Technical How common/uncommon are floor shift GM early van columns?

I currently have an auto van column in my truck, but I've decided to go to a manual trans and don't want to have the gear selector still there on the column. I'm ideally looking for a column that has no ignition switch, and no shifter 0f any kind either (ie- no auto gear selector, no column shift manual, etc). I know they did exist, but I don't know that I've ever actually seen one in person. Do I have a snowball's chance of finding one or am I stuck going aftermarket?

 

Haven't seen one in 40+ years. You can still find other pre-'69 GM floor shift columns that don't have the ignition switch on the column. Not that hard to modify the length. The bigger issue is that the rag joint connecting steering shaft to steering gearbox is not a universal joint and cannot compensate for misalignment between box and column. Use a true U joint for that. Bigger front wheel drive GM cars are a good source for tough reliable steering U-joints and they are abundant at your local pick-a-part. I used a Cadillac steering U joint to mate a '77 Monte Carlo column to the '64 Chevelle manual box on my '38 Ford pickup.

 

I can't think of a Chevy van of that vintage that I ever saw with a floor shifter.

 

Had a friend back in the days of the Van craze that had a 67 Chevy van that had a 4 speed column shifter, I don't recall any vans having a floor shifter although the 65 Dodge I owned had a automatic shifter on the dash and the column was free of ignition or a shifter. HRP

 

Here’s 67 with a late model running gear that I can’t post.

 

I had a Corvair Greenbrier **** box; it had a floor shifter that always popped out of third gear...

 

Why are you limiting your search to vans? I recall seeing early 70's Winnebago van nose motorhomes with a dash mounted shifter.

 

Just dis***emble your current column, remove the shifter parts, fill the unused holes and reinstall. The die cast parts you can trim off shifter lugs, and fill with JB Weld.

 

I'm keeping this option open as my last resort. That or going to an *ugh* aftermarket column.

What are the closest in configuration to the van columns? I suppose it's probably safe to ***ume that the early c/k trucks are closest and alot more common to find with floor shift?

 

My no key, no shifter column came from a motorhome

I’ve also pulled one from a 60s riviera.

both small diameter tilts.

 

As far as I can tell, the van and c10/truck columns are very similar other than length.
The best bet for a floor shift column are 3/4 and ton trucks.

 

Large trucks, grain, flat bed etc, are usually standard floor shift. Around here they are plentiful in bone yards

 

As mentioned above, the 60's 70's pickups and trucks, used similar column, and the floor shift models were more common than the vans.

 

No shifter columns are Dodo bird poop in GM vans. But a very similar column was used in C/K pickups from 68 to 72, C40 through C60 into the 70s, various motor homes into the mid 80s and some P series step vans. I have bought and sold a couple hundred van columns and have never found a no shifter column in a van

 

Also, don't overlook the older GM P-series trucks. The Step-Van, bread truck, pie-wagon vans used a similar, but slightly different steering column than the motorhome ch***is if I remember correctly.

 

It would be helpful if you told us what year and make of van your current column came out of, since "van column" is pretty vague.

But I agree with others who are saying you should be looking at big trucks, even cabovers, they almost never have a floor shifter and if you get one from the same era as your current column, the turn signal wiring and steering wheel spline pattern should be the same.

 

Lots of older Chevy big trucks in this area, perfect plain simple column.

 

No one has mentioned it, but are you looking for a tilt column?

 

replace the shift collar with the shift collar from a floor shift car from the same era.

GM did not make floor shift vans that were less than 1 ton. All half ton vans were automatic or 3 speeds.

 

Stupid me for forgetting to mention that, but yes. The column I have now is tilt and would definitely want to keep that feature. Looking to keep everything the same as it is now just lose the column mounted shifter. So basically the column that the majority of the aftermarket versions are patterned after- late 60s-early 70s "modern" column with internal turn signal switch/cancel cam/etc, with tilt, no ignition switch, and no column mounted shifter.

I'm starting to think I might be best off doing exactly as porkn****** suggested and just swap out the collar. It had occurred to me but I ideally wanted to hang onto this column for a different project

 

Pretty sure there were some four speed manual transmission 4th being overdrive) Chevy vans produced in the late seventies and early eighties.

Pretty rare, though. I had the Ford version I bought new in 1979, with the a300 six and floor shifted manual overdrive. My coworker had a 78 Econoline with the same transmission , but 351 powered, I think GM and Chrysler had similar options, although the Ford was the most common.

edit. The Ford vans may have had ignition switches on the column by then.

 

His preference is

which puts us out of the late '70s early '80s. The floor shift vans even in the '70s and '80s were predominantly Ford ton vans. I am quite familiar with the floor shift fords of the '8os by the way. I am not sure that I ever saw a V8 Ford van other than an automatic from that era.

That said you have got my brain function going. MOPAR did make some autotamic vans in the later '60s or earlier '70s that were dashboard shift. Those would not have had a column mounted ignition.

 

I have a '60's Chev pick up column, was a 4 spd. Nothing on the column but the turn signal. PM me if your interested!

 

The vans of that era had manual three speeds as standard equipment back then, both six and v8, but that wouldn’t help.

The four speed with floor shift was available with both the 351, like my coworker’s, and six in 78. Ford dropped the four speed / 351 option in 79 and replaced it with a 302 four speed, continuing the six / four speed. Don’t recall when the four speed option went out of production, but they may have all had column ignition anyway. The same transmission was available in the F100 or F150 with the 300 and 302, and of course the pickups of the era from all manufacturers had granny low four speed floor shift options.

 

The 67/72 Chevy /GMC truck 4 speed column is a clean column with no extra clutter on it. I'll have to go dig the one that was in my son's 70 and get a photo as I can't find my old photos of it.

The rub with them is the funky U joint if you can call it that at the bottom of the column. This one being in my 71 GMC that has an automatic

I'll go out in the shed and dig it out and get some photos.

 

Depending on your length requirement, I have a clean column from a 2nd gen C10 that you can have.

 

Ford's 4 speed OD in that era was made out of paper. I dealt with a ton of them. Not that the ****** is important here. Granted when that ****** was popular I was dealing with really true off road vehicles and the first mud hole would take one out then I would be out dragging one home and looking for a transmission. Sometimes a new guy would over tire one and loose the ****** on the way to the isthmus.

I think his options are easy and he may have found an answer already. Funny I never cared about the little nub on the column. Most hot rodders just shoved a shifter in their heap and ran with it. Some times they nub would get hack sawed off and the hole filled with mud. But that is '60s/'70s hot rod chit. OT I suppose for this thread.

 

I have a van column in my car and love it. I think 67 to 72 c 10’s are real close to the van ones.back in the day a friend had a c10 with tilt but auto, might be rare to find one from a 4 speed.

 

Curious, but regarding the last 4/5 replies, are those columns tilt like the OP is looking for?

Edit: I ask because I fitted a Dodge MH column is my truck, a tilt (of that era) would look so much nicer that a later model one.

 

Agree, most vans have the engine hump that needs to be removable