Another Deuce part problem-shifter boot

[NWYENKO]

O.K. What is the secret?? What is the shifterboot on the Deuce from?? I have bought 2 repros and neither one is right. Every time I think I will do a little something to fix up one of the cars it turns out to be a monumental task!! It seems that it used to be much easier, maybe I am getting old!!! HELP!!! I am afraid to ask, should the knob be black or white, should the plate be chrome or black??

[whitetop]

Marlin
The large shifter boot with the red letter H is an early Hurst Super Boot. The Super boot is still available from Hurst but no longer has the red H. The H is engraved in the metal.
Dave

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Dave;
Thanks for answering a question that I have had for several years!! I have not been able to find a boot that was the same as the one I found on my car. I removed it a few days after purchasing my car, and threw it away not realizing that a few other cars also had one. As I remember it, there was a thin piece of steel/chrome with a large 'H' die-stamped into it and a flat piece of red plastic underneath showing through. Both pieces were held in place by being tucked under the top ring of the rubber boot. The bezel was nothing more than a .50 to .75 inch wide piece of stainless that was screwed down with regular sheet metal screws, that were rusted to death. It wasn't the most attractive boot, but it sure made you notice the Hurst shifter. I guess I need to start looking for an old Hurst Super Boot.
Thx,
M

[MikeA]

Marlin;

My '72 has a Hurst shifter with a boot similar, if not exactly, to what you described. I will try to email a picture of it to you. If it is what you are looking for you can have it. I do not plan to use it.

Mike

[Edited by MikeA (09-28-2001 at 04:06 PM).]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Hey Jim;
The shifter on the deuce is a unique item. The shifter mechanism itself is from a '69 Camaro Z28 non-console, the chrome arm is from a '69 GTO/Tempest with bench seat (Hurst arm #4177 to be exact), the boot/black bezel combination is also from a '69 camaro non-console. The boot has a double flange where it attaches to the trans tunnel, one flange on each side of the metal/rubber mat.

There were some deuces found with a second boot/bezel installed over top of the original GM one. This one is much larger, has a full 'accordian' boot style, and a chrome square on top of the boot with a red 'H' showing through. It is not known if this extra boot was installed as a hi-lite by Yenko, the participating dealer or by the original owners. Most cars with two boots are early cars, and they are just screwed to the top of the trans tunnel with sheet metal screws. My car had two boots/bezels, and all of the owners claim it was there when they bought the car - I left it with just the GM boot/bezel installed.

The shifter ball should be black as well. Even though most of us prefer the white ones, we install the black ones for the important shows.
Hope this helps,
M

[Edited by YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY (09-28-2001 at 12:37 PM).]

[mnyenko]

Marlin
How about the boot on an auto deuce.Mine has the old style super shifter boot with square metal band screwed to floor.What color and style shift nob?Earl

[MikeA]

Is this a Hurst Super Boot? I threw the red plastic piece out years ago and painted the bezel black (some rust on it).

http://www.boomspeed.com/mikea/Im000336.jpg

Mike



[Edited by MikeA (10-01-2001 at 06:18 AM).]

[whitetop]

Hurst used the same Super boot for both the 4 speeds and automatic. I see used Hurst Super Boots with the red H at swap meets occasionly but are becoming rarer. Most are junk. Hint: Buy a new Super boot, the boot and the ring that holds it to the floor are the same as the old one, and replace the engraved plate with the swap meet used one.
Dave

[JoeC]

I have a Hurst Auto Stick that I bought at a swap meet. It has the big boot with a chrome piece that has a "H" cut in it. Under the Chrome is a red piece of flat plastic. So it shows as a red "H". The shift knob is black with a duel gate pattern engraved in it. This looks like the one in the old Hurst ads.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

JoeC;
You have the correct shifter for the a/t Yenko Deuce Novas. All original a/t cars found (except dual gate optioned cars) have the Hurst Auto Stick shifter, dual pattern engraved in white on a black knob, very long chrome arm, large black boot with square stainless retaining ring, and the stainless plate with 'H' cutout / red plastic underneath. It took us awhile to determine that this type of shifter was the correct one because there are only 19 a/t cars found, and not all of them had the Auto Stick. The shorter stick, dual gate shifter was an $80 option on top of the $85 a/t option and you didn't even get the console!!

mnyenko;
I have a picture of your car's interior, it appears that you have the correct shifter installed.
M

[whitetop]

Here is a picture of an NOS Hurst Shifter Super Boot I just pulled off the shelf.The plastic covering obscured the photo a little.
Dave


http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1314220&a=9759268&p=54734861

[Edited by whitetop (10-01-2001 at 05:57 PM).]

[Edited by whitetop (10-01-2001 at 05:59 PM).]

[JoeC]

Dave, Is the Hurst boot sold today use the same rubber part and will the old trim parts fit on the new rubber boot?

[whitetop]

Joe
Everything is the same except the middle plate which is engraved on the new one with the H. The old plate with pop right into the new boot. The biggest problem with the ones at the swap meet are the plates are bent or rusty and the red H piece of plastic is missing.
Dave

[Alan Colvin]

Marlin,

Howdy! Long time no talk! I am currently writing a series of magazine articles on various OE Hurst shifter applications. I saw the reference to the special Hurst shifter in the Duece from the article on your car. Did the special shifter have a part number from Hurst? Does the Duece shifter use the same offset carrier as in the Camaro? Do you have any literature from Hurst on the shifter?

Thanx http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

Alan

[bowtie3168]

Alan,
I just purchased the two "Chevrolet By The Numbers" books that I needed to complete the set, the 1955-59 and the 1960-64, the books are great! Thank you.

Andrew

[NWYENKO]

It sounds like the Hurst Super Boots are still available. Where is a good source? Does this boot just fit over the other boot? I never thought such a discussion would evolve from a topic like this. Just shows that there are no stupid questions!!

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Hi Alan;
Yes, it has been a while since we last corresponded!

As for the Hurst shifter installed in the Yenko Novas, it took us a a while to figure out what it was. After comparing shifters among original cars, and speaking with George Campbell in Chalfont, Pa, we eliminated the possibility that over-the-counter shifters were utilized. So, we assumed that Hurst had come up with a special shifter just for this application, although that sounded expensive. After looking at countless shifters at swap meets, we realized that our Competition Plus shifters had the identical offset as the '69 Camaro Z28's. This was good news, but what about the arm? Well, we got lucky (as opposed to smart!), and Neal Robbins found a strange looking shifter with what appeared to be a Yenko Deuce arm, at Carlisle. The vendor was a Pontiac only guy, and informed us how rare this unit was; yada, yada, - because it was for a '69-'70 GTO with bench seat! Once we thought about it, it started to make sense, even though I'd had never seen a bench seat GTO with a 4 speed in those years. We later found out that the same arm was used on the Tempest cars, possibly even with 3speed shifter mechanisms. After asking several Pontiac people about the arm, and all of them concurring, we feel that the arm is indeed from a bench seat GTO.

I have purchased two additional arms that were being sold as GTO bench seat shifters, and the number stamped into the arm's insert matches mine/others original shifters; #4177. We have not been able to find someone with Hurst literature that can confirm this for us though. A local vendor, Dennis Kirban, was not real helpful to me, although he claims to have cleaned out the Warminster plant when it closed. If you have some concrete paperwork which shows this # as an application for the Novas, we would like to have a copy!

The automatic cars' shifter was a little easier. We knew that they were delivered with the shifter on the column, and that Yenko simply knocked the pin out and tossed the lever. Yenko then installed one of two shifters on the floor. For some reason, a few of the a/t cars had the shifter installation instructions placed in the glove box, and two cars still had them after changing hands. J&W Nova had one such car, and informed us that it was 'just a regular Power Stick shifter'. This was actually the Autostick we believe. After photographing it, and comparing it to the advertisements from the Hurst giveaway Nova, we knew what it was.

The dual gate shifter is still a little bit of a mystery. We assumed that it should have come with a the hard plastic console with wood grain top plate like the '69 a/t Yenkos. Obviously, the Nova's bench seat would prohibit the installation of the console, but we are not sure if Yenko used the console type of dual gate shifter, with a generic boot, for the Novas, or if there was a non-console dual gate shifter. There are only about 5-7 a/t cars found with the optional shifter, and other than the arm, we don't really see why they are any different than the Autostick. We are still looking into this.

Finally, one car is rumored to have come with the Autostick shifter in the trunk. We believe that Yenko did not have time to install it before it was shipped to Johnny Londoff Chev. in Florissant, MO. I don't believe Londoff installed the shifter either, but apparently the first owner did. The car was totalled approximately two years later when it was rolled into a ditch one night.
M

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Pic of the 4speed shifter arm:
M
http://www.boomspeed.com/yenko/shifterarm4sale.jpg

[JoeC]

There were many different Hurst Duel gate shifters made for use in GTO's, Olds, and aftermarket conversion use. The one used in the GTOs was different by year.

[whitetop]

Hurst still makes about every shifter arm they ever made. Check in the back of a Hurst Catalog-the one I have has about 40-50 different arms available. They show a diaghram of each and measurments. The arm you are talking about is probably still available. You can just buy the arm. The shifter itself is probably about the same for most Muncie applications. The arms can be special ordered through Jegs or Summit etc.
Dave

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

NWYENKO;
Did you get the parts that you need? If you need sources and part #'s let me know I have them here at work.
M

[NWYENKO]

Marlin, thanks for the response, I was able to get a '69 Camaro nonconsole boot and black plate which worked out well. I felt pretty dumb when I looked at the Camaro sitting next to the Deuce and realized that the shifter boot and plate was the same. I am still confused about the Hurst Super shifter boot. Does it just fit over the top of the other boot??

[Alan Colvin]

Andrew, you are welcome. Glad you like the book!

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

NW;
The Super Shifter Boot was installed right over top of the original boot/bezel. I am still not sure who put them on the few 4 speed cars that have been found with them, so I wouldn't install one on a car just yet. We are still researching this. I think it looks nicer without the Super Boot.
M