What shifter are you using... Since the Maverick didn't come with a 4 speed when you bought your shifter what car was it "supposed" to fit or be made for? I am looking around at some shifters, new and used and need to know so when I go to buy one I know what car to buy it for since it obviously won't say that it was made for a 4 speed Maverick.. I was told that the shifter that is in my Maverick now belonged to a Mustang but I don't know if the guy said it came out of a 1970 mustang or a 70's era mustang which could very well have meant that it came out of a mustangII and it is a very short shifter. Anyway Original question what car was the shifter you are using supposed to be made for and what kind of shifter are you using? Hurst? Stock Mustang? Some other aftermarket shifter?? Let me know if you can
I have used both Hurst Comp Plus for a 70 Mustang, and a Hurst Super Shifter universal Toploader shifter. The Comp Plus was actually the shifter that came on the tranny from Ford. The tranny and shifter both came from a 70 Stang. That is the shifter to use (Hurst still sells them aftermarket) if you want a stock look, classic look, or if you want to use some sort of console in the future. I must warn you though, they are sold in 2 parts: The shifter itself, and the install kit. What you have to do is get the shifter you want, then you have to look at their chart to see what install kit will fit both the shifter and the tranny. Remember that there are many different tailshaft bolt patterns for different year/model Toploaders. So your install kit should match the car you sourced your tranny from AND the shifter you pick. The other shifter, that I have in my Sprint, is more of a universal short throw shifter. It is very tight, has a short handle, and would be what you might call 'sporty'. It sits closer to the driver than the classic shifters that were offered as stock. So it won't fit any console that you didn't make yourself. The good thing about Hurst aftermarket shifters is that the handles are removeable, so you can customize them if you like down the road. The handles are a bit spendy though, about 60 bux. If you get a stock Hurst shifter with your tranny like I did for my 75, the handles are not removeable.
Back when I had a 4-speed I used Hurst and Mr. Gasket shifters for early Mustangs. If you get a shifter intended for a Mustang with a console the handle will be way long. The handles are removable, you can get different lengths and styles from Summit and other places and bolt 'em on. Edit - and that same handle will bolt on to a T5 later if you want.
I ran a Hurst Super Shifter III with straight rods and nice short throw pattern. Had to do some trans tunnel mods for it to fit. Your best bet is a Competition Plus for a Mustang.
I too am interested in this one. I have a Toploader from a '69 Mustang with a Hurst Comp Plus, but I haven't gotten anything mocked up yet to see if it will fit comfortably through the floor and between the seats. The mounting for the shifter is at the back of the tailstock and my concern is it may be too far back. I think the Falcon's had the tailshaft with the mounting closer to the gearbox but I don't want to have to get a new tailshaft. Is there a way to move the shifter forward without having to weaken the shifter connection? (i.e. a bracket of some kind?). Or if someone has used a 69 Mustang toploader in a Mav / Com maybe they can weigh in on their experience. How was fit with the Comp Plus?
My TopLoader was from a 68 Mustang with the shifter mounted at the rear of the tail housing, probably same as yours. In my car the handle came up in the same place as the Maverick 3-speed.
I bought Hurst Part # 391-3180 shifter and 373-3185 installation kit. Fits and works super, but then, it is a Hurst.
Like I said, I used a total 1970 Stang setup. A Toploader that came stock with a Hurst shifter. It fit great. Seeing as how a 69 and 70 are basically the same car, I would think you would be fine.
My original Grabber I had ,I put a Toploader out of a '69 Boss 302 and it fit perfectly,had a rear mount Hurst,just cut the handle down and made a straight 8" handle ,worked great.
I bought my Toploader and Hurst setup with linkage used ... Guy told me he took it out of a 65 GT350 and replaced it with a 5-speed. Not sure if that is true or not although I do think the codes on the Toploader did match up with what he said.
Mine was out of a 70 B302! I found it in an old man's living room closet! He pulled it from a 40k mile B302 in 1974, thinking it would fit behind his FE. No such luck, so he put it in back of his coat closet! I got it for 100 bux many, many, years later. The handle of the Hurst shifter was damaged with the 'actylene wrench' when they took it out. I eventually replaced the handle with a 1 1/8" closed end wrench.
