I've got a 72 Nova that was originally a column shift 3spd. When I got it, it had (and still has) a Hurst Pro-matic 2 shifter that I absolutely HATE!!! The reason I hate it is that it won't stay in park. Sometimes just closing the door causes it to jump out of park. The first time I discovered that it does this the car was idling and it went into reverse!! Very dangerous!

I'm considering changing back to the column shifter. How hard is this to do? FWIW, The tranny is a TCI Streetfighter w/2800stall. I want all this junk straightened out before I start putting the new interior in the car...

If the Pro-matic can be worked out I might be willing to keep it, but I can't see any way to adjust it and I won't keep it as it is. Anyone had a similar experience?

The car is built for street/strip use.
Thanks in advance for any input.

270win

gotta make sure the cable is adjusted just right and that shifter will work fine. it sounds like it needs just a lil' tweak so it acyually goes into Park. It's not the shifters fault...just a simple cable adjustment.

I'll try it. If it would work out then I'd keep it. I do think the ratchet shifter would be better for strip runs. So without the car here to look at, do I need a longer cable or is there a way to adjust the cable ends???

I did look at the shifter and there doesn't appear to be a detent for the shifter to lock into for the park position.

Thanks again...
270

make the adjustment at the end of the cable where it bolts to the trans lever on the trans. get under the car and you'll see how you can adjust it back and forth in the bracket that is bolted to the trans pan

Cool!!! Thanks, I'll do that on Monday and post here how it works out.

270win

Well you were right, it took about 5 minutes to adjust the cable so that the transmission will lock in the park position. The only problem is that now the ratchet function will not allow me to drop down to first gear.

Any more suggestions that will solve that too?

thanks again!

270win

that adjustment is a fine line. you have to find exactly the point where you will get both. The cable end is usually fine thread so it can be tricky. My best suggestion is to un hook the cable , pull the shifter all the way back to 1st gear , pull the bracket on the trans all the way back to first gear , then line up the cable end so that it slides through the hole easily , hook it all back up and see if it goes into park and then through the gears down to first. Make samll adjustments from there if it's not quite right.

Actually, though it does lock in park, the cable doesn't move fully forward....just far enough to be securely in park. And even at that there's not enough rearward travel to go ratchet down to first. Maybe there is the option of a longer shift arm on the tranny? Or????

270win

Hi, sorry to jump into a running conversation, but I too had the pro-matic 2 in my 72 Nova. I had trouble getting it to work right to, there a bit tricky. I had it hooked up to a TCI turbo 400 with a 2000 stall converter. First the dumb question, did you install the shifter? if not it may not have the correct bracket, just something to check, since there are people who will do anything to use what they want right way or wrong goes out the window. they promatics also came with different arms for the trans. as well. I can tell you for certain, that when I got the adjustment right on mine, I had to push forward on the shift lever once every time I put it in drive, like you came out of neutral, it's supposed to go into drive, then you ratchet back trough the lower gears, well mine always went right past it, so I'd have to push forward into it. I guess I'm trying to say there like some women, they have quirks you have to get used to if you want to keep them, I didn't, I like the b&m Z gate though. Later

I'm still considering changing it out completely. I'll mess with it some more but I don't have a great deal of patience with things that don't work correctly.

I bought the car with the shifter already installed. The guy I bought it from told me the shifter was not working properly and that he would have replaced it if he had kept the car. I've been looking at the Hurst Quarter Stick 2.

270win