Ok first off, like an idiot I've somewhere lost the shifter for my car. I guess that's what happens when you take the car apart years before it's time to put it back together...

Ok that aside...

I have a few questions on a-body console shifters. First of all, are all mopar shifters the same (a,b, e body etc...)?

How about the linkage that goes from the shifter through the floor to the trans?

To make things worse, if there is a difference in a-body shifters by year, I have no idea what year shifter this car had in it. The reason I say that is because this was not an original floor shift duster. Someone had cut an entire trans tunnel out of another car with a torch, and just laid it on top of my floor!!

Obviously I'm cutting the brackets off to do it right, but who knows what year car these brackets came out of? The console does not have wood grain, and it did have a chrome shifter knob, not wood. I guess I'm not even 100% sure this is an a-body console. If you're cutting a whole floor out of another car I guess you can do whatever you want huh?!?!


A friend of mine gave me some linkage today (vertical shaft, bushings, rubber gasket, etc...) But he has no idea what kind of car it came out of.

Please help!

Diz, Man it sounds like you have a mess there. The Mopar swap meet is in a couple weeks at Macomb collage, maybe you could find what your'e looking for or even someone who could show you what you need to find. A "A" body Hanes manual might show it too. I'll check my Valiant book, but it may only be 67- 72.
I have a 72 Charger and I converted to the floor shift "slap-stick" ,but I had the correct parts and just worked backwards, from the trans ,shift lever to position the linkage.

If nothing else, you could always get an aftermarket shifter and adapt it to your console. That's what I did on a 65 Coronet 500 I used to have years ago.

Yeah I could put an aftermarket shifter in it, I'd just prefer to keep the dead stock looking interior....you know except the roll cage...

Anybody else have pictures or anything they can share? Who's our local moparts shifter guru?!?!

The a-body auto. consoles use the same plastic base from '67-'76 the only difference is the top plate and ashtray. The '67-'69 had a chrome top with a black line down the centre and the woodgrain top plate was used from '70-'76. The shifters and linkages are almost identical for the pre-1970 A/B/C body vehicles. The differences are as follows:
A chrome or die cast knob and button was used prior to 1970. I believe that some '68-'71 B and C body vehicles were equipped with the woodgrain ball.
The console brackets are different for A and B body vehicles. B and C body vehicles have the same console brackets.
The frame and trans.(904 vs. 727) linkage brackets are different for A/B/C bodies.

The woodgrain ball shifter and woodgrain top plate console would be correct for your Duster.
Do you have any pictures of your current set-up? If you can wait until tomorrow I can provide photos and factory diagrams of the shifter and console that is correct for your Duster.

Thanks for the info! Here are some pics of the console and brackets that came with the car.

I am less concerned about getting the right console in the car, and more concerned about getting a shifter and linkage to work with this console/brackets that I have.

not the greatest pic...

brackets

Here's the pictures of the linkage that my buddy gave me to try...

1st one looks promising?

2nd

Do you have the bracket that bolts onto the transmission casing that holds the linkage rod in place?

Yeah I have that one, at least I didn't loose all of the parts!

The console and shifter that you currently have is correct for the '67 to '69 model years and it will work with your Duster. The first photo of the linkage is correct for the shifter that you currently have, however there are 3 pieces of linkage or brackets that are missing. The second photo is lockout linkage for a column shift.
Also the console brackets appear to be correct however there should be a third one for the underside of the console storage compartment.
Hope this helps!!

Yeah searching through E-bay yesterday, I realized there was a 3rd bracke that I'm missing to attach the console. Looks simple enough to make that one though.

I have the bracket/bushing that bolts to the trans also (not pictured). What other pieces am I missing of the linkage/brackets?

By the way, I don't have the shifter itself either. The picture is of the one that I've somehow lost.

Does it matter what style/year I replace it with, or do I need a '67 shifter?

Thanks again for all your help!

The shifter doesn't matter, both the chrome knob and woodgrain ball style will interchange with linkage and console brackets that you currently have. I will send you the diagram of the shifter and associated linkage from my Mopar Parts Dealer Catalog tomorrow(Sat.)

I am not sure about the 69 being chrome knob and silver top of console. My 69 GTS dart that I had in the 80's had the wood grain knob and top. I agree that the Shifters were the same for all of the A-bodies (67-76) as well as the base of the console.
Glad to see that there is someone with more work to do on their Duster than I do. Makes me feel like there will be an end to this sometime. (just kidding)

ps I would like to see more pics than what is in your sig. Looks like you started with a pretty solid foundation

Some of the car was real solid, and some of it wasn't. It has been a Michigan car all it's life, so it did have some rust. Pass 1/4 was very good, only a few patches. Driver 1/4 was a total hack job. It had been patched, and then had a whole 2nd 1/4 put right over top of the first one! Tail panel was rusty, and the car came with a shark tooth grille. So I just replaced the '74 tail panel with a '71. Floors were near perfect in the car, they didn't need a thing.

Here's some pics of the progress...

6 months later...

Nice floor...

Not so nice trunk...

Mini-tub

New '71 tail panel

New fab'd trunk floor for fuel cell...

1/4 cut...

New 1/4

In general here's just a bunch of other pics of the car's progress. It's come a long way, and with a lot of help from friends. Hoping to have it finished for next years Detroit Autoramma...we'll see...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20092752@N06/sets/72157606861520692/detail/

I have sent the shifter and associated linkage diagram to your e-mail address. If you don't receive it let me know and I will post it on Moparts.

here is a link to one on ebay. Thought at a minimum the pic would help ID a shifter


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Shifter-D...sQ5fAccessories