Club Cobra - Shorter Length TKX Shift Lever Option?

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- - Shorter Length TKX Shift Lever Option? (http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/era-speak-bob-putnam/147864-shorter-length-tkx-shift-lever-option.html)

Shorter Length TKX Shift Lever Option?

Does anyone have a source for a shorter length Tremec compatible shifter? If not, I will have to modify my current unit to better represent the original Toploader shifter lever length. I attached an image for reference.

You are looking at this installed above. It "works" its just a bit tall from what I was used to with the Toploader.

Are you doing a 427 car or a 289?

Here is an update. I am using the 1 inch offset White Lighting Shifter assembly. This helped me get the shifter from over the transmission to the side like the top loader. Not perfect, but close. I cut the Tremec 2 bolt "tab" off the shifter handle at the weld. Then I cut off the matching "tab" for the shifter assembly and welded the shifter directly to what was left of the "tab" that lets the shifter handle bolt to the offset arm.

As you can see it cured the length/height issue. However, I still may angle the handle further further and not so up right restoring the more up and down shifting motion and not so back and forth.

My shifter hole was butchered to begin with. Therefore I always knew I was going to have to repair and re-carpet it. So I cannot offer insights in regards to that.

More than happy to address any TKX from Top Loader swap questions.

My ERA has a Hurst shifter so I’m not too sure just how the original Ford shifter was configured but the vintage photos I studied of original cars appeared to show the shifter coming out of the tunnel pretty much at center. And the original tunnel was a little narrower than most replica tunnels that are oversize to allow a variety of newer transmissions to fit. I’m not exactly sure how Ford managed that since as you noted the Ford linkage is on the side of the Toploader. I assume they had some sort of offset to the right at the top of the shifter body unit. Anyway I tried to mimic that as close as I could with the Hurst unit and got it fairly close to center (or at least the trim ring). I think the ERA tunnel may be a little higher than original for the same reasons and with a Toploader that means the stick is moving further back and forth distance at the trim ring level which makes getting the shift ring located so it doesn’t interfere, somewhat critical. All part of the fun of building a replica.

If yours is in neutral in the photo it’s probably a little more upright than mine came out but I’m not sure how close the Hurst adaptor levers are as compares to the originals.

https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/g...cobra1434878_/

If you own a replica (like most of us) and not an original, when you start chasing after the period-correct look stuff hard enough, it can become impressive how expensive period-correct appearances can become. Sometimes, it is better to reach for fun and comfortable to drive.