3ot to floor shift clarification

[wyatt earp]

i would like to keep from using an after market shift kit if at all possible. i was planning on twisting a piece of square bar stock and putting a branding iron design on the top for the shift lever itsself. to make sure that there were not to many like it. so the question is how much trouble is it going to be if i get the right shifter boot and correct size barstock?

[bob308]

like i sais before you heed the hurst kit. one for the shifter mounting and one for the shifter. there is no parts to make it into a floor shift. the kit and shifter is about $150.00 if you look online and order it. you can not make someting from nothing. if that cost too much sell the truck to some one and use the money for the family. don't take it apart lose half the parts then decide you can not finish it.

[Ivan D.]

No, you don't need the kit - my Lincoln has a Thunderbird floor shifter, not kit was necessary, just creative fabrication :D The easiest way to do yer floor shifter would be to use the tailshaft housing upper bolts to mount the main bracket to the tranny itself (Lokar does that for some of their shifters), then weld a pivot to the bracket where the shifter itself will be installed. Decide whether you want to use forward shift patern (R-N-D-2-1) or reverse (1-2-D-N-R). You will use a rod with heim joints to hook the shifter to the tranny main lever. Distance between pivot of shifter and connecting rod mounting point should be about the same as the length of the tranny main lever. Watch for linkage binding, you may need to modify the tranny main lever to correct that if binding occurs. You will also have to fab up a plate where the shifter lockout would roll onto, particular step design depends on yer preferences - for example Lincoln column shifters have a free slide between N and OD, T-bird floor shifter has no free slide at all (will not move from OD to N without pressing the button), I wanted a 3-OD free slide so I just grinded the "3" step down to be level with the "OD" step.

Overall it ain't a difficult job, just gotta think well before you make something.

[wyatt earp]

um that will work if i go to an auotmatic tranny but i want to stay with the standard 3spd shift(truck drivers thing !? ). just want to go from column to floor. so how to put the shifter through the floor and hook it up to look and work right .

[Ivan D.]

Oh, my bad, thought it's a slushbox that you have behind that engine.

[Ivan D.]

Oh, my badm thought it's a slushbox that you have behind that engine.

[wyatt earp]

ivan d. hey , i was farelly tired last night , and thout thats what you were describing. talked to the main company transportation manager today at work, told him what i wanted to do, he said that back in the day they couldn't afford to buy a shift kit. so they used part of the column shift linkage , cut a hole in the floorboard and hooked it all up . said it worked fine other than the shift pattern was completely backwards. now thats "old scool hot roddin" if you want go ahead and pm me that info incase i go to an atuo later on. thanks

[Ivan D.]

Oh, I don't have the dimensions, it all depends on the particular design. I will get around to figuring it all out eventually, but since that involves crawling under my truck and possibly taking a junkyard tranny lever off (may require partial disassembly of valve body, not quite sure on that) it'll have to wait till summertime.

[bob308]

ivan d he said it is a stright stick not an auto. stright sticks do not have a valve body.

there is no way of getting around a shifter kit. short of cutting a big hole in the floor and putting vise grips on the shift leavers.

[NEUMANNZZ]

this one might work:http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product?storeId=10101&Pr=p_Product.CATENTRY_ID%3A2001167&TID=101&productId=2001167&catalogId=10101

[Ivan D.]

ivan d he said it is a stright stick not an auto. stright sticks do not have a valve body.
Oh, I know, I was talking about my truck's valve body.