Repro Gear shift lever
 

I know from other members in my club and also fordbarn that not all shifters are the same quality. Who sells the best? Judging standards do not matter to me.
TIA, Ian

Re: Repro Gear shift lever
 

Careful of the spot-welded seam where the "stick" screws onto the ball assembly. With a nice shiny finish it may be hard to spot a flaw. My stick unscrewed on a shift from 1st to 2nd, lucky for me not far from home. I think most are probably foreign made.. JMO/kb

Re: Repro Gear shift lever
 

A number of the reproductions were butt-welded where the lever attaches to the large ball at the base. These have a tendency to snap off while shifting. An original is your best bet. They can be made functional by welding up the small ball and grinding it to fit. The big problem is the re-plating, almost impossible to find a source that can do it. The original finish is what is called a "Butler finish". Very few people today know what that is.


Tom Endy

Re: Repro Gear shift lever
 

I still have the original, waiting to get the correct finish, and it will be perfect for my next project. I am finding out why the seasoned Model A guys save the original parts and repair, refinish and rebuild for future use.