61" slim jim floor shifter--Need ideas

[cisco88]

Does any one know if someone make floor shifters for a slim jim transmission. If so, can you please let me know of who. If by any chance someone know of any ideas of putting a florr shifter on this, please advise.

I have a 55 olds 88 with 61 394 cid and slim jim tranny. The shifter on the column is broken, but not only that the column shifter would not allow to go into reverse.

[Oldsfan]

Oldsmobile Starfire from 1961 to 1964 used floor shifters with the Slim-Jim. Whether you can make one work with your '55 floor boards - I don't know. I know one thing - I'd rather have a Super Hydra-Matic in that '55 than a Slim-Jim. Pontiac Grands Prix also used floor shifters, but I don't know if they used the Slim-Jim or not. Bonnevilles used the Jetaway Hydra-Matic.

Paul

[Olds64]

You could get rid of the Slim Jim and replace it with a TH 400. Then there would be plenty of aftermarket floor shifters you could get for it. Look at the following link for universal transmission mounts. It is what I am going to do.

http://www.tdperformance.com/

[cisco88]

[quote=Olds64;31906]You could get rid of the Slim Jim and replace it with a TH 400. Then there would be plenty of aftermarket floor shifters you could get for it. Look at the following link for universal transmission mounts. It is what I am going to do.

I was hoping I could do this without replacing tranny. I had that drive shaft cut already to fit. Maybe I could fabricate something. I just don't want to look like crap. The Lokar shifter for a 350 looks like it might fit, but when I spoke to them. They said they have nothing that will bolt on to this tranny. That is all I need to get my car on the road.

[Olds64]

Sorry, I was mostly pulling your leg. I just don't care much for the Slim Jim. Mine has never worked right.

Really though, if you are looking for parts that are compatible with the Slim Jim then you should check out these guys. They can at least get you internal parts.

http://www.fatsco.com/

This is another site that might have some info.

http://www.forwhatyouneed.com/tansonp1.html

Good luck. You might just have to use a generic floor shifter and set up the linkage yourself. The problem you are going to run into is that the Slim Jim used the manual throttle valve. Any linkage you set up for the shifter can't interfere with the TV rod.

[redoldsman]

B&M makes a universal shifter for automatics that might work. It is a calble shifter that can be used with powerglides and turbo 350's and probably 400's. I think it is called a Unimatic or something like that. I actually have one somewhere still in the box that I have not seen in several years. It is not expensive and looks pretty descent. I think it has a flat lever with B&M on it and it comes with a floor plate. Good luck.

[59-59-59]

That is a good swap and many people dont know that the 394 is a direct bolt in.. Anyway when you need that Slim Jim rebuilt down the road you will realize that the price for a new Slim Jim rebuilt versus the price for a TH-400 swap is almost identical.. Then you can beat the hell out of the 394 - TH-400 combo...Try doing that with weird shift patterns with a Slim Jim. Take it from someone who has done this swap before

[cisco88]

Thanx, for all the great suggestions. I will try to run that B&M shifter -- I just want to run this tranny until it burns up. Maybe, I'll go see how much I can get a TH-400 in the junkyard or try to find one that has been rebuilt. We'll see, I keep boyz posted. I should be cruzin soon. Post up some pics of the beast once she is done.

[redoldsman]

Hope the B&M works for you. If you swap to the 400 later, you should still be able to use it. Let us know.

[Olds64]

Don't forget that you will have to get the bell housing on the TH 400 modified to fit a 394. You will also need a universal transmission mount/crossmember for the TH 400. Other than that you should be good. TH 400 transmissions don't have any mechanical linkage except the shifter mechanism.

[Cranbrook]

I have a 63 Starfire parts car and most of the shifter is still in it. At least it was the last time I looked. I bought it from the wreckers to keep if from being crushed and left it there.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by redoldsman

B&M makes a universal shifter for automatics that might work. It is a calble shifter that can be used with powerglides and turbo 350's and probably 400's. I think it is called a Unimatic or something like that. I actually have one somewhere still in the box that I have not seen in several years. It is not expensive and looks pretty descent. I think it has a flat lever with B&M on it and it comes with a floor plate. Good luck.

Hurst makes a low-cost line called Indy shifters. They also have a universal AT floor shifter called the Indymatic. It uses a rod to actuate the trans shift arm.