i have a 51 chevy with a 350/350 combo and i currently have a b&m floor shifter. i am interested in installing a column shift but dont want to change the original column. if i did change the old column what do i do with the steering box? isnt it all one piece? i like my old steering geometry. anyone ever done this? thanks-robert
You can use your stock column. Cut off what was your 2nd and third shift lever on the shifter box at the bottom of the column. Pop the nickel sized plug from the top of the shifter box and pull the shift lever up till the tang is in the notch of the low-reverse lever and after wiping away the grease weld the tang into the notch. Now put the transmission into park and place the shift lever where you want it in the park position. Finally measure the distance from the shifter rod hole in the shifter arm to the shifter rod hole on the transmission shift arm and make a rod that will fit. I like to put a switch that the shifter lever engauges when the lever is in the park position so it won't start in gear. The wire from the starter switch to the solenoid passes through this safety switch. You will find that after very little drive time you won't need a gear position indicator up by the shifter lever. Everything has been park-reverse-neutral-drive for years and it's second nature---you probably don't look at your every day driver when you fire it up and drop it into gear. Here is a picture of one done this way.
im sorry i should have said that i dont have a column shift already but i would like one. i have included some pictures that should help. i want to lose the intrusive floor shift. thanks-robert
A column shift shouldn't be hard to find since many of the street rodded trucks have floor shifts, many with consoles. You could use just the shifter on your mast jacket (tube) by making a small slot at the bottom to position the transmission (shifter box) and two screw holes at the top for the pivot sleeve to anchor to. You can find a complete column at most larger swap meets and if your satisfied with the steering on yours just pull the tube from the donor steering box and swap it out with the one on yours. All the trucks, even the floor shift models, have the arch on the bottom of the dash for the shifter rod to pass through and you can get a column to floor seal with the shift rod hole from our host. For an automatic you could just use a rod or tube with a sleeve at each end to pivot in and with a shift arm at the bottom and shift lever at the top. I think I'll do this the next time it's called for, I know I could make a lot smoother one than the knobby one GM used.
is there any way you could post a picture? maybe we could work out a deal. my e mail is rtnnhazel@yahoo.com. thanks-robert
Here it is... finally. Don't know much about it, it shifted a turbo 350. All parts seem to be there, including another bracket not in the picture.
if you would be interested in parting ways with that column shift i would love to pick it up. my email is in the post, maybe we could work out a deal. thanks-robert
