I am building a 1950 Ford and want to keep my column shift. I have an AOD tranny. I did check out "The-rodsters" build thread back in 2016 but the pictures are no longer attached. I know I have to remove on of the stick shift arms at the bottom of the column but I think I will have to make a piece with indents to hold the shift linkage in each of the various gears. I don't want to chance the tranny jumping out of reverse say back into park. If anybody has pictures of this type of column shift arm conversion I really appreciate seeing them.
I would find an era-appropriate automatic column and rework that. Toward the end of the 1950's there were plenty of automatic Ford columns with detents and other safety features built in, that will get you a whole lot closer than coming up from scratch.
Gimpy, just don't get that late model one that jumps into reverse. or was that the tranny's fault. Can't remember. lol
Ford put Park and Reverse only one space...GM was clever and put them two apart... When everything is tight and working well, Fords stay in park. When things get sloppy, there isn't much room for error.
For clarification, I am using the original 50 ford steering box with a Fat Mans kingpin and disc brake conversion. I could go to a Lokar floor shift, but I am trying to avoid that. I know Lime Works makes a neutral safety set up for these columns and I would add that, but I really want to keep the column shift. As soon as the weather warms up enough to tour a wrecking yard here in Indiana with all old stuff I will visit and see if they have a Fordomatic but as Squirrel notes the Park and Reverse situation is problematic. I remember seeing this type of conversion here on HAMB but have been unable to find it.
If you set it up well, then the P/R thing shouldn't be a problem. I think they used a separate shaft, instead of an inner tube, on Fords through about 1959. So there are a lot of possible donors from the 50s. On the 57 Suburban I had, I combined parts from a truck hydramatic shifter, and a car Powerglide shifter, to run the TH400 with column shift. It takes some effort, but the result is so much better than the street rod or racing floor shifters.
Some items from the 52-59 social group. I'm assuming earlier Fordomatic column is basically the same. https://mainlineford.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/new-improved-shift-linkage/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tranny-shifter-question.1087792/#post-12329030
Check with @X38 he did it in his Sloper thread. Post #395 Projects - 1938,39,40 Sloper Custom | Page 14 | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
Every GM automatic I ever had Park was next to Reverse except for the 55 Hydramatic. Ford had a good detent on the column but the shifter arm on the column was smoothed over as folks didn’t pull the lever to them first to put it in Park and do it I reverse order when taking it out of park. Using a 51-57 column will also some work as these only had 5 positions. The 58 up had 6.
lime works speed shop makes a kit to convert your column or add to any 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 tube. has neutral safety and detent
I put a 2004R OD behind the 235 on my '53 Chevy. Installed a late model GM tilt column then adapted the '53 wheel and shift lever to the new column. Splines matched, just had to do a little surgery on the wheel. Adapted it to a Toyota land cruiser power steering gear that looks a lot likethe '53.
The AOD has a built in neutral safety switch as well as a backup light switch. It is on the drivers side of the transmission. Get the proper plug from a yard and you can use that and not have to adapt a switch. Mine works just like it did in the donor vehicle.
on my '41 w/C-4, I used the stock '41 column and used the R-1st shifting lever (spring loaded in 2-3 position). made linage to the C-4. had to pull column shift lever up to engage the trans shift lever. made a park lock with 2 thick washers with pin in one and hole in other. welded them to the shift tube. found a DRNDL in junk yard for a C-4
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