I want to make a push ****on shifter from a late 50s Chrysler work with a Corvette transmission. I looked at the powertraincontrolsolutions.com push ****on shifter but that's not what I'm looking for. I need to find a way or a person to modify the Chrysler push ****on unit to operate the Vette trans. Any tips or direction or has anyone done it? thanks
It'd be just as simple to do one from scratch. Have it CAD drawn and machined. Nicer end product, too.
Thats gonna be a tough one. Push ****on shifters were cable operated and designed to work with a specific transmission, in that the cable mechanism actually was inserted into a boss cast onto the transmission case and worked the linkage from inside. Also you didn't state what type of Corvette box, but every Chevy I ever saw had park. The early mopars didn't have park, then in the early sixties they added it, however they did it with a second cable, which only operated the park pawl mechanism, again inside the trans. FWIW I've worked on a few, and they were also used on Mercury and Rambler cars. Pretty sure that they all bought the control mechanism from the same vendor. I can also tell you they were somewhat problematic even for the cars they were designed for. Trying to find parts at this stage in the game is gonna be a challenge as well. This is not to say it couldn't be done, just that it would be along uphill climb to make it work correctly, if you know what I mean.
I was hoping to somehow convert it to work electronically - push ****on on the front and electronics on the back. I don't think I want to start from scratch on something as having something cad designed and engineered is a little out of my wheel house. Maybe use an existing controller and have a face cad designed for it but I don't think that's going to happen either. Thunderroad you are right, there is no park ****on. Didn't think that one out but how cool would it be. Oh well, not this time I guess.
That shouldn't be a problem -- just take the guts out and install micro switches behind the original ****ons. But it won't work. The modern GM "electronic" transmissions aren't 100% electronic. There are only a couple transmissions that are. All the GMs that I know of (unless they came out with one in the last couple years!) still require a shift lever to be placed in the general range desired. Shifting from a stop to the gear selected by the lever (1-4 in D, etc.) is controlled electronically. This could still technically be done. You'd need an electric servo to move the rod x amount when x ****on was pushed. that would take a micro controller and a bit of experimenting for values. Nothing a BASIC Stamp or Arduino couldn't handle. Shifting might be a little slower than moving the lever yourself, but shouldn't be too slow. A ****on could then be added for Park. I'm not much of a programmer any more! Did some BASIC and a little about 20 years ago! So I know enough to know what can and can't be done, just don't remember enough to actually do it without a lot of work! I think I can find someone if you're seriously interested though, and have some dough to put in up front (to pay for materials, labor/time after completed).
You could use a 727 from a push ****on car with the original cable set up and then buy an adapter to the corvette motor
Use a Packard electronic push ****on ***embly from a 55-56 Packard. It has 6 push****ons, but the transmission had a motor on it to move the shifter lever. This might work good for your app.
The Packard system is similar to what I was alluding to. A servo motor moving the shifter. There are linear servos (a screw turned by a motor, with a piece to hook things to that moves up and down the screw) that would work. Program a micro controller to turn x revolutions when y ****on is pushed. This is basically what the PCS shifter does. From the size of the cable it looks like it is at least partially ****og -- there sure is room for a wire per ****on! It would have been cheaper to use a micro controller with nothing more than a power wire to the servo. Well, the servo could hang up or something and leave you stranded... maybe they figured multiple wires would be safer... some redundancy. But the servo motor itself could still hang up. I don't know how Packard did it. They probably had switches on the motor. When a ****on was pushed the motor turned until it hit the switch that corresponded with the ****on. Figuring ****og "electronics" out is a bit different than digital. A look at a Packard service manual would tell all of course! The ****og route wouldn't be too hard to duplicate, and would be a neat addition to a rod!
Rolls-Royce. The Brits converted the TH400 to use servo motors (and I think it's just an add-on box). This could easily be bolted on and switched by 'leccy push****ons. And Silver Shadows aren't exactly rare, or overly desirable. Cosmo P.S. I am confused by the "Corvette transmission". I am stupidly under the impression that Corvettes used GM parts, sometimes even Chevrolet parts. Learn something new every day...
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