Correct shifter

[bobvickers]

The shifter that is in our 67 SS-350 is a Hurst. From what we read it should be a Muncie. Can anyone tell us if the Hurst unit came from the factory in some cars?

Thanks in advance

Bob

[gro51]

Bob - I'm almost certain the SS 350s all came with Muncies.  Can anyone back me up on this?

[william]

No Hurst shifter '67 or '68. Should have the POS Inland shifter with the "MUNCIE" embossing on the lever.

Finding all the parts, rods, levers to put an original shifter together will be difficult.

[gro51]

Classic Industries and others now have a repro shifter (which includes the rods and levers) for $199.  It even has "MUNCIE" stamped on the handle like the original.  I bought one and even though I think it's made in Japan, it looks real good.  It's made for a console car, which I believe is different from the non-console muncie shifter.  I haven't installed it yet so I can't tell you how well it works.

[bobvickers]

William:
            Can you explain "POS Inland Shifter". Do you have a picture

[william]

Inland Mfg was a supplier to the auto industry and manufactured the infamous "Muncie" shifter.

It had a number of design, engineering and manufacturing inadequacies, the most egregious being that it was not mounted on the transmission but to the trans crossmember. Under hard acceleration the engine/trans would twist slightly causing the shifter to bind. After a few hard shifts the knob mounting stud would snap off, perhaps sending your hand into the dash. With age the reverse slider, all of 1/8" thick at the gate, would break and rotate forward preventing shifting to reverse. Even when new neutral was hard to find. Cars built with a console had the shifter area covered with a black plastic plate that moved with the shifter. It would rattle and was immediately scratched and worn.

Just about every period magazine road test of a 4-speed Chevy complained about the shifter. If I bought a flawless original 67 or 68 Camaro that still had it I would remove it.

POS = piece of crap

[bobvickers]

Thanks William.
           Maybe we will leave the Hurst in the car


Bob

[x77-69z28]

the high performance cars, ss-350 and l-78 cars said muncie on the shifter. the base models did not. william is right, they were junk. if you are not worried about originality, leave the hurst. much better unit.

[william]

Actually there is a way to have your cake and eat it too.

An original "MUNCIE" lever can be reworked to fit a Hurst shifter. Takes some patience as it is case-hardened. I'm not certain the Camaro lever works the best for this but there were a number of MUNCIE handles for various applications.

[nuch_ss396]

Guys,

There is another way to go - possibly.  I read somewhere ( online ) that possibly Ground Up makes a Hurst/Muncie amalgamation
shifter.  The handle is Muncie, but the body is Hurst.  I don't think I'm crazy either.  See if such a thing is available.  You get a
stock look with the Hurst guts!

Steve

[Rod67]

I remember someone saying that dealerships used Hurst shifters as replacements when Muncies flew apart. Don't know if there is any truth to that or not.

Rod

[Steve68]

Bob

My original Muncie (68) is attached to my original M22 which is attached to my original L78.   I can tell you that it has held up VERY well over the years.  It has seen some pretty tough use including power shifts that where smooth and quick (a given if you want to keep the engine   ).  An exception?  Maybe.  I can say with all honesty that the only thing that got trashed from the use of the Muncie were the Boss Mustangs, Hemi's, etc.    For what it's worth, I plan on keeping mine in my original 68.

Steve

[william]

My experience with Muncie shifters is based on 36 years of experience with 1st gen Camaros. I was involved with a Camaro business for 15 years and dismantled many factory Muncie shifters in a effort to acquire enough good parts to assemble a useable unit for a customer that just had to have one.

In that time I never saw a factory Hurst unit that needed more than cleaning and linkage bushings.

A nearby parts store had a sign:

"There are two kinds of oats. Fresh oats, and oats that have already been through the horse. The latter are much cheaper."

Muncie shifters have already been through the horse.

[firstgenaddict]

Wasn't there a problem with the muncie shifters binding up as well?
They were bolted to the crossmember or the floor or something... the hurst was bolted to the trans and even if the trans moved under heavy torque the shifter geometry stayed the same where as the Muncie geometry changed and bound if the trans twisted... seems like the problem would be negligable with a new trans mount... however if the mount got sloppy... shifting could get a little hairy,

[RickH]

LOL, jumping to the end of thread not good. Already answered above. 
.

 

Wasn't there a problem with the muncie shifters binding up as well?
They were bolted to the crossmember or the floor or something... the hurst was bolted to the trans and even if the trans moved under heavy torque the shifter geometry stayed the same where as the Muncie geometry changed and bound if the trans twisted... seems like the problem would be negligable with a new trans mount... however if the mount got sloppy... shifting could get a little hairy,