Ok here is my situation. helping my 20 year old son re-do his great grandfathers 1951 3/4 ton longbed/. Engine was not original and was out of a 1953 belair.. Head configuration made it rare as hens teeth and it was cracked. So I suggested a v8 auto tranny swap././That is all in exhaust is on.Now the issue we have is shifting the auto transmission. My thought was to use the orginal column shifter. Only problem is no neutral safety switch and no park detent.. The park detent is my biggest concern. What options are out there short of a floor mounted shifter, or an expensive column swap out. He really wants to keep the original column and turn signal set up. Thanks
The detents are built into the transmission. You can swap in a stiffer spring to give more "snap" to the shifting. What trans are you using? A neutral safety switch can be set up on the trans linkage at the trans. Just set it up so it is in contact with the shift arm at park. Most trans do not usually pop out of park on their own, but be shure to use the E brake at all times.
Trans shifter The 1953/54/55 1 st.series truck with Hydra-matic aut. trans had these on the colum , the shifter and the complete detent range showing. You could find out if this arrangement is innerchargeble ? There probely not easy to get but you could ask on the forum here !
Most column shifters do not have detents built into them, they only have a pointer showing the gear. The detent is a little ball on a spring inside the trans.
Neutral Safety Switch 1960's vintage Chevy Super Sports all came with tranny mounted neutral safety and backup light switches as they had console shifters ~ so , get the neutral safety switch from a '64 Chevelle with 350 tranny and you should be good to go . It's a sheet metal switch that bolts to the left bell housing to engine block joint & has a thin (? 1/4" ?) rod going back to the tranny . I hope the kid loves his Granpa's truck. BTW : most GM column shifters *do* have detents and safety lockouts in the column , I think you're wise to use the original column shifter .
Re:Shifter "Someone" out there makes a cable kit that can be used on a column shifter. I don't recall the manufacturer, but saw it in a magazine a few years ago. This may be just what you need.
Re:Re:Shifter Gonna join the fray here and agree that the transmission does have the detents built into it. Eric, you didn't say how you planned to link the shifter to the tranny if you use the stock steering column. Check this out, hope it will help you. http://www.lokar.com/product-pgs/co...-shift-linkage-pgs/column-cableshiftlink.html
I dont want to add fuel to get arguments going but I agree that transmissions have detents in them but almost all of the column mounted automatics that I can think of you have to pull the shifter to you before you can pull it down out of park. Jim
Both Have detents...... This is why loosey - goosey linkages cause problems with the starter lockout and reverse light operation ~ this is usually all very simple to fix , just take it all apart & scrape out the 30 year old rock hard grease then wire brush off the rust , replace the worn out or gone missing bushings & thin nylon slip washers , grease every thing well then re assemble , adjust as necessary . I just recently did two of these , the shifter in my '59 Nash Metropolitan FHC with JATCO M35 Slushbox tranny , I didn't want to waste too much time chasing down OEM nylon bushings so I used sintered steel/bronze GM door hinge bushings instead and it now works ' As-New ' again , as does the 350 Turbo - Hydro column shifter in my '68 C/10 Chevy , it was *so* screwed up my brother said watching me try to get it into park reminded him "White men Can't Dance " . now it works silky smooth like 1968 again , and it makes those nice little GM column clicks too . Using the thinnest flat washers in the rod to arm joints is very important ~ you want it so the arm isn't floppy but still has ZERO drag . The final adjustment is often best made in neutral rather than park or reverse . I don't see any ' argument ' here .
My son bought a linkage kit from a speed shop type place. has everything we needed, except the throw on the original arm on the 3 speed is basically too short. Making the gears basically to close together. Yes there are detents in the tranny, but they are not strong enough to hold it into park to suit my liking. I will look into the Lokar cable. Thanks and yes he loves his great grandfathers old truck. I learned how to drive in that truck when I was a kid.
Are you looking for the detents or lockouts? The tranny has detents, I know the later model columns have the lockouts. My '53 was a 4 speed, so I cannot answer regarding those columns, but I'm using a sixty-something panel column, and it has the lockout plate at the bottom of the column. Of course, I plan on going a different route, and using a floor shifter and re-purposing the former clutch pedal to operate the lockout... unless I get really wise and put a real (manual) transmission back in... Been too long already - With any luck Santa will bring me a vixen file so I can finish up the lead work and get this project rolling along again. Bob
Do a web search for windsor shifter. It is a cable operated shifter with the GM style saftey switch. It can be mounted under the dash to keep that original look. Jim
Measure the length of the shifter arm at the bottom of a column shift, then extend one of your shift arms to the same length, you will have the same throw and shift points.
