A/G body stick shift console

[Bonnewagon]

I was wondering if there was a stick shift console for the A/G bodies. I'm useing a second gen Firebird one now. I don't believe I've ever seen one for a stick car, only automatics and I really didn't want to adapt an auto unit over unless it can be done so it looks right. What has anyone else done for a console?

 

[Clutch_Grabwell]

Your second-gen console looks good in there.
Here's an automatic console with a boot on top that will work with 5 and six-speeds. Probably not so much with a four-gear.

 

[pontiacgp]

I use a 4th gen firebird console, it fits nice

 

[Bonnewagon]

That's what I meant by looking right. Good looking set up, Clutch, but I think you're right about the 4 speed-it is a wide throw,especially reverse. Steve I like your idea too, I saw one at a car show and liked it. I have a Sunfire console that's not very different. What did you do about the hand brake area? By the way, that's an old picture. It looks a lot better with gauges and your tach,the cheap one on the console is history. See the post about the 79' lemans 3 speed? The picture shows a console yet there is still the hump for the stick shift- that answers that question.

 

[pontiacgp]

I'm going to put the firebird parking brake set up in my car. It's be more convenient to use and it'll fill that hole. Your console fits nicely under the dash and I have to figure out what I'm going to do to blend this console into the dash

 

[Bonnewagon]

Yes, that console fits great, but here's my dilema. I used a 68' Firebird Hurst shifter and linkage for Saginaw in the wagon. The 68' handle curves over to fit the 68' console and that worked great with the second gen console. But it didn't really fit the floor too good even though I massaged the floorboards. It's the trans tunnel that's too narrow and the rods still hit. My speedo cable is threaded through the shifter rods too. I may have to go back to the correct setup. I have the correct Hurst fourspeed shifter and rods from my Malibu but it mounts to the midbody of the trans. That places the shifter way up close to the dashboard, so as to clear a bench seat like the Malibu had. Now I see from the LeMans post that the stick shift car console is seperate from the shifter hump so I will need to improvise no matter what.

 

[pontiacgp]

I have never had to be concerned with shifter rods and I never even thought of them...the T5 is all internal..the bell housing for the T5 canters the transmission about 14 degrees towards the drivers side. I wonder if that would give you some clearance for the rods

 

[Bonnewagon]

A T-5 is what I eventually want but when I research them I get a headache, so many variations. I would want a World Class, but with the shifter forward. It would also need to bolt to a BOP bellhousing.

 

[pontiacgp]

why would you want the shifter forward?...We have a T5 from a camaro that we are going to implant into our S10 shop vehicle. It has a T4 in it now and we have to change out the rear casing to install casing with the shifter up front. We are thinking is should all go together and have a 5 speed instead of the 4....That shifter for the truck is pretty far forward and I don't think it would work in a G body..

I have another T5 WC that I have to rebuild and I'll be using that one when I'm done. My T5 WC I have in my car now has a .73 5th compared to a .63 5th in the one I'm rebuilding and although that doesn't seem a big difference I'm 400 revs higher with the .73 over the .63 at 75 mph..

The T56 that some use is a nice transmission but it’s 50 pounds heavier and the T56 is a twin overdrive with the second overdrive gear of .50 which is useless to me. The T56 is stronger than a T5 WC but the T5 can easily be built up to be comparable

 

[Bonnewagon]

You'd know better than I would, I thought the forward shifter was a better fit for the G-body. Where does your shifter sit? Do you have buckets? See what I mean? I'm totally confused about T-5's and to complicate it all I ever find are Mustang units. So your's came out of a Camaro? What years fit our cars best?