I worked on a Peugeot once. I think it was a 4 speed - it went forward no matter where you put the lever.
Lots of European cars had 4 speed column shift transmissions. I think an American 3 speed column shift will work with a 4 speed but you would have to make up something for shifting into Reverse.
This! All you need is a heavier pull-push cable. Place column shift in the neutral gate, pull your R cable, Bob's your uncle!
@sgtlethargic The Granadas and the Fairmonts came with a floor shift. I've personally seen both. I have a few of the old srod transmissions that I pulled out of them.
Chrysler fluid drive transmissions were a 4 speed on the tree. Being semi automatic there were only two lever positions for forward speeds and one for reverse. One position for 1st and second and one for 3rd and 4th. The forward speeds were shifted by simply lifting your foot off the throttle. For city driving, you didn't need to use the clutch. You just leave the lever in the high speed position. The ****** would downshift into 3rd when you stopped and the fluid coupling allowed it to idle in gear. Taking off from a traffic light was a bit slow but it worked just fine.
Actually relatively traditional. Add a lever just under the front seat for reverse. Then use all four positions of the three speed shifter for forward gears. When four speeds first started gaining popularity guys were doing that with three speed floor shifters to not have to buy yet another shifter therefore keeping swap cost down
My dad bought a new '64 ranchero with a 260, V/8 4 speed. It was a Dagenhiem trans but was a floor shift.
I believe the Econolines were only offered with the four speed column shift for one or two years, and only with the six and very weak Dog and ham transmission. I put a toploader in my Fairlane with four speeds on the column and reverse controlled by an overdrive cable control in the stock OD location. I put a slightly larger wire in the control to give it a bit more strength.
Everyone at the Pin*o site told me that a 2.0 wouldn't pull in O/D (T5) unless warmed up quite a bit. Be interesting to see if the Kent pulls. I don't think I've ever seen a side shift RTS or SROD.
What about just using a borg warner 3 speed with electric overdrive? They were commonly available for all the major cars in the 50's-60's. Shifts like a 3 speed but overdrive is electric.
@Jeff Norwell , Didn't you do something like this? I vaguely remember some sort of 4 speed column shift with a pull lever for either Reverse or OD?
this pic was posted on another thread last week, a 55 chev column shift modified to run a 4 speed, in NZ that is why the column is on the other side, but the concept is the same, some machining and adding another shift arm
Bret Chrismer put a four speed in his 40 Ford using the column shifter and the original choke lever to engage reverse. Wish I could remember his HAMB name.
I would like to see what's involved with a 4 on the tree like Moriarity posted, but if I were to do it for my own stuff, I'd probably go the other way to simplify and as an anti-theft device. Have the forward gears on the column and a separate floor or dash cable for reverse. Engage both and it won't move. A lot of people can't drive stick, add in this to thwart even more.
@bchrismer The GM coaches had 4 speed column shifts in the late '40's and early 50's ....no floor shifter to trip over getting into the drivers seat
Me either. My thinking was if the Lima had the T5 in a production car, why couldn't a slightly smaller version be ok, but I never did find out myself (I will in the future with the Hillmans). The Ford spd O/D trans is easier to find and sometimes cheaper, unless you have the newer trans already.
That's what I'm doing. '51 Merc with BW 3 speed OD trans. Not sure how well it's going to work yet, but I'm optimistic.
A lot of them had the Dagenham transmissions [AKA English Zephyr] The English MK3 Zephyr had a 4 speed column shift [but the lever was on the LH side of the column and the shift arms were on the RH side of the trans for RHD] The column shift was quite neat with normal H pattern for 4 forward gears, then you pull the spring loaded lever outwards, then forward and down to select reverse.[the spring loaded lever/detent prevented accidental reverse selection] @sgtlethargic Try and import an English Mk3 Zephyr column and "clock" it 180° so the levers and arms are correct for LHD Then use a Toploader 3 + 1 transmission [which is basically a conventional side shift trans with 3 - 4 positions reversed on the shift arms and 3 is od] The Toploader should be a bolt in for your Ranchero The 3 + 1 was available in 77-78 [Tag numbers are :] RUG BP RUG CA RUG CL RUG CD
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