Yesterday I installed the replacement pulse generator for the cruise control. A 20 mile trip confirmed it again works just fine. Since the truck was already up in the air I gave the chrome rear end cover (Dana 44) a wash job and polished it up. Unfortunately I put the car back on the ground before I thought about taking pictures of how much neater the cruise drive mechanism looks, so no update photos until the next time I have a need to jack it up.
Back in 2011 I tired of the Hurst shifter handles as mine were either too long, too short, or ended up in the wrong place. I went with the short handle for a while, but it was uncomfortable (too short) and always put the boot in a bind:
So I had my son whip up a couple of straight sticks out aluminum (different lengths) while I fabricated an adapter plate that positioned the knob exactly where I wanted it. Here’s the adapter in place:
And here it is buttoned up under the boot (with the chrome top plate missing):
This arrangement has worked flawlessly, but cosmetically I’ve always preferred the Hurst handle. So I’ve switched back to the Hurst handle several times:
And each time I get tired of the position of the knob very quickly:
I’ve reinstalled the chrome plate several times, and always end up pulling it off as it constantly pops loose in one spot or another and soon half the plate is sitting on top of the boot looking stupid. Regardless, I’ve never given up on having the chrome plate and a Hurst handle.
In trying to find a solution and in having had good luck with several “Spectre” products, about a year ago I ordered one of their large shift boots as it looked exactly like a Hurst Super Boot. It was a major disappointment, sharing none of the dimensions of the Hurst boot. It was also so stiff I wouldn’t have been able to shift the transmission.
Never giving up, more recently I bought an NOS Mr. Gasket super boot off Ebay for $8.00 including shipping. Dimensionally it is identical to the version with the Hurst logo. I found two details particularly interesting.
It’s 100% more flexible than a brand new Hurst boot. The blank chrome plate that goes on top is one quarter inch smaller in both directions (1/8” all around the perimeter) than the plate that goes in the Hurst boot. Seeing this, I quickly installed the Hurst plate in the Mr. Gasket boot and found it a perfect snug fit. This should eliminate the popping out problem. And the rubber is so much more flexible it should eliminate the tearing common to Hurst boots.
So I fixed the boot problem, but I still wanted the Hurst handle. So I went back to studying my adapter plate and realized I could simply make a taller version:
The new adapter is on the left, the original is on the right. Neither one is pretty, but they work perfectly:
I also built some angle into the 3 mounting holes on the right side of the plate (only two of which are used). The lower two holes lean the stick forward, the upper two holes mount the stick straight up. This provides a variety of future mounting options if I get bored again!
Here’s the new adapter mounting the Hurst handle. This only raises the stick/knob 7/8”, but it makes a big difference in comfort:
And here’s the whole thing completely assembled with the Hurst handle, Hurst plate, and Mr. Gasket boot. With the new adapter, the shift knob is in same place as it was with the straight aluminum stick:
I failed to overlay the two plates and take a photo. The best I could do was show the blank plate on top of the boot. It’s too small even for the Mr. Gasket boot and would be popping out immediately:
And the Mr. Gasket boot with Hurst plate installed. The plate is much tighter in this boot than it ever was in the Hurst boot:
Not sure what I’ll be on to next, but with too much time on my hands I’m sure I’ll think of something!
