Impala shifters

[sweet32]

Impala made a range of straight-line shifters for many makes and models back in the 1960s. It was a partnership between drag racer Graham Withers and his long time buddy Garth Campbell. Anyone know where Garth can be found these days? I was told he lives in Devon Meadows, but my search had proved fruitless so far. I'd appreciate any lads anyone might have. Unfortunately Graham Withers doesn't know were Garth lives.

[Harv]

Garth is still around, but not so easy to contact. I spoke to him about 3 years ago, and published all the info I could collate here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/141577453/FB- ... ASTS-GUIDE

Fear not, its not all just grey motor stuff... plenty of Impala stuff there for a lot of different models.

I've since collected a bit more info on various Impala models - if the info you are after are not in the Guide above, give me a yell. Happy also to send you a pdf of the Guide if you want.

Cheers,
Harv

[sweet32]

Thanks. I've seen your guide, which is comprehensive, but I'm after more of the history of how Garth and Graham hooked up and started making the shifters. Also how they came to go to Fishermans Bend. I'm researching Graham, but he's very vague on those early days and I was hoping to talk to Garth about them.
Any help you could give me to contact him would be most grateful. Graham

[Harv]

G'day Graham,

I no longer have Garth's contact details. I originally got into contact with him through RAM-ROD on this forum, who lives in the same locality. If you PM RAM-ROD, he may be able to get you into contact with Garth.

If you do catch Garth, please send him my regards - great bloke to talk to. I sent him a copy of the finished Guide some years back.

Cheers,
Andrew

[FRANK BASILE]

Those Impala shifters were pretty neat . Push down for 1st /reverse ,all shifts in straight line for/aft. We had one in the family XL Falcon . And I had one in my 57 Customline after converting it to manual trans . As long as the slides were not gritted up they were no problem and gave you good shifts . Some probably packed them with to much grease that then attracted and held grit . Also in the comments floating around there was the story that they "stuffed your synchros" due to the quickness . I never had any trouble with them though and never saw the evidence supporting the rumour ..

[Harv]

Impala made the inline pattern, but also H-pattern shifters for many of their models. Both units are a well-built bit of kit - the kind of thing you can readily clean up and overhaul rather than throw out and replace.

The synchro cones and rings need some kind of time to work (rub together and come to the same speed). I agree, the claim that the Impala shifters wears out synchros is probably spurious... you can slam a cone/ring pair together just as fast with a column shifter.

Cheers,
Harv

[hotrodaccountant1929]

Impala made the inline pattern, but also H-pattern shifters for many of their models.

yep; a guy I knew in West Footscray got hold of a h-pattern one, and would make a copy for you for a few bucks...

I had one in my FB Wagon; worked great ...

[FRANK BASILE]

Impala made the inline pattern, but also H-pattern shifters for many of their models.

yep; a guy I knew in West Footscray got hold of a h-pattern one, and would make a copy for you for a few bucks...

I had one in my FB Wagon; worked great ...

Plenty of" home brews" went onto the Holden Grey Boxes for "H" pattern. A straight steel rod threaded for a tapped "8 ball" knob and a drilled tab welded down below to bolt up the single selector shaft on these boxes . Attachment at the bottom extremity used bicycle chain with bracketry . I remember assisting the install in an FE Holden ......Good ol backyard stuff with a drill and cold chisel to cut the floor hole .

[Mopar Mick]

I had a H pattern shifter in my FX Holden.

Sometimes I couldn't select a gear after coming stopping at an intersection.

I had to get under the car and give the mechanism a good whack with an engineers' hammer.

Perfect fix.

Mick.

[slightlydangerous]

Getting harder to find .. worth stockpiling for a rainy day

[Harv]

Getting harder to find .. worth stockpiling for a rainy day

Cool .

Is that a standard mounting bracket, and if so could you please let me know the numbers stamped onto it? Haven't seen one shaped like that before. What gearbox is it bolted to?

Cheers,
Harv (appreciator of fine Aussie engineering)

[slightlydangerous]

Impala straight line / Ford Customline . 600-1546

[Harv]

Impala straight line / Ford Customline . 600-1546

Thankyou . The 600 model suits Customline for 1952-1957. There was a separate model (603) for the Star model.

Cheers,
Harv

[nzsimon]

I had one in a AP6 ute it was very cool

[Newbee]

Memories, memories, I had a XT sin bin with an Impala straight line in it. It was my second car in the mid '70's when I was just qualified as a mechanic. Had a ZD Fairlane front end it was a good looking car, it also used to get stuck in between gears. But still good memories