Syncho 4-speeds

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang..
OK, us back-garage mechanics.............

What's the easist way to align/synch the shifter on my '69 Charger 500.. It's a console factory Hurst shifter...... I have your typical hand-tools and such.. Not sure if the alignment tool is a specialty item or if I can make-do with another tool...

Thanks for the input........

PS: reason I'm asking is my shifter sometimes has a little grief getting into any gear if I've driven her, place her in neutral and drive putting her back in gear to start going again..... Like mentioned, sometimes she does it, some times she doesn't.........

Cheers,
Troy

[resq302]

Troy,

I was told this or read it somewhere.  The 4 speed Hurst shifter has a hole in the housing that also goes through the shifter levers that connect to the shifter rods on the trans.  A couple things could have happened over the years.... the brass bushings, if yours even have them, could have worn on either end of the shifter rod causing slop in the shifter, the shifter levers might not have been aligned at some point, or something could be starting to wear inside the trans itself, say such as a synchro.

The procedure to align the shifter levers is as follows:
-remove the special spring clip that holds the shifter rods onto the lever on the trans (note which way these rods face)
-let the rods dangle down below the shifter itself.
-find the alingment hole on the housing of the shifter (should be like a 3/16" hole or something, can't remember the exact size)
-slide an allen wrench or drill bit if it fits through the holes allowing the allen wrench or drill bit to go completely through all of the levers and out the other side of the housing of the shifter.
-turn in or out the shifter rods until it freely pops into place on the hole for the lever on the trans and then reinstall the special spring clip.
-remove the drill bit or allen wrench from the housing of the shifter.

Now your shifter and rods should all be aligned and "should" be able to shift smoothly unless there is a problem somewhere else.  Also be sure to spray some silicon spray or other type of spray lubricant on the shifter levers inside the housing of the shifter.  This is also a place that likes to bind up when they get worn.  If your brass bushings are worn or missing, Hurst sells a repair kit for them for about $30  IIRC.

Once I did this to my charger, it shifted so much better and it was a pleasure to drive, no more crunching gears or having it pop out of gear coasting.

*NOTE* - some Hurst shifters had a bolt to adjust the amount of throw the shifter would have for third gear.  I guess this came out as an after thought as I have heard numerous people complain about smashing their knuckles on the dash going into third gear.

[Mick70RR]

It's a 1/4 inch hole in the levers.

[Dans 68]

Good info for the "Hurst" shifters, but how about for the "Inland" style shifters?  I'm guessing it is the same procedure (only with different shifters)?

Dan

[resq302]

Dan,

I would imagine it would be in the factory service manual, but I can not see how much the procedure would change.

[Ghoste]

I thought with the Inland style there was a little clamp like fixture to hold the shift levers in alignment?

[resq302]

Ghoste, you might be right as I do not know much about the Inland style shifters.  I was only making an assumption.

[Ghoste]

I wasn't sure either though Brian so I checked my 67 fsm and it shows a different process for aligning Inland shifters that is somewhat like the Hurst method.  They tell you to fabricate a piece of steel in a rectangle that's 2 3/8 inches long, 5/8 wide and 1/16 thick.  There is a slot on the bottom of the shifter that this plate you've made will fit into and then with the shift levers all behind it (towards the rear of the car) you align the inputs from that point.