11. Shifter
11.1. Bucket Seats
I installed a Hurst Competition Plus shifter (PN 391 0032) on the T5 in my 1986 Monte Carlo SS. I did not like the look of the black shift knob that came with the shifter, so I installed a white shift knob that I found at a swap meet. Because I installed the transmission straight up (the F body bellhousing tilts the transmission approximately 17° towards the driver), the shifter pointed approximately 17° towards the passenger side of the car. After disassembling the shifter, I heated and bent the shifter above the pivot approximately 34° so that the shifter would point toward the driver at approximately 17° (Figure 11-1). The shift knob now resides in a very natural position. The shifter boot is a lower boot from a 1983-1985 F body.
Figure 11-1: Shifter as Installed in 1986 Monte Carlo SS
11.2. Bench Seat
In my 1979 Malibu Wagon, I used a modified factory T5 shifter. The stock T5 shifter coincides with the front of the bench seat. The factory shifter also points towards the back of the car, which complicates the issue. In order to make this shifter work with a bench seat, I had to modify the shifter and the seat. I disassembled the factory shifter and reversed the pivot so that the shifter pointed forward. I also had to make a custom handle to mate to the factory shifter (Figure 11-2). The shifter is not pretty (most of it was covered with a Chevrolet Monza shifter boot) but it worked well and I used it for about 4 years. Unfortunately, I have no photographs of the interior of my 1979 Malibu Wagon with the T5 installed.
Figure 11-2: Shifter Fabricated for Use With Bench Seat (left) and Stock F Body Shifter (right)
Originally Released 11 February 2002
updated 27 August 2007