Technical Which Shifter For A TH 350?

My '51 Chevy has a 235", a 1959 3 speed stick with O.D. and a .Ford 9".
Soon, the 3 speed will be swapped out for a TH 350.
Which floor shift, on the market, would you recommend?
I have not had experience with any of them.
Thanks.

 

Lokar "nostalgia" if you want the look of a floor shift with an automatic trans.


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Xx2 , Make sure you look & play with a shifter, ( if not a Lokar , I think even a Lokar could be made better ) there many over the years made by Hurst, B&M ,Mr. gasket and others that are just plain Junk!!!!

 

use a Vega shifter if you can find one

 

I;d try to find an original powerglide column shifter...modify accordingly.....but that's only because I think automatic floor shifters look out of place in an old car that is not a race car.

 

Is it 3 on the tree?
If so; I would shift it through the column and you could save precious space . I did this on F100 and '55 Ford Coupe, makes everything look stock
Lokar makes a kit that is simple to install and keeps the shifter on the column.

 

I use the transmission mounted Lokar shifter and really don't like it. The transmission vibrates like they all do and the vibration shakes the heck out of the shifter. I would go floor mount if I had to do it over.

 

I've got a Lokar transmission mount nostalgic 23 in. tall shifter in my 49 Chevy truck and I really like it. Everything could be made better but I don't think you'll find better quality out there than Lokar. The transmission mount does vibrate but mine doesn't do it to bad. I have all new motor and trans mounts and my motor run fairly smooth (fuel injection). Besides, I kind think it looks kind of cool seeing the shifter vibrate.

Search for some pics. I've seen pics of the nostalgia 23 in several 49-54 Chevys and think they look great. The radical 32 is a bit too tall for those cars and looks a bit out of place.

 

Those Lokar type shifters look sort of like they belong in an old truck...or maybe a 30s car...something with a mostly flat floor. But in the newer cars like 1949 and up, I don't get it.

 

I all so use the trains mount shifter in my Ford A , no vibration for me but my motors Ben internally balance , But One thing I did that Lokar should do !!! is I modified the gates
So when I shift from 1st. to 2nd positive stop , you have to push button down for 2nd to 3rd
Shift (drive ) positive stop neutral ( Lokar did build that into it ,,

I would Like to go 4 speed or Lenco with Ram rod or liberty ram rod ,
Not that much room under car , Man a Good brutal shifters are $$$ now ,
Hopefully by next year , 8,200 RPM's of FUN!!!!!

 

If you are thinking "traditional floor shift in a 50 and up anything car the shifter would be back just in front of the seat like all the floor shift conversion kits were/are for sticks rather than up front on the hump like a truck shifter.
I've used early/ mid 70's GM automatic floor shifts with the cable in a couple of swaps in the past that were real simple to set up and we just built a small bracket on the floor in front of the seat to mount it on. There are some that are real simple looking that you could probably put a Hurst style or custom style knob on and have it look like you had a stubby floor shift handle on a 4 speed in it.

I like the suggestion of connecting it to the column shifter that is there now and working it that way. Leave the clutch pedal in it and stick a really stiff return spring on it so it stays up in place and blow a few minds in the process.

 

Lokar makes good stuff, I have a trans mount floor shifter in my 31 chevy with a blown 355 350 trans. Go black and pick your hight and bend, also got the flex dipstick tube, happy with the whole deal.

 

I got a Mr. Gasket floor shift linkage for my '55 F100, making a different bracket than the one that came with it...(Mr. Gasket's attaches to the floor) Mine attaches to the 350 T.H. case, puts the stick in the middle.
Also no detents in the bracket, only in 'Park'. (easy enough to grind some notches in, locating them with the transmission's detent positions)

I also happen to have a '55 F100 steering mast jacket from a column shift truck. Reading posts above made me swerve, out to the garage to take another look.
My current plain mast jacket has a new turn signal switch (12V., from a N.O.S. '55 school bus: sch'buses were 12 Volt, all others 6 volt, until '56) Also nice shift linkage and stick and even the knob!
Only thing 'weird' is my 4 spoke Bell, gennie '56 Moon gas pedal, and red football Sun Tach!
"Hey, Sir...You gonna speedshift that Three-on-the-tree?"
Might have to find a nice black '56 passenger car steering wheel & horn ring...and bent shift stick...

 

I had a b&m floor shifter on my T. It was one of the ones that you had to lift the handle straight up to
get into park or reverse. I don't recommend that shift pattern. I replaced it with a rachet shifter.

 

For certain, the original P.G. column shifter would be less invasive and conspicuous.

 

IT IS 3 ON THE TREE, did not know Lokar, or anyone made a kit to keep the shifter on the column. I'll look into that idea.

 

" Leave the clutch pedal in it and stick a really stiff return spring on it so it stays up in place and blow a few minds in the process. "
I really thought of doing this, whether I end up with an automatic column shift or a floor shift.

 

X2 on column shifter ,

I would stay away from V O-matic and other's like it , ratchet ,
To many moving parts ,spring fail & brake , sometimes they shift sometimes they don't when you manually shift , But that's my opinion , It was a wast of $$ 30 yrs ago , & now not worth $ 250 - $ 350 , I no even the same quality !

 

Limeworks makes beautiful column shifters that can be retrofit to a number of different column diameters, and will work with a bunch of different transmissions.

 

I put a gennie shifter in my 51 fleetline with a th350. I love it.

 

Almost forgot, Limeworks has gear indicators, too.

 

Connect it to a ball valve like the circle-track guys use. Then you've got a "finesse pedal" so you can blip the throttle on downshifts ...

 

Lokar has a couple different mounts, I use the one that goes to the transmission itself, its adjustable so you can set it where you want, some of the mechanism sticks above the floor and you seal it with a boot and trim ring that work well on a tunnel. I don't use the indicator kits, they're junk and look too 'street roddy' - I've never had one work right and quit useing them, the shifter itself is so positive you'll find you don't need the indicator. They really do have nice shape to them.

 

Here is the Gennie in my 51

 

I've had Genie and Lokar, (not cable models) both good products, the column shift is kool also, what ever floats your boat, but remember when we were kids, had to have a floor shifter, and Hurst was the one, can't recall $$$, but do remember at the time, very pricey, again, good product

 

A real nice, sanitary interior, looks "factory issue". I like the look.

 

I still like the idea of the Lokar kit, using my existing column shifter.

 

I believe the Lokar kit uses cable, it would be a little work but if me I think I would use all linkage if possible , it will take a little time with beaker lengths and the geometry but in the end would be worth it , not reall familiar with the old Chevy Columns but maybe look into squirrel 's suggestion of an old power glide column maybe that has detente already in place for park , r and n?

 

I'm on board with a stock looking column shifter. Find a stock one from someone doing a V-8 swap, and not keeping theirs. But, if it has to go on the floor, I'd go with a Hurst Auto Stick 1. They are no longer made however, do come up used occasionally on that auction site we all know and love, but tend to be spendy when they do. I have several of them for TH350 and TH400 transmissions; each takes a different mount bracket. bobg1951chevy (ONLY) can PM me if you're interested in one for a REASONABLE price. They have a Hurst "stick shift looking" stick, not an overdressed Lokar/American style shifter stick that just looks out of place in just about everything. I don't care for the BIG Hurst boot however; it can be replaced with something smaller. Some have a weld-on stick, others a bolt on-stick, I have both styles. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Hurst quarter stick. Enough said


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