WHere can I find a Dual Gate shifter bracket

[73431Cutlass]

I just bought a Dual Gate shifter for my 73 and foolishly forgot about the mounting bracket. Does anyone know where I can buy one or does someone here have an extra one to sell? Does me no good with out it, so I guess the hunt is on....

[texxas8902]

I had the same problem/made the same mistake. It took some time(a long afternoon) but I was able to use some nuts as spacers and get my shifter to fit perfect in the rear and within about an 1/8 inch of correct height in the front. I could have gotten it perfect but I had the console in and out a half dozen times at that point and it was dark and I was working in the driveway. I plan to get it right when I swap out the dash but I too would like to get the proper bracket and have put the call out in the past. Seems like the only way to get the bracket is to buy the shifter. Also I used a universal Hurst replacement shifter cable, you have to loop it in the trans tunnel to make it fit correctly. I've got the right dual gate cable now but I haven't installed it yet. Goodluck.

[73431Cutlass]

I bought the shifter brand new from the Parts Place, and it was said to be a direct bolt in. :mad: I thought about shimming it but the base doesnt have a bunch of holes to use. What did you do for holes? Did you make new ones in the shifter or the floor bracket?

[texxas8902]

My shifter already had some extra holes in it from the previous owner so I just used those. Once I had the shifter I REALLY wanted it in the car so that's why I worked on figuring out a rig job way to put it in. There is a picture of it under the "75 H/O interior help" thread. You can see a slight gap between the gate slide and the top plate at the front of the shifter. The gap looks bigger in the picture than it actually is. That's what I need to eliminate. Couple of washers should do it... when I get around to it.

[73431Cutlass]

Texxas,
How many spacers did you use in the rear? I am looking at about a 3 inch space in the rear and about a 2.5 inch space in the front. I am assuming you used long bolts and then spaced it out. How sturdy was it? Since my shifter is new it is a bit stiff and I am wondering if it will bend the bolts I use to mount it. I might try and find some bendable metal and maybe shape a bracket if the bolts dont work out.

Thanks Steve

[texxas8902]

I don't remember exactly but I wasn't that far off on getting mine to fit when I started out. I did quite a bit of hacking with the Dremel to modify the console to accept the dual gate. I saved my original shifter/console set up. Your car came from the factory with floor shift, right? Do you have a side view picture of your shifter? I'd like to compare. From my memory(which is notoriously bad) I'd say I was no more than an inch too low at the most from the shifter fitting. I'll be pulling my console again in the near future but it may be a couple of weeks. I'll try to get to it sooner. Gotta fix my door hinges first.

[76HOProposal]

I think the last thread on this was under General Rocketry / Dual Gate Pictures.

My pictures show that damn mounting bracket under the shifter. Would measurements on it help? I'd hate to think what it would take to bend one of them up. How much that would cost? And naturally old wonderful Parts Place Joe doesn't offer it. What a........... melon farmer **

I knew the retro fitting was going to be a bear. That is why I suggested that you get a used set up complete.

But screw it, "when you have lemons you make lemonade". You aren't the first or the last guy that will go through this..........."process". (Yeah Yeah,that's what you call it!:D)

(You know, I might get fired up enough that this bracket isn't available and make a few from my original. But it's like 1/4" steel! :eek: Maybe if you welded three pieces together?..... That is probably how the first one was made. I could ask my buddy "Toxic Mike" to make a few. He's has sucked up his fair share of really toxic welding fumes. He just might be mentally gone enough do it.)

Getting the shifter to sit on the floor at the proper angle of the console in some relative usable fashion will be difficult without that........"wonderful bracket". You have two angles (floorboard and console slope) to deal with. And it needs to be mounted.......FIRMLY.

Like David, I will also be digging into my console soon. If you guys don't get it resolved before then. I'll at least post some more half baked photos to confuse the hell out of you.

NOTE: The indicator lens that illuminates for the shift plate wasn't made when the plate was replicated.** Did anyone try the beg, plead and offer to sell a kidney to fund route, with H&H? (They are kind of the "if it's not thought of here, it's not happening" tea bagger types.)


** Everything, and I mean every thing with that freaking guy is done HALF WAY! :mad: Watch how many times you find that to be true in the future! Yeah I know he's got some stuff done that's OK by total accident. But he still needs a "good" beating with a transmission cross member.

[73431Cutlass]

I looked at those pics several times.... I think you should have your buddy make a few of your set!!!! That would be perfect and very helpful.....

I am going to take pictures later today and see if I can post them.....

[442wheeler]

if somebody can post a picture or drawing and the dimentions, i am sure i can make some up.
Bruce

[73431Cutlass]

Cool that would be nice.... I am going to try and measure mine tonight, I have it set in place with a screw here and there. It sits level with the console and the top plate. I have a piece of thick metal like the original shifter uses, so I am going to try myself and make a bracket for it. Idoubt it will work but I have to try my hand at it!

[442wheeler]

let me know if you need my help. i may be able to deliver it also cause i have a brother in manassas and a good freind in woodbridge that i want to visit.(long overdue) or i can just UPS it.
did you find out if my old car is still down in ladysmith? would maybe like to try to buy it back some day.
Bruce

[73431Cutlass]

Havent called Bob yet, I have been meaning to (long overdue too).... I am going to wing it because I dont have any dimensions. I have seen a few pics from here so I have a general idea of the shape but no tthe height it should put the shifter at. I guess if it lines up and there is no big gap to the top plate I can call it good. I will let you know!

[76HOProposal]

Well here's a few. Toxic has mine and going to work me up a price.

[76HOProposal]

And a few more.

Interesting to note a few things.

The rear upright has an offset in it to add clearance so that the rear screws can mount. (I don't know why this location on the floorboard was so critical to them. Maybe so you didn't take the chance of getting to close to drilling the the trans. tail shaft. I think it is pretty close)

Both uprights are angled at 75 degrees.

Also note that holes were drilled in the ends to leave clearance for the shifter's pivot.

I wouldn't go blowing any old holes for mounting in the shifter body. You might regret it later.

The one photo is the bottom of the bracket.

Next post will be a price each and dimensions in a cave drawing.

[73431Cutlass]

Cool thanks for the photos. So it looks like yous sits close to the floor, right? Mine with the top plate flush and centered with shifter I have a huge space between the shifter and floor. 3 inches in the rear and 2 inches in the front. Does that sound right to you? Thnaks for the continued help!

Steve

[76HOProposal]

Yeah your shifter will give you some idea of scale. In my first post on the other thread.

I was rushed to get a lot of things done today and didn't get dimensions. But that will happen soon enough. Mike is slow work wise so that might be a good thing. He's got everything, plasma, tig and water jet. Now if I didn't have to listen to every conspiracy theory there ever was from him. :rolleyes:

Yes the bracket sits flat directly on the floor as I remember. I'll be pulling my Auto Stick III out of my car on a temp basis. I'll know more then. Because I'll try the Dual Gate while it is out.

[73431Cutlass]

So lastnight I figured I would mess with the shifter and burn the midnight oil.... Got the brackets made (crude) and mounted the shifter. All in all it came out good, just a tad bit forward which I will fix today and then paint them up all pretty. I still need to hook up the shifter cable and dye the console. SHe is rock solid too! I would still be interested in getting the factory bracket, so if any of you guys make one off the original let me know! Thanks for all the help!
STeve