice and using a cheater and it snapped in two easily. It didn't even bend much before it snapped. My next attempt I heated to red hot and that shifter bent easily but the chrome flaked off quite a ways above and below the bend. It worked but looked like crap! My first recommendation would be to use the correct shifter but if you're intent on bending it follow Dave Bonds recommendation.
 
George R said:
Cut the end off, reposition it where ya need it, and weld it up. You can even grind the weld down so it can't be seen.
Or put a Hurst in it so it'll actually shift right.

George
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I agree with Keith............ but George is thinking just like me!
 
I am in the welding camp. Those shifters are heat treated and will snap. When you put the force of a freight train on it, like I do when I powershift, (ask maddart) it doesnt bend. I just put a pistol grip shifter in my 2002 Dakota. The Dakota has a nut attached on the end and the shifter handle screws on like an attena (spelling?). So I cut it low and mig welded it. The chrome actually looked pretty good near the weld and it was all covered by the boot anyways. I have thoroughly torture tested it and it passes with two thumbs up. If it is an F body shifter its pretty low on the totem pole of shifter handles so modify it all day.
 
Here, I just went out and took pics of it. As you can see in the photos the chrome survived well. I did not grind off the chrome, which is evident by the weird volcano looking structures in my welds. But who cares its under the boot and its as strong as the day is long, thats the beauty of the mud gun.
 

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That could be bent in a press using the right fixture . Putting the bends in would be alot easier then taking them out. It will not break if done properly. If I had it here withanother to copy from. I would do it for you. Also it looks like it could have came from a 69 b-body bench seat. do not bend it in a vise or you will damage it with to hard of a corner. it should be done with three press points such as a pipe bender. an iron worker would work the best.
 
turbodart68 said:
Here, I just went out and took pics of it. As you can see in the photos the chrome survived well. I did not grind off the chrome, which is evident by the weird volcano looking structures in my welds. But who cares its under the boot and its as strong as the day is long, thats the beauty of the mud gun.
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That shifter is bad *** in the Dakota!!
 
RaniDart70 said:
what if it dont sell for what i have in to it .....and i doubt i can find an a-body one so easy and even if i find a known A-body unit it will prolly be priced way too high.

if i sell it before i replace it ....what if i end up with no handle.


the other one in the pic that is a known A-body handle is not mine ....im just borrowing it for reference.


thats just what is going through my brain lol.
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if you don't want to heat bend it and ruin the chrome you can make a Wedge shim that goes where the bolt holes go and use slightly longer grade 8 bolts. I did that in my B body with a 442 hurst shifter I liked. It worked great after I remembered to put locktite on it. I took a square piece of stock the thickness(drill holes FIRST, I forgot the first time) I needed and used a grinding wheel to get the right angle. after it got test fitted I smoothed everything out. worked great. sold the car 6 years later and still going strong.

reason 's why I would do it this way are"
1. when you find a good a body shifter you just unbolt the one you have
2. since you didn't ruin the shape or chrome of the one you have now. you can re-sell it for a high dollar amount to the GM guys.
win win in my book (but I'm lazy also!)
 
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