91 camaro z28

Does the shifter really bolt right in the console? Or does it need some modifications?

kandied91z

some mods........you'll have to adapt the harness to make everything work like stock; you'll need to experiment with the cable to make it work like you need as well as you'll have to cut up your shifter plate. if you aren't hung up on keeping things stock go for it.

other than that i know mine works and looks great!

90rsgnuguy42

I just picked up a used B & M also. what mods do I have to make? Do the mods you made cause a SES warning. I was looking at the schematics and see that the harness goes to the ECM. Do you have any pictures?

kandied91z

as far as i'm aware the harness is strictly for keeping your parking lock, starting lock, and reverse lights working........maybe a few other things but i'm not sure.

they tell you to cut the harness off and wire up a relay that you purchase from radio shack to the stock wires. i opted to keep my stock harness and just found a way to wire it....everyone does it different.

there might be ways around the harness as a whole, but i wouldn't know i just followed the directions and installed it. took me about 4 hours because i took my time. not to bad.

Jim85IROC

I hated that piece of crap shifter. Anyway... I used male quick-disconnect plugs and filed them down so that they'd plug into the stock harness. That way I didn't have to chop it up. I wired it with the SPDT relays like the instructions said to... pisses me off that a $150 shifter can't come with the necessary equipment and plug right into the GM harness.

I also had problems with the handle coming lose all the time, and eventually stripping the threads. It also irritated me that an applicaton-specific shifter required modifications to keep from lifting the whole console on downshifts.

I also don't understand why it couldn't use the stock shift cable instead of requiring me to install that piece of crap 5' long cable. That thing had a cracked outer sheath right out of the box, and only got worse over time. Breaking the stock shift lever off at the transmission didn't make me real happy either, although I guess that's not B&M's fault. Changing it was a pain in the ***. Yet another hassle that could have been avoided if it used the stock cable.

Don't expect the rubber boot to look good for very long either.

I didn't like the idea that I had to chop up my stock shift plate. Why couldn't it come with a new one that's already pre-formed?

This is the shift lever I broke:
http://www.fbody.com/members/iroc-z/shifter.jpg
This is my wiring:
http://www.fbody.com/members/iroc-z/BMwiring.jpg

Want some advice? Buy a hurst dual gate shifter. It uses the stock cable, bolts right into place, and comes with a new stock looking console insert instead of requiring you to chop up the stock one.

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The IROC Homepage
View the Restoration of an 85 IROC
Weekend projects aren't.

90rsgnuguy42

did you have to do any drilling or cutting? I pulled my stock shifter completely out last night and tried to fit the B & M in but I have some interference at the back with the bracket that holds the console in and the holes in the front don't line up.

90rsgnuguy42

Thanks Jim. This wasn't a planned upgrade. I found an 84 Z28 in the junk yard and I was pulling off the rear end (rear disks and a G92 upgrade to 3:73 gears for $75(score!))and this shifter was in the car. I'll look at the Hurst. Do you know of any good websites for these?

Jim85IROC

I don't know about a hurst website, but a search on thirdgen.org should pull up plenty.

I also had to make new front mounting holes, and I used different screws so that I didn't have to go all the way through the floor sheet metal... that's another stupid thing I forgot to mention. If you use your head when installing it, you can use shorter screws than what they supply and you don't have to put them through the floor... just through the old shfiter mount. If the B&M engineers were just a little smarter, they should have been able to mount it with stock hardware.

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The IROC Homepage
View the Restoration of an 85 IROC
Weekend projects aren't.

bestracing

Hurst is part of the Mr. Gasket Company. I tried their web sight www.mrgasket.com but I kept getting "page not found". It could be down or my slow a-- connection is messing me up again. HTH

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Wayne Best
Best Racing
67 rs Camaro

• 355 cu in Chevy
• 12.5:1 compression
• 10.90s @ 120 mph

87 Formula 350 w/388cu.in. motor

www.geocities.com/best_racing

TPI Guy

The Hurst dual gate is just as bad, if not worse. I just wandered over here from thirdgen.org . I have personal experience with it. The posts on thirdgen reflect how terrible it really is.

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355
Dart 180 Heads
Tremec TKO Transmission
ETC...

G-RideZ28

ok, if the b&m shifter is not good and the hurst dual gate isnt good either, which shifter out there on the market is good????

i am looking for a shifter myself and i would preferably like one that will fit in without major modifications...

let me know what you think...

later,
pablo



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92 Z28 Black 350 TPI
3" Flowmaster,MSD Ignition
MANY MANY mods to come...

Garett92Z

I have the Megashifter and i have to say it is not the best product I have bought. it is not very refined there are about 5 common little problems with it (shift cable breaking, hard to get out of park, shift **** comes off, etc. the list goes on)... over-all it is effective and I am glad I made the purchase.

If i were you I would get it... just know that it will never be 100% perfect...

Garett

IrocSS85

I just installed mine yesterday. it DOES bolt right on if you flip the brackets around the corect way. it uses the stock shifter bolts too. Maybe I can get a few pics of mine to show you if youemail me. mine lifted the console too cause it hit the gear indicator underneath at first. leaning it over towards the pass. side corrected this problem easily. all the thandle shifters handle will come loose if you dont have it positioned so you hold it w/o twisting it. I wish they would have made it to use the stock shifter cable too. as for the console plate being cut, so what, they give you a plate to cover the orig. one that looks great. this shifter is very easy to use and ratchets in BOTH dir.s so when I get a reverse manual valve body, it will work for that too. mine comes out of park very easily.
as for wiring, my rev. lights werent working before, so thats not done yet, but I narrowed male conn.s to slip into the orig. harness conn. too.

I love my shifter. I like it better then my hammer shifter I have in my 95 too. it works the same way, but the hammer is slopier. it has some side to side movement. but it isnt as solidly mounted as the mega shifter is either(that may or may not be the diff. there).

chris

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1985 Iroc Z, (parting out, email for parts)

1986 Iroc Z, (up and running, but still lots of work to do)
355, ported camel hump heads,750 holley, 700r4, 10.5 compr., forged flat tops, solid cam .501I .510E, 4gen rear w/3:73posi,girdle, and disc's, Edel. torker II, shift kit, 3500 stal, hedmann LT. headers, 4 gen seats, man. strg., lt1 starter, alum. w/p, msd :6al, coil, dist., mallory wires. exp high 12's-low 13's

1995 z28,SS Hood, Iroc style spoiler, tints and black outs, 700r4,2400 act. stall speed,B&M hammer shifter, 17" budnick trilogy III wheels, 275/40 ZR17, 160 stat, man. cooling fan sw., homemaid CAI,1LE elbow, hypertech airfoil, t.b.bypass,!cat, flowmaster, !maf screen, relocated batt., 1LE front l.c.a.s', poly trans and torq.arm bushings, MSD 6AL, custom program, p&p maf, accel coil, and under drive pulley

mods that i have, just not on car yet:
msd wires, edelbrock mid. headers, edelbrock rpm catback

Z28ZL1

If your looking for the Hurst Dual Gate (console), try www.mrgasket.com or yearone.com (their sister pub called Next Generation) has them. I have the dual gate and I love it. Took a lot of sweat to install, but the end result is worth it (to me). Looks cool! For the 3rd Gen, any shifter looks good if it is built into the console, otherwise it'll sit high up on the console and not look factory install.



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91 Z28 with all the after market goodies.

91 camaro z28

I installed the shifter it took 8 hours but it ws well worth it, there are a few tricks to install it, the factory harness does not need to be cut, solder the ends of the new wires coming from the relay and stick them in the old harness then bend the wires down and tape them. The handle of the shifter will not spin if you take a drill bit that will fit in the handles hole and drill a little bit out, this will make the shifter handle very hard to turn. It was a great upgrade and looks awesome, very happy, except for the direct bolt in b/c we all know thats a crock of sh-t.