LoudPony

I went on a Mustang cruse Saturday. I was about a hundred miles into the cruse when I thought that I would have a little fun! I'm not the fastest shifter , but I am not bad at doing it either. I missed 3rd gear again.
Is it me or is there other people have problems with the 2nd to 3rd shift?
Would a new Hurst shifter help or should I get a different driver

1 COBRA

It is not the shifter, or the transmission, or the clutch, and certainly your shifting ability will likely not be the cause. There must be an internal family feud, with your feet and right hand as the featured protagonists. Don't worry, it is just a timing issue and practice is the antidote which will cost you a lot less than a snap-crackle-pop shifter.

Your topic reminds me of the epidemic many '01 Bullitt owners suffered from in finding 3rd gear.

The problem seemed to have been resolved by the suggestion of several popular after market shifters, certified by the shifter companies' 5.0 Magazine advertising, among others. My suggestion was slightly different though, I recommended they replace the 5-spd with an A/T to solve their problem. Needless to say, that didn't go down too good. Such ingratitude!

I was only trying to help.

Whammer

Just use your palm.
Too many people think you have to push up out of 2nd, push over and then push up into 3rd. And that's where the problems arise. By trying to manually push the shifter over you misalign the gate.
Just pop it out of 2nd, let the springs center the shifter and then palm it up into 3rd.
If you're wrapping your hand around the shifter ball you're gonna mess it up.

Finger tips and palm is all I ever use to shift with and I never have any problems.<!-- / message -->

WaltM

I agree. I miss third when I "think" about getting it there. I find third the best when I push up and to the right, rather than push up, over and up again.

1 COBRA

Releasing the shifter from any gear will line it up directly for 3rd or 4th gear. With enough practice fast shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear can be accomplished in one motion.

Speeding Bullitt

That's what I love about manual shifting - every shifter and every clutch in every manual car has its own feel. I started driving in my Dad's 57 Chevy pickup with a three on the column stick and have never bought a new car that did not have a manual shifter. And practice does make perfect - getting the feel and coordination of the clutch and the shifter until the smooth shifts come naturally for you and the car. The Bullitt is no different - it just takes some driving time. Start out shifting slowly and then you can build up to the faster shifts when you develop the coordination of the shifts along with the clutch. But don't think about it too much when you are shifting - just drive it and in a little time it will feel just right and shift perfectly smooth- and will be a real joy - a lot like breaking in a horse (well, maybe a pony in this case). I agree with the others who talked about palming the shifts. I don't use my fingers at all. I just lightly rest the bottom part of my palm on the shift ball for the 2nd to 3rd and 4th to 5th shifts and apply light pressure and let the ball do its job. And on the shifts from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th I do the same but with the upper part of my palm. My fingers rarely touch the shift ball - unless I want them to just for the feel of the stainless steel ball. But I am sure that over time you will develop a style and technique that works for you.