I'm at the point on my '50 Buick where I'm about to replace the floor. It is presently a 3 on the column. I'm planning to retain the original straight 8 (248 ci) and would like to put the shifter on the floor. Can anyone suggest a 4 speed floor shift trans. that would swap in easily and rather cheaply? Or, could the original trans. be used with a floor shifter? Which one? Scotch? Thanks for any help - Rodney
No problem with putting a floor shift on the 3 speed - that I know of. What kind should look for? Rodney
Hey Rod... If I were you, I'd call Hurst. They have a very wide selection, but I honestly doubt they'd have anything "on the shelf"...but its still worth a call. I've dealt with them before, and they may be able to offer a connection I'm unaware of. If you can find a reliable stickshift tech in your area, I don't think it'd be too hard to modify a shifter designed for something similar to work in your car. I've not done this myself, so I can offer no further advice unfortunately. My focus has been to get a modern automatic trans behind my 263, and the Bendtsen's guys are taking care of that. Many of the early 3-speed stick transmissions were quite similar, design-wise, and their shifting mechanisms were based on common principle. I hope the guys at Hurst can help you out. I wish I could offer more advice. Scotch!~
Thanks Scotch - I knew I could count on you. I'll give them a call. Anybody else know of a possible junkyard solution? Rodney
I guess I should explain. I just asked this question two days ago. Try this. http://www.martelbrothers.com/customer/home.php?cat=1134
the buick has the same "H" 3 spd pattern as other gm's. so a regular 3spd floor shifter should work. if swap trans you need to worry about the torque tube, i know there are companies to make a gm 4 spd fit a str 8. on a side note if you can find a "compound carb" set-up from a '41 you can modify it for a 2x2 (stock 1x1).
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