@BobBuick contacted me and asked if I could take a look at his 4 speed shifter. One issue was that the chome handle wasn't resting in the correct position in the car. No problem send it over! So here's the shifter Bob sent me- At first glance I csn see a set of non-Buick lever arms installed. And comparing it to a factory original, unmolested Buick shifter. My factory original shifter on the left, Bob's on the right. Yeah, the handle receiver is incorrect causing the handle to be too far over to the right in the neutral gate. Also notice the lever arms on the bottom- Not sure what they fit but I'm confident they're not within 10 years of Bob's car.
Here's the problem- Handle receiver is wrong. Buicks use the straight style. The straight Buick receiver vs what we have And a set of correct 70-72 Buick levers. They're stamped 7171, 4172, and 6699 And the set we have. These are stamped 0031, 0032 and 0033. I don't know what they fit. All I know is what they don't fit
Nothing out of the ordinary. We have a bad main spring. The selector pin roll pins are hammered...literally. could use a new reverse spring....shims are worn. The thick shim should measure .050. Ours measures. 044
And just for a reference, this is a set of 68-69 lever arms for a Buick competition plus shifter- They're stamped 2512, 2513 and 2514 but stamped on the bottom end. The only difference is the earlier style uses the white plastic bushings that you typically find in a Hurst pit pack. While the 70-72 style uses the rubber bushings thst hook into those two slots in the hole.
This shifter is going to get a full on resto. Parts are getting plated. All correct components are getting installed along with a Hurst master rebuild kit. Should have all the parts by next week to complete. Im actually more excited than Bob...its gonna shift like "butta" too...
Taking notes. I have a 69 Buick and a 69 Camaro shifter to do not sure if I should do both at the same time or one at a time. I did one 7 years ago and havent touched one since. So, its refresher time.
I'll try and give a step by step of how they go back together including my trick on how to reinstall the reverse detent spring.
Thanks! I remember having trouble with one and having to get a buddy to give me a third hand. I bet that's the one. I remember taking lots of pictures to remember the order and location of the levers and shims. Is there a way to test the shifter without the trans mounted in the car?
I bolt it to a shifter mount and clamp it in my vice. Then just go through the pattern a few times to make sure it's smooth and nothing binds.
If you actually record the assembly process, you can send it to me via Facebook messenger and I'll upload it to my YouTube channel.
This answers my first question. Given incorrect levers, and handle receiver do you think this was rebuilt at some time using incorrect parts? Is the entire assembly from another car? Both?
Im of the opinion that it didn't start life as a Buick shifter. I think its just from another application entirely. There is evidence it was taken apart and gone through. The selector pin carrier is a newer, service part but im not sure much else was replaced. I'll post up a pic of an original service part carrier vs an original.
