11 replies to this topic

[Hybrid]

I need to get a shifter for my Powerglide and I have been tossing up between the B&M Pro Bandit and the B&M Pro Stick. The Pro Bandit is rear exit cable while the Pro Stick is front exit cable. I need some advice on which is a better solution for an LC.

The rear exit cable is a concern. I can't see how I can route the cable so I can avoid kinking it and avoid the tailshaft. I believe with rear exit cable I need to reverse the selector linkage and point it up. I suspect that the cable will then foul on my trans shield. There is not a whole lot of room between the floor and the trans shield too. I have found that B&M sell a bracket to suit rear exit cable shifters (https://shop.rocketi...roducts/BM70469) but there is no way that this bracket will fit without hitting the floor.

I can't visualise how the cable will be routed if I run a front exit cable shifter. I imgaine it will run over the top of the box and drop down and turn 180 degrees and point to the rear of the car? What length cable would I need for this setup?

Has anyone ever installed a cable operated shifter in a LC before? I would appreciate any tips or advice before I drop $500 on a shifter that may not fit!

[rexy]

I have an old B&M street stick in the LJ with front exit cable. Does a gentle loop down to where its needed. Trans is a T350.

[Hybrid]

I have a B&M pro stick shifter in my 355 LC. Protrans built my powerglide and said the best he'd recommend is a pro stick.

I have a glide built by ProTrans as well I asked him the same question and he also recommended a Pro Stick to me too.

I had a really good look at the way in which the cable would need to be routed for both a rear exit and front exit cable. The front exit is much easier option I reckon. With a rear exit setup the cable would have had to sit below the tailshaft to ensure gentle bends in the cable. This setup would have been a bit dodgy I think.

I don't really like the look of the Pro Stick but I think it will be functional and easier to install. I ordered a Magnum Grip version of the Pro Stick from Summit on Monday. We'll see how we go.

Edited by Hybrid, 04 July 2012 - 10:45 PM.

[Hybrid]

I did check it out actually. I agree, it is a good looking shifter. It was my first preference, but I thought I would have a hell of a time installing it.

Being a rear exit cable, the linkage on the box would need to be turned 180 degrees so it was pointed up toward the tunnel rather than down toward the ground. This would then mean that the shifter cable would run above the top of the auto pan rather than below. I've had a larger tunnel welded in to fit a trans shield on my glide. Even with the larger tunnel there is still next to no room for the cable and bracket when the selector linkage is pointed upward.

Also, again being a rear exit shifter, the cable would have to be routed via the narrow section of tunnel where the tailshaft runs. It would need to be mounted this way to avoid any really tight looping of the cable.

I saw a Pro Bandit in an LJ a few weeks back and the top of the shifter came really close to hitting the dash when it was in Park. It was also mounted on an angle which I wasn't fond of. With my larger tunner I reckon there was a greater risk that the shifter would hit the dash. From my observations, the pivot point for the shifter is more forward on a Pro Bandit than a Pro Stick. Therefore I think that the risk of the Pro Stick shifter hitting the dash is much lower.

The cable routing for a front exit shifter such as the Pro Stick looks like a no brainer. Cable through the floor, turn a gentle 180 degress towards the driver's side, around under the rear mount and then attach to the bracket that bolts to the trans via the pan bolts. No sharp bends, won't foul anything ... nice and easy .... I hope

Edited by Hybrid, 05 July 2012 - 11:12 PM.

[Hybrid]

I mounted the shifter this week and it seems to have worked out fine. I used the 5ft cable that came with the shifter, though I think a 6ft cable would be the ideal length. Here's a few photos to assist anyone else that might read this in the future (I had a hell of time trying to find pics on the net before I bought the shifter).

https://cache.gmh-to.../IMG_0673_m.jpg
https://cache.gmh-to.../IMG_0671_m.jpg
https://cache.gmh-to.../IMG_0665_m.jpg

[Hybrid]

While I didn't actually try that, I am pretty sure that the arc of the cable bends would be tighter if I didn't loop it around the box.