Was not sure where to post this but is there something I can purchase for my turbo 400 on GS to where when I put console shift in low gear I can bump it up to each gear without accidentally bumping to nuestral or worse reverse? I know on my turbo Buick when I installed a trsnsbrske there was a metal piece that kept me from doing what I'm asking about. If there is what's cost and any links that I can see??
I would think that there are notches and stops built into the shifter to do just that. The Riv is like that but its so old, worn and sloppy that it dont really work as it should.
I don't know of anyone selling exactly what you're looking for, but it does seem like it could be done. I recently just converted a 1966 2 speed shifter to a three speed, using a kit from Shiftworks. They have you cut off the factory detent plate, and replace it with a plate of their own devising. Both the factory plate and the Shiftworks plate have a stop between neutral and reverse, so there isn't much chance of accidentally going all the way to reverse... but both allow you to go straight from D to N, which is not what you want. I think if you were clever you could design your own detent plate that kept you from making the D-N shift, unless you pressed the button. It's just a little pin following a profile. In the attached image the 1964-1967 detent plate is the black part, near the center. I've labeled the detents- see how neutral and drive share a detent? Assuming there is enough travel in the pin, putting a deeper divot there for Drive would give you the functionality you're looking for. This is for the early style shifter- if yours is a later car I am sure it is similar, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge of those shifters. http://www.shiftworks.com/buick.htm#1968
Here's the patent for what you want: https://www.google.com/patents/US8459136 I wonder if he ever made any? EDIT: My bad, this is for a 4 speed auto, but the same idea applies.
And hey, here's a HotRod article featuring the patent guy, showing you how to do the thing. Might not fit Buick... but also might? http://www.hotrod.com/articles/1969-chevrolet-chevelle-upgrading-gm-horseshoe-ratchet-shifter/ Here's the part for sale, scroll like halfway down: http://www.shiftworks.com/chevelle-68-72.htm
B&M had a shifter like that. I had one in my '56 Chevy wagon. Wind it up, slap the shift lever forward, get second, wind it up, slap the shifter, get third. It would only upshift one gear when one did that. I forget what it was called, though.
I ran the Hurst Promatic 2 for a while, which is a ratchet style shifter. Man, I hated it. So loud. So ugly. Took so long to shift from any gear to any other gear. The guy at the alignment shop or emissions and inspections place could never figure it out. I am much happier now that I have the stock-style shifter, though I do wish it had positive stops for the forward gears.
The shift plate can be modified. I did mine for racing so I would leave the line in 2 and let 1-2 shift then slap the horseshoe to go 2-3. On 70 the plates were removable...not sure about later years. What you do is grind the track lower on the 2-3 thereby creating a stop. Hard to explain. Then to go from 3 to neutral you have to lift the spring loaded lever just as you would normally do to get into reverse. Hope this helps.....