Automatic Column Shifter TECH

I wasn't too crazy with the idea of putting a floor shifter in my 53 Chevy after swapping the 3spd trans for a TH350 auto, so by using some of the parts I already had and a few hardware store items, I came up with this simple column mounted shifter. I would assume that many different makes and models could be adapted in this same fashion, or even on a hot rod where you would normally see a floor shifter...a column shifter could be fabricated.

I started with the stock shifter shaft that is attached to the column...it has a support near the steering wheel, but since the old 3spd shift levers will be removed...so will the lower support. By simply locating some 1/8 inch thick tube that had the same I.D. as the O.D. of the shaft, a support is made...in this case it is some old conduit that I fished out of the scrap bin at work...notice that there are two pieces of tube in the pic....the larger diamater one is to space the shaft up a bit more for clearance. Now, my mounting method is not the most creative setup you will ever see, but it does the job...I filed a flat spot ontop of the tube for the U-bolt to fit in, then it is tightend around the column. There is no real stress on this area so it should not move around any. The support is mounted just inside the fire wall...its out of sight inside the car, and gives the shaft a floating look under the hood.

Now, the shaft already has a hole in the end of it, so it is easily taped to accept a bolt to secure an arm on the end. This arm is a piece of 1" wide 1/8" thick metal with a hole on either end and some clearance grinding on the column end so it will swing without interferance...the bolt is the only thing that holds the arm to the shaft...with a fair amount of force it will turn around the bolt, but I dont think it will become a problem as long as the bolt is tight. This arm will attach to the shifter rod....which is made up of two heim ends and some 3/8" rod. The heim ends were found at a tractor repair shop, but I have seen them in hardware stores as well....the rod was cut to length, then the ends threaded to connect to the heim ends.

A new trans lever needed to be made too, I believe a stock one would work just as good though. To make the lever, I found an old bracket of unknown origin that had an acceptable shape to it...now the shaft on the trans that this lever will bolt to has a square shape to it, so the lever does not turn on it....I simply drilled the hole, then filed it until the fit was good....if anyone has a better method to do this speak up!

With everything bolted together the setup should look like this...

The shifter moves smoothly with little effort to make each gear....a factory shifter would have some sort of detent plate to hold the shifter in place on each gear....I havent figured out how to make one or where to put it yet, but the shifter is tight so, gear skipping should not be a real problem. The last pic shows the shifter in the park position. After everything is painted I will likely add a gear indicator, light and a fancy shift knob. BTW, that is a weld in the middle of the shifter arm...how it got broke...I have no idea...musta been some mad shifting on that old 3spd back in the day

 

Looks like it worked to me, Maybe I shouldn't have been so lazy and cut the floor in my Pontiac.

 

Pix arn't working for me. They working for anyone else?

 

I see 'em fine.........O.C.P.
By the way nice job.

 

Well damn....I dont see the pics now either, I guess its Starphoto.

 

btt

 

nice job...but where is the reverse lock out? where is the neutral safety switch? when you hit a bump in the road,what gear will it jump in to? nice,but it needs more work!