Hello all.... This may have been asked before but i can't find it so here goes.... I bought a 47 Chevy pickup with a floor shifter, it's a 350 automatic.I want to go back to a column shifter to save some room in the cab. How hard, expensive, or unseen surprises have y'all run into while doing this. Gonna replace the column as well. Thanks..... Appreciate it!
Very hard and possibly a safety issue with the old column. You don’t want to open this can. You could go with a 70s-80s column but I puked in my mouth a little typing this. There’s Ididit columns but .....I just burped.
The one that's in it now it out of an s10 pickup. I was going with an a/m column, but if it gonna be a bear to do I may just leave it alone. But I'm open for suggestions yet.
Appreciate the info on this. I just wasn't sure, haven't heard of too many folks going back to a column shift once there is a floor shift.
If you can find a column from a mid 60's Ford or Chevy it shouldn't be a big deal, you will need the linkage or fabricate it. HRP
Appreciate it, may be a little work finding one of them but will search. Just wondering, an a/m column like Ididit or Flaming River may not work?
One of the two mentioned may work, but check the mast jacket length first. That A-D Chevy has a L-o-n-g mast & jacket (shaft & column) also be advised of the procedure(s) relative to securing column to floor, the hookup to the steering box 'stub', and the angular position of the linkage to the shift arm. NOTE: Shift arm on trans has to be 'column shift friendly', as it will now go in the opposite direction.
I have 40 Ford with a LT-1 & a 4L60 auto trans. I used the shorten Stock Column & shifter with one of the levers removed to operate the arm on the trans. I used a after market neutral safety switch which took care of it only starting in park & neutral. You should be able use a car shifter from. Chev(pre 1954). It is held on at top by 2 screws. Then Fab a lower arm &support bracket & shift rod to trans & you are in business. Now you would have a shifter that would fit the look of an old truck and operate the 350 auto trans. I have a early shift handle, upper bracket and down rod from early chevy. Give it some thought ,It is not brain surgery. Jerry 704-786-2506 eastern time
I suggest getting a similar column out of an S10 with a column shifter along with all of the other linkage from the S10 and a gearshift indicator from a Jeep Wagoneer and making it fit. Not that difficult. Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The guys are assuming you have a stock chassis with a stock 47 steering box and I am inclined to believe you have one of those messes with a chassis swap. If you aren't worried about the key switch on the column a column out of a mid 70's chevy truck isn't too ugly and they had three speed automatics in them. 71/72 had a real clean column With no key switch but a funky steering shaft joint. The column in my 71 you can see the indicator though the wheel. Shift rod from those columns goes straight to the shift arm on the trans but you probably want to snag the shift arm that goes with the rod if it is there. It may have to do more with what you can hunt down.
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