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

So it seems that the reference to van is just a red herring. You are after a clean looking non shifter tilt column. That would limit you to things like 1968 and earlier floor shifter cars. The 4 speed old trucks were basic work vehicles that didn't come with high fallouting tilt columns. The obvious solution is to spring for an aftermarket piece.

 

I mentioned van columns bc for whatever reason they seem to tend to be the reference point when hunting for a GM column of this type (simple/skinny/clean looking with modern internals and functionality, and ample length to get them to fit in virtually any application). I've also heard several sources mention that those are the factory columns that most aftermarket versions are based off of. Admittedly I'm not familiar enough with all the different variations that came in various vehicles, but would definitely prefer to find something as close as possible to what I already have in there, just without the shifter

 

I got my red herrings from motorhomes.

 

Just remembered that my '68 Pontiac Grand Parisienne had a no key, floor shifter and tilt column. I really miss that car.

 

I reiterate...
Corvair Greenbrier van

 

The NP440, a derivative of the (infamous) NP 833 Chrysler four speed, was a manual overdrive transmission available in light duty Chevy pickups and vans in the early 80s. Think ~1980-87.

It was an aluminum case overdrive derivative of the earlier iron case New Process Chrysler four speed transmission used in mid to late sixties and seventies. The layout was similar to the four speed overdrive of the Ford toploader, with fourth gear transferring power through the countershaft for an overdrive ratio of somewhere around .79.

You’d probably have better luck finding hen’s teeth than finding a van with one, but they do exist, floor shift and all.

I saw one in the flesh years ago.

 

Ton Ford vans after about '87 or '88 could be had with a 300 inline and the 4 speed OD transmission. I had a friend who sold shoe repair products that drove one. He put a lot of miles on it, but they were pretty much all highway miles and it was bone stock.

None of this has much to do with early GM vans, but they were a floor shift van for sure.

 

Ford pickups through 1979 had a dash mounted ignition. I
think, but am not absolutely certain, that Ford vans used a column mounted ignition from 1975 on. I AM certain that they were that way by 1984.

 

Good luck! They have to be rare, many years after their OE use.
This is a bad pic of one that I used in my “hotrodA” roadster built back in the 80’s.
I think that it came from a 60’s Chevy with factory 4 speed. Been too long.
Small diameter, tilt, nothing on the column but two levers and flasher ****on. Cut off the fat column tube, made a small cone reducer and welded on a small tube.
Used a Corvette adapter for the Schroeder 4 spoke wheel.
Ditched all the OE bell coupler on the front end and used a Borgeson u-joint.

 

The reason why the emphasis is on the van tilt column is that the GM cars went to the key on the column in all the p***enger cars in 1969. The C10 pickup held out until 1972 and the van kept the key in the dash for a while longer so if you want a shifterless column, concentrate on cars built up to 1968 but it would be a lot easier to locate an aftermarket one.

 

The van columns are right around 32 inches in length, have a metal tubular enclosure from top to bottom so no ugly "U" shaped dash mount and the exposed rods and wiring etc, no key switch and GM splined that any aftermarket "borgeson" joint will fit.
They are an attractive column for 20's 30's 40's vehicles, can't believe the majority don't know about them.
Could be had in small van nose motorhomes up into the 80's, finding a floor **** one is a needle in the haystack, maybe a utility box truck of the era would be stick shift. Being it's at minimum a 40 yr old vehicle makes it even tougher to find since the majority have been crushed by now.

 

Since we are discussing the earlier GM tilt columns, what years did they have the different splines? I know that 69-90ish for the modern ones. How many years did the other splines appear?

 

69’ splines have worked for me as far back as 55’.

 

I had two NOS GM van columns that I bought from a salvage place that delt with Winnebago overstock / unused parts. I had one in my roadster at one time long ago. They were tilt with no key. They have since been p***ed on to other hot rodders.

 

Oh Really? I have a later column that came with a project and I hate to get rid of it. It's a high dollar column. I just like the looks of the older wheels.

 

Wheel hub diameter vs blinker housing diameter can be a deal breaker. Sometime’s it’s minor other times it’s a major difference when mix matching wheels to columns.

 

Yeah, I got a phone call from the tech guy at Ididit. He said basically the same thing. He said the differences were basically a standardization thing. The farther back you go, the less standard the manufacturers were.

 

A floor shift, 1971-80 or so chevy van/1967-72 truck style tilt column is going to be a very rare bird. It would be truck only. Most likely 1969 to 72 GM trucks. I had one in a factory bucket seat 4x4. Manual trans trucks tend to be very much work trucks or 4x4s...either way, very hard to find a tilt in one. Just get a Chevy or GMC van tilt...1971 to about 1980 at least..saw off the nub and fill it. Doesn't seem to be that big of a job.