Thought I was about done with this 6 speed project. Working slowly waiting for my mail order oil to show up and noticed I was missing the reverse lock knob and rod. Further investigation found none of the lock out parts were there. Bought a B+M shifter with a spring loaded RLO.

Question is, can I change this just by pulling the C beam and drive shaft, drooping the rear of the transmission down for access?

There is no reverse lockout with the B&M or Hurst. It's eliminated.

B&M with RLO? Do you have a link?

Anyhow, changing the shifter on the car might require dropping the exhaust pipe to get access to punch the pin out, but otherwise all the work is done from the inside.

And FWIW, don't bother removing your new tunnel patch, it doesn't make the job easier. Just pull the console plastic above.

I got the stick out and it wasnt real tuff. The B+M does use a spring loaded lock out, you have to push it toward reverse.
The way it was, stock with no lock out, you could hit reverse as easly as 6.B+M Shifter

Unless they redesigned something recently, B&M doesn't have a lockout on the shifter.

The later blue tag ZFs have an internal "lockout" of sorts that require you to push hard on the shifter to get into the reverse gate. So these trans are preferred for aftermarket shifters.

The early blue tags on the other hand, rely on the lockout on the stock shifter. Without it, they go into reverse easily which makes you miss the 4-5 shift sometimes.

Do you have pics or a link?

Here's a B&M with no reverse lockout:

Click on the B+M Shifter right after the 6. It is a spring loaded rod that must be overpowered for reverse. Call it a detint. Can't tell by your picture but that may be it sticking out of the side.

It's not your typical lockout. It's called a crash through.

You should not ever be speed shifting into 6th or skipping gears and going from 3rd to 6th or 4th to 6th. The factory 95-96 shifter had a tighter spring, and it's rated at 15lbs of force to go into reverse.

Basically you are retarded if you hit reverse when driving.


Instructions from B&M
http://www.bmracing.com/media/products/pdf/33.pdf

My girlfriend did it, and the trans siezed up later that day from the metal shavings.

That won't happen with the new blue tag. But that's because its in the trans, not on the shifter.