Hurst V-Matic or B&M Megashifter?

[1BAD68]

I almost blew my engine today and am sick of my factory unreliable sticky automatic console shifter.
What are you guys using?

[Mefirst]

I have a Hurst V-Matic in my Charger. I really like it, specially cause its a ratchet shifter, and the T-handle looks killer...

/Tom

[keepat]

I fit a Hurst Pro-Matic 2 shifter in the Charger console and it works great.
Pat

[mally69]

I have a hurst V-Matic 2 but I never used it yet. I hooked it in to a vice and played with it to see how it operates and it is slick.

[General_01]

I am using the Hurst Auto/Stick 3 shifter. There is no trigger. You have to lift up on it slightly to shift it out of park into reverse. You then do the same to get it into drive. It is also a ratchet shifter. You lift up, put it in first, mash the gas and slap through the gears. I will tell you that we had to modify it to make it work the way we wanted. As you can see in the pic, we installed the box backwards. We had to do this to get the cable to approch the shift lever on the tranny from the rear. I got the shifter pretty cheap, that is why I used it. I would probably go with the Pro-Matic 2 if I were to buy new.

Here are some pics of it in my car. I was planning to build a custom wood console to surround. Just didn't get to it and probably won't since the car is for sale. I also have pics from the back of the box with 5 different shifters.

[charger_mike75]

that's kinda funny, I had a promatic 2 shifter in my charger and hated it. I couldn't get the cable adjusted properly so I junked it and installed a factory console shifter.

Keepat, that's a real cool set up you got there   

[andy74]

i have a mega shifter in mine,if i was to do it over again,id still stay with it,great action and ratchet functions,only part you have to be careful because there is a gm/ford park position and a mopar park position-the gm one pulls the cable to far forward,and you stretch the cable,dont ask how i know that!

[idahogrumpy]

Turbo Action Cheeta.
Why?  Because the cable attaches from the rear. That keeps the cable away from the headers. Its a gated shifter, takes a little getting used to. Works good. Has a built in switch for line lock, N2o, or what ever.    Grumpy

[superduperbee]

I have a Hurst Pro Stick.

[RECHRGD]

Turbo Action Cheeta.
Why? Because the cable attaches from the rear. That keeps the cable away from the headers. Its a gated shifter, takes a little getting used to. Works good. Has a built in switch for line lock, N2o, or what ever. Grumpy

I agree!!!  I replaced my mega shifter with the T/A Cheeta.  No more burned up cables and it's set up exactly for the 727 detents.  Bob

[1BAD68]

I picked up a Hurst V-matic 2 for $50 bucks on Ebay,
so I was out there last night mocking it up in my Charger and it looks like there might be a way to hook it up using the stock linkage instead of the cable.
I'm going to try it and see what happens.

[1BAD68]

ok, I installed my Hurst V-matic using the linkage instead of the cable and it was actually very easy.
Here's the stock brackets after removing the stock shifter setup...

[1BAD68]

I decided to mount the V-matic on top of the existing brackets so when I build the console I'll have room for storage behind the shifter.
Also I wanted to install the whole thing without cutting or modifying my existing brackets in any way.
So I mounted the V-matic on a plate that can be mounted onto the existing brackets using the factory holes...

[1BAD68]

Then I just had to mount it, being that it sits up kind of high I had to adjust it so when in park my knuckles wont hit the dash.
Fortunately the V-matic gear selector moves 3/8" to each gear and so does the transmission lever which will make it simple to adjust...

[1BAD68]

so after bending up some steel rod I had laying around, I welded a bolt to one end to drop into the floor lever and a washer on the other end to hook up to the V-matic...

[1BAD68]

here it is with the rod hooked up...

[1BAD68]

I spent about an hour adjusting everything to get it right but it works good.
I had to make an adjustment at the transmision to center the shift lever but after that it slips into each gear solidly.
Now it just needs a handle, boot and console.
From what everyone is saying that the cable is the bad part of all the aftermarket shifter's, I think this is well worth the effort.
Plus I now have a nice cable to use for my exhaust cutout project in the near future.

Here it is in 1st gear...

[1BAD68]

2nd...

[1BAD68]

neutral...

[1BAD68]

and park...

[Mefirst]

-Damn

I knew I should have tried to make the Hurst shifter work using a rod instead of the cable... But I scrapped that idea cause I started to think it would become to complicated.. -You proved it wrong, looks good

/Tom

[Rolling_Thunder]

nice job!   

[Yeahmate]

Hi guys, sorry to bring up an old thread, I thought it good reference for somebody wanting to run an after market shifter without a cable.

So what I have managed to do here is install a B & M quick silver into the console, using the original auto linkages, to my 68. No head aches with cables for me 

A couple of pictures

[Foreman72]

dude...no one likes the B&M ...thats crazy...i figured that was like...stock install stuff...maybe not...gonna start surfing ebay 4 a V-Matic...

[firefighter3931]

There's a brand new V-Matic shifter for sale in the classifieds. 


Ron

[Foreman72]

There's a brand new V-Matic shifter for sale in the classifieds. 


Ron

ooo...thanks man...i'll look into that

[200MPH]

I fit a Hurst Pro-Matic 2 shifter in the Charger console and it works great.
Pat

Back from the dead!
Keepat how hard was this to install under your console ?

[mauve66]

1bad68, when you put the shifter on top of the stock bracket didn't that make the shifter sit up way too high out of the console lid?? or did you just put an aftermarket cover on top of the console lid??

reason i asked was i was really leery about cutting my stock brackets out but couldn't figure out a way to get the shifter low enough to use the stock lid, so i cut them, now i'm stuck without a shifter until i get around to finishing the new shifter install

[HITMAN 149]

i also have a HURST Pro shifter 2...
i was going to do what pat (keepat) did with his awesome 68... use the stock console... but i may try & come up with a newer more modern console over it?!?!? im still in limbo with that part!!! lol

[1BAD68]

1bad68, when you put the shifter on top of the stock bracket didn't that make the shifter sit up way too high out of the console lid?? or did you just put an aftermarket cover on top of the console lid??

reason i asked was i was really leery about cutting my stock brackets out but couldn't figure out a way to get the shifter low enough to use the stock lid, so i cut them, now i'm stuck without a shifter until i get around to finishing the new shifter install

Yes it sits up high and all exposed but I've been living with it like that because I don't want to cut the brackets off.