Shifter in 1969 Roadrunner

I have a 69 Roadrunner and it has the pistol grip hurst shifter. Some people have said that the came with this originally and some say that they came with the white ball. Does anyone know which is true?

Lol not true, pistol grips only appeared in 1970 before it was the white ball on the 4 speeds. However it's fun for us auto guys to have pistol grip hurst ratchet shifters in our cars ��

could have had the woodgrain ball also...but the pistol shifter was not available in 69 cars

69 woodgrain balls only.. No white balls in 69. Dont want to talk about balls anymore, lets think if something new EH

69rag500 said:

69 woodgrain balls only.. No white balls in 69. Dont want to talk about balls anymore, lets think if something new EH

Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but here is a reprint of a "Road Test" report in December 1968 on a 1969 Superbee with a 4-Speed, and I do declare, I see a white shift knob.



But, on the other hand, the 69 parts book only shows the woodgrain ball, so I'll be damned if I know.

Another classic example of Ma Mopar saying one thing and doing another when it pleased her.

Mines white 69

My wife gave me a blue ball for my birthday. Lucky guy I am.

Early and pre-production cars could have parts from previous models. I'm sure the wood-grain is correct in almost all cases.

Well this DOES remind me of an "old story."

In my Navy days I had who would become a good friend in San Diego. This was 70--71, I had my 69 383 RR, and he had a new Chev 3/4T 4x4. Somehow we both got the bright idea to go down and buy white cue balls, drill and tap, and make shift knobs. WE LOVED THEM

It ALSO turned out.........that either because of the material, AND the extra deep hole we'd drilled, the ball would "make noise" and conduct transmission noise, somewhat of a "sound" into the car.

One day he had his stocker knob back on, and we discussed it. I left my cue ball knob.

Now it ALSO turned out that the mainshaft ball bearing in my 69 was starting to disintegrate, and I was not smart enough to realize. I just thought it was "the ball." Eventually, one of the balls broke, etc, broke the ball retainer? and allowed the entire mainshaft to shift back and forth in the gearbox. This destroyed:

The needle bearings in the pinion gear, the inside of the pinion gear, the nose of the mainshaft, and......just to finish stuff all off nicely, a chip of "something" went "through" the two mating gears on the pinion / cluster.

Yup. It was a mess.

BUT................."we" were not done, yet. "San Diego Metalspray" talked me into (the mainshaft was backordered) that they could repair the nose of the mainshaft. They ended up cutting it down and putting a "hardened collar" on the nose of the mainshaft. Young, stupid me, put the whole thing back together.

The "hardened collar" was NOT. Hardened, that is. It proceded to destroy the new needle bearings, as well as the inside of the new pinion gear. So the gearbox had to come apart AGAIN.

It got so bad that one of the division officers asked me why my RR was spending so much time "with the front wheels off the ground"