A buddy of mine has an 84' Hurst/Olds and recently I got the idea to put one of the awesome Lightning Rod shifters in my car. It just seems to me that a Camaro with 3 sticks in the console would like badass. Would it be possible to adapt a shifter for a 200R4 to a 700R4? Do you think it would even remotely fit in my console? I mean width-wise, I know I'd be on my own for a top plate.

 

Hmmm.... not to many people are even checking this one out. Could it be that I have finally gone too far?

 

Yeah I did go too far. Does anybody at least think this would be cool?

 

i'm not sure of what the lightning rod shifter looks like, but it does'nt matter what anyone else thinks if YOU like it then do it! thats what it's all about ya know personal touches.

 

A Hurst Lightning Rod shifter looks kinda like the shifters for Lenco transmissions, it has 3 shift levers, one is the standard shift pattern, and the other two control the 1-2 and 2-3 upshift and downshift if you want to shift manually. I think this would be awesome to have in Camaro, the only problem is these only car in the 83-84' Hurst/Olds, and they seem to be worth their weight in gold.

 

Looks cool but shifts kinda sloppy. A friend has an '84 hurst and the shifter seems to need a rebuild.

 

Lighting rods are made for a 3 speed auto, so there are 6 positions PRND21.

The 700 or 200 has 7 positions, PRN@D21, so you would be missing the 1-2 shift in a 6 position lighting rod set.

I once heard that Lighting Rods made a shifter for the OD trannies. The far right rod goes 1-2, next rod is 2-3, and the far left would do the 3-4 and the NRP selection.

 

I'm pretty sure all H/Os had 200R4 trannies, but I could be wrong. When you race you don't need overdrive, since it is for fuel economy.

 

My friends '84 Hurst has the 200R4.

 

i did a search,
but did anyone try since 2002 (almost 8 years !!!)
to put one in a Firebird or Camaro ?

 

Ive never heard of anyone doing it but honestly i dont see why it couldnt be done and it would look cool. Might even be cheaper than the hurst dual gate if you can find a deal on one at a swap meet or something.



This pictures shows it for an auto with overdrive so i dont see why not. The far right lever does the 1-2 shift, center lever does the 2-3 shift and left lever does the 3-4 shift.

 

I have to admit, that would be off the chain.

Dan

 

There was a third gen in Super Chevy I think a year or two back that had one. It was black and white with a small block and and a huffer. Nice car.

 

i did not know they make them also for the th350 (second gen Camaro and Firebirds). my car has a th200 thats going to replaced with a th350 so maybe i give it a try.

 

Always wanted Lightning Rods.....

Kinda expensive now days.

Very VERY envious!!!

 

Way cool. Throw in the 8track player and girl leaning in with the 80's hair and it's a double thumbs up.

Dan

 

Find someone who has em and then perhaps they can be replicated by someone with the materials and tools.
Sure they would not be original but so what? Still be cool to have. :P

 

I saw a third gen Camaro in a junkyard in Kansas with one. Don't know the trans, but looked like a stripped drag car.
So yes you can do it. What trans, I have no idea.

 

Lookup Kilduff machines. They make several baddass lighting rod shifters for all different applications!

 

I have an 88 with a 400 and a th350 swapped into it I'd be interested in doing this if it would work

 

For the TH350 the 3 speed wil work

 

Back in the 1990s, I bought Lightning Rods from Summit Racing and used it with a TH350. Despite the advertising, it did not attract sultry women to look into my vehicle. That has to be a prostitute.

Those things are ridiculous in retrospect.

 

As bad as the single shifter is, I'd imagine the lightning rods would just make it that much harder for the passenger to lean over the console and give a blow job. The bare foot gas peddle and blue dots for your tail lights don't cause such problems and are just as silly.

 

This is essentially a Knock-Off of the Shifter System of a Lenco Transmission...
It was used until the late 1990s.
'They were usually set up with 6 Shift Rods... took up a lot of room... leaving little room for your hand to grab the correct next Shift Rod.
(especially when accelerating to 200+ Mph).
Pneumatic Actuators quickly replaced 5 of the 6 Shift Rods (6th for the Reverser Mechanism).
4 Buttons mounted to the Steering Wheel made things much more pleasant to Up-Shift 4-Times.

LOL!
I can NOT believe that People actually would like to have Phony Versions in their Vehicles!
O well, to each is their own!