Factory Ratcheting auto shifter for 2nd gen?

**Fast67VelleN2O** · #1 10-10-2014, 05:53 PM

I seriously never even knew these existed until today and I have owned a bunch of these cars. I feel so left out of the loop now.

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**iluv69s** · #2 10-10-2014, 07:23 PM

hell yeh...I banged a bunch of gears with that shifter over the years !! That was an awesome factory shifter for its time !!!

StealthBird · #3 10-10-2014, 07:32 PM

Pontiac started using the ratcheting shifter in 1969, and it replaced the Hurst Dual-Gate that had been used on GTO's in 1967-1968. The ratcheting shifter was standard on automatic equipped GTO's, Firebird 400's, and Grand Prix's. Throughout the 1970's, Pontiac used it in most performance applications, then stopped in the mid-1970's, then started using it again in 1977 for Trans Am's with the W72 option. By 1978, all Trans Am's and Formulas again used the ratcheting shifter, up through 1981.

Lots of GTO's and Firebirds were "relieved" of their ratcheting shifters throughout the 1980's and 1990's when street and drag racers realized how useful (and cheap) they were over an aftermarket Hurst shifter. Many owners of original Pontiacs back then never even knew they had a ratcheting shifter until someone showed them. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

**njsteve** · #4 10-11-2014, 12:19 AM

I am another one of those guys who had no idea this existed until I got the SD455. I read the owner's manual when I bought the car and found it! Pretty cool contraption.

**markjohnson** · #5 10-11-2014, 01:45 AM

I very clearly remember watching a transaction about 25+ years ago where my buddy removed one of these from his GTO to fund the purchase of a new B&M ratchet shifter. As soon as he accepted a very minuscule amount of money for the shifter & console and handed it over, the brand new owner set it on a workbench and proceeded to show him that it was a ratchet-type shifter. My buddy immediately tried buying it back to no avail!

**Xplantdad** · #6 10-11-2014, 03:14 AM

Wow...I never knew either!

**SuperNovaSS** · #7 10-11-2014, 04:17 AM

What???!!!! I had no idea. Thanks for sharing Matt. Do you think Spicoli knew?

Jason

**MosportGreen66** · #8 10-11-2014, 01:34 PM

That's awesome... Thanks for sharing

**Fast67VelleN2O** · #9 10-12-2014, 04:04 PM

I'm glad I wasn't the only one in the dark!

**scuncio** · #10 10-12-2014, 07:56 PM

I also had no idea. Pretty cool. There was a rumor that Chevrolet tried a racheting shifter in '69 but I have never personally seen one.

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