straitjacket

hi everyone! i hope someone here can help me. the automatic shifter in my 81 has started to get a little sloppy and i want to replace it with an aftermarket unit. i would like to find something that i can use the stock console with or slightly modify to make fit. so if anyone has already done this please let me know some details. or better yet a picture or two would be great!
thank you for reading my post and any replies i may get.
billy

Camivette

I'm going to sneak in on your post because I'm having the same thoughts on my 78. I've read before that there are not to may that fit the console. I miss my old Pro matic

MelWff

No interest in this?

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1977-1982.html

straitjacket

not really. if my car was more original, yeah, but its not. i really want something more performance oriented. looking at the stock shifter compared to say a hurst, i can see there are definitely going to be a few clearance issues using my stock console.

straitjacket

but thank you anyway. of all the different shifters ive seen, the shifting mechanism is rather large compared to stock. in order to make it "jive", it looks like im going to lose my ashtray. another reason for going aftermarket is the fact it makes it harder to get it out of park. i have a 4 yr old daughter that loves to ride in her "cordevette". right now the way it is, shes definitely smart enough to know to push the button down to move the shifter. oh and well now that i think about it i definitely need to fix that parking brake, too!

7T1vette

Is your shifter bad? Or do you just need a new shift cable?

straitjacket

my shifter still works, its just a little sloppy and its hard to get into first and park. truthfully i like the way a ratchet action shifter works and looks.. .

straitjacket

for those interested i think i found something that will work without too much modification , a b&m z gate shifter or a b&m pro stick. compared to a hurst , the shifting mechanism is way smaller and doesnt look like it will stick out of the factory console too much. and its about the same width and length as a stock shifter. i will have one put in next week and will post a pic if anyone is interested

subzero05

the B&M pro stick shifter is most likely the closest shifter dimensionally wise to the stocker.. i believe it will fit with little modification but i would love to find someone who has actually done it, so if you're doing it on your car i am VERY interested for my 76!.. B&M used to make a "street stick" for our cars wayyyy back in the day but it has long since been discontinued. Wonder if we could rally together to get them to bring it back?

straitjacket

its going to be a week or two before i can tackle the shifter in my car. if anyone here has an aftermarket automatic shifter, please post a pic. surely someone on this forum has done this already.

Street Rat

Looking forward to seeing your set up after it's installed. And you know we love pics!

oldalaskaman

its pretty common in C4 and the consoles arent that much different as far as hiding the mechanism goes, with some you need to go to a boot. Some pretty excellent write ups with pictures also. I converted my C4 to a B&M stealth. most of the adapting comes when you mount it to your console and run the cable. almost any version that will work in a camaro will work.. hope this helps. This would be a bit extreme but its a good example of some of the writeups.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...market+shifter
and a mega shifter in a C3
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...r-install.html

donnie1956

I am interested. Pictures of your progress would be great. I have upgraded to 2004R so I will need the 4 speed version.

GS977

i just put a b&m pro stick with the 4 speed gate in my 82 about 3 weeks ago. it was not an easy install. but i love the way it shifts and was worth the effort. i mounted mine as low as i could without it hitting the console when in 1st or park. i havent taken any pics of it yet. you'll need to do some cutting and fabrication for the install but it wasn't too bad.

donnie1956

What tranny do you have? Part number and who did you get it from? I can fabricate if needed. Pictures would be awesome.

GS977

i have a 700r4 trans and it's the b&m # 80701 with the 80712 4 speed gate. i'll take a pic tomorrow.

GS977

here's some pics i just took this morn. excuse the dirty interior
i put the white dots on the shifter so i can see what gear i'm in. the white/blue is overdrive and white/red is nuetral.

Street Rat

Looks great!

Doesn't look like you had to modify the hole in the trim plate either.

GS977

thanks, yes it fits the factory hole perfect. it doesn't sit any higher then the factory shifter.

donnie1956

Nice job. I am leaning more towards the 80683 QuickSilver. Appears to be more compact. Going to the hot rod shop tomorrow and look at it. http://performanceparts.com/part/B-M/80683