Converting My Floor shifter back to a column shift

[SgtSunbutt]

I have a 1981 Chevy C10 with the 250 inline 6. My automotive teacher says that they never put a stock floor shift 3 speed in the Chevy trucks (and he spent 50 years working a Chevy dealership) I can see where the column shifter is supposed to go and would like to know how I would go about making the transformation back to the stock shift lever.

 

[HotRodPC]

I do believe you auto teacher is correct if it's the real 3 speed, not the 3 speed with OD manual trans.

Do you still have the Manual Column shift steering column? Usually when people have converted to the 3 speed floor shifter, there is a reason for that. The shifting mechanism, bearings and such have wore out in the column, and it's much easier to convert to 3 speed on the floor. So first thing I'd do is confirm your steering column is the correct one. Next thing I'd do is try to determine if the guts in the column are functional.

 

[skysurfer]

My first car was an El Camino with a 6-banger and 3 on the tree. I put up with that damn sloppy column shift for years before converting to a floor shift, and then after that, an automatic. I would never go back to a column shift, all that linkage is guaranteed to have you last across the intersection as you grind gears trying to shift.

 

[DoubleDingo]

I do believe you auto teacher is correct if it's the real 3 speed, not the 3 speed with OD manual trans.

Do you still have the Manual Column shift steering column? Usually when people have converted to the 3 speed floor shifter, there is a reason for that. The shifting mechanism, bearings and such have wore out in the column, and it's much easier to convert to 3 speed on the floor. So first thing I'd do is confirm your steering column is the correct one. Next thing I'd do is try to determine if the guts in the column are functional.

Are you referring to the 3 speed manual with the Borg Warner overdrive? Or the newer Warn overdrive that eventually replaced the Borg Warner? I am not familiar with the Warn, and just yesterday was schooled on the Borg Warner. If it's the Borg Warner they do in fact utilize the column shift. I think it's a nifty setup now that I understand it. It was designed to make a manual transmission operate as much like an automatic as possible. Pretty cool, and it simply replaced the stock tail shaft housing with the overdrive housing, which left the transmission the same length and everything, no driveshaft lengths to adjust, nothing. The freewheeling thing, if it works correctly, is a cool too, you only use the clutch to get going in 1st and then you don't need the clutch to shift, just let off the throttle and shift and hit the throttle again. Whoever thought of that design way back in the late 1920's early 1930's was a genious, and it was used until 1972. If you research it there is still parts available for them. With the overdrive engaged it makes my 4:56 rearend a 3:19 for highway cruising. Not bad.

Today I found a youtube video that shows how to adjust the shift linkage for a 3 on the tree...here it is...I plan to adjust mine because the shifting can be spotty sometimes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TCHzIvAvRQ

Accept my apologies for intermingling info from older vehicles and the squares, but some of the technology is the in the squares with maybe a little different design.

 

[HotRodPC]

NO, I was referring to the A883 4 speed with OD. Many times people don't know how to call a transmission what it is, as in a 3 speed with Granny Low, or 3 speed with Overdrive. NO, it's a 4 speed with a granny low, and it's a 4 speed with an OD. If it has 4 different phukin forward speed ratios then it's a damn 4 speed regardless of the raitios being very low or OD. RIGHT?

The actual first Hydramatics did use a clutch pedal to start and stop but the rest of the transmission functions were automatic. Now that's a different animal than what you're talking about. This was before the automatics had the torque converter technology. Those were biggo heavy cast iron automatics. Many also aren't aware there is such a thing as a Cast Iron Powerglide too before they went aluminum.

I didn't watch the video since our internet is slow as hell due to the bad weather, but it's a fairly simple process if it's what I'm used to. You just find the middle or N in the shift spectrum, put your shift levers on the transmission in N, then adjust your rods to match the distance by spinning the threaded ends. Replacing your bushings on the shift rod ends also helps alot on the shifting mechanism.

 

[DoubleDingo]

True. Only using 3 gears most of time, it's still a 4 speed, just a 4 speed with a stump puller gear. Those granny low trans are nice to have for crawling.

That is interesting info on the early automatics and the early powerglides. I never knew that they were cast iron cases.

I was surprised how easy it was to adjust. I was intimidated about it until I saw the video and tried it. I only had to adjust one of the rods. A little white lithium grease sprayed in there and it works nice and smooth now.