Technical 39 Ford Swan Shifter in 39 Ford

Hi Everyone,

I recently purchased a 39 Ford Tudor Sedan with a 8BA and a what turns out to be a earlier trans (I think 36-38? Not a 39). The shifter that came in the car is the 37 style and when in reverse and second gear it hits the dash but is fully operable.

I figured that I would get a 39 swan shifter so that the shifter would not hit the dash...and because it’s one of the perks of owning a 39.

I found a 39 swan shifter and installed it today and it still hits the dash and won’t even catch second because of the obstruction...

so why won’t a 39 shifter work in a 39 car? The early trans case is the same as the 39 and it locates correctly in the trans tunnel. My best guess is that I got a home made swan shifter but it looks pretty original. What do you think?

here are the two shifters. Thanks for all help.

Chris

 

If the shift levers and pivots are working with no front to back extra slop, I would just custom bend one of those levers to suit the situation. I did that with a number of Hurst type levers just using wood/brass/aluminum blocks in a larger bench vise. It should be very simple with the Ford levers, also. The bends needed are gentle and subtle and won't stress or fatigue the metal.

 

easy to do it in the car if you can protect the carpet from the torch. heat it up at the bottom bend where it comes out of the tower, and use 1st or reverse to bend against so you are not pushing on the syncros of 2nd and third. or, do it in the vise. almost all need to be tweeked to fit

 

Only takes a moment to pop it out of the car, (looks like it is currently out ), and tweak it to suit.
I cold bent mine and then cut a few inches off mine and re- threaded it.

 

I had just the opposite problem in my old '46 Ford pickup. The stock (straight) shifter would hit the (school bus) bench seat I installed. Pulled it out and stuck it in the vice (with wood bocks to keep from marring it up). Thought I would have to use heat, but found that I could curve it cold by yanking on it, move it a couple inches in the vice and yank it again. It took a couple of these procedures to get it just right, but ended up with a nice lookin S (swan) shifter that cleared the seat AND the dash.

 

Yeah it’s a quick fix but I’m curious why a 39 shifter would not work in a 39 car and also I would like to know if I have a legit 39 swan, I’ll bend the other if that’s the case to save the true 39.

I believe the 39 swans are still pretty desirable?

thanks for all of the input so far.

Chris

 

its hard to say it wasnt bent by some one else to fit something else in its 80 year history. if only this old junk could talk, the stories we'd hear!

 

As above, bent by someone else ?

 

Parts are 80 plus years old, how many owners have fussed with them ?

 

To me both look to be 1937 style shifters as the 1939 shifter has a different taper . It is not much but is different and you can tell buy the 2 inch mark and the 37 is .030 thicker and at 4 inches is .050 and even at 16 inches is thicker then the 1939. The 39 also has almost a flat area and from your pictures I cant see that slight area.