56 swap to 66 401 and 66 ST 400 (shift indicator issues)

[Red Dawn]

The shift indicator on my 56 is P N D L R, the ST 400 I am swapping to has six

selector positions P R N D L1 L2. I want to retain the current steering column

and shift indicator (the overall modifications I am doing are costing me a small fortune already). What are the workarounds I can take to make use of all six

selector positions on the ST 400, have functional reverse lights and still use

the neutral safety switch. Hopefully someone has done this swap before?

[Ttotired]

All you can do is change the ratio of the shift linkage if its range is not long enough to get all the gears? Or put a floor shift in it?

 

Only way your going to get the markings right is to get the shift indicator needle moving within the range of the plastic screen, then get a new screen made and printed to what you want

 

Its modified, means nothing will fit now (unless your lucky)

 

Mick

[Guest]

All you can do is change the ratio of the shift linkage if its range is not long enough to get all the gears? Or put a floor shift in it?

Only way your going to get the markings right is to get the shift indicator needle moving within the range of the plastic screen, then get a new screen made and printed to what you want

Its modified, means nothing will fit now (unless your lucky)

Mick

I looked at one with exactly this mod. He said he nearly ran into a wall with his. I think the fix was going to be simply turning the connector on the shifter shaft that is on the side of the trans 180 degrees, or upside down in orientation compared to stock, at that point when the linkage is reconnected the pattern should reverse to match the direction, if not the range or travel which can also be adjusted by changing the distance the point where the linkage rod is from the transmission shaft on the side of the trans. Whew! It's hard to create a visual image and I can't draw, even if I could figure how to work the computer to post them stick men,Lol. The clock runs up pretty fast these days at 100-125 per hr having someone else re-engineer that stuff! Hope my ramblings can be understood and somewhere near right! Caveat: Advice is usually worth what you have to pay for it! Good luck!

I added a photo of the link hooked to the trans. If you where to unclamp the arm hooked to the trans and leave the linkage rod attached, rotate the arm 180 degrees so it points up. You reverse the rotation at the transmission shaft, which moves it in the correct direction. To shorten the travel at the indicator on the colomn, you need to shorten the arm that hooks to the trans, for opposite, lengthen. Best I can do without being there.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Guest (see edit history)

[RivNut]

Shift Works.

 

http://www.shiftworks.com/pics/s168-lg.jpg

 

Herb at www.shiftworks.com should have something that will work for you.  What I pictured is a universal lens. They have other model specific items.

 

Think about finding the column from a '66 and getting all of the linkage from it.  You'd then have all of the correct geometry you need to reach all the gears.

 

Ed

Edited February 10, 2016 by RivNut (see edit history)

[Guest]

Shift Works.

 

http://www.shiftworks.com/pics/s168-lg.jpg

 

Herb at www.shiftworks.com should have something that will work for you.  What I pictured is a universal lens. They have other model specific items.

 

Think about finding the column from a '66 and getting all of the linkage from it.  You'd then have all of the correct geometry you need to reach all the gears.

 

Ed

That's a way simpler plan and if you go up one year '67 you get the safety colomn that crushes instead of impaling.

[RivNut]

I wasn't suggesting the entire column, just the lever rod on the end of the shifter and the linkage to the transmission.  The column in a 66 or 67 has the shifter quadrant built into the instrument panel.  No gain there. 

 

If you can afford it, buy the column you want from Ididit.  Ididit also makes adapters to put on the end of your stock column so it can be used with any transmission.  The thing that makes that work is that it is cable shifted rather than rod shifted.  If you do that, you also have to put the cable shifter adapter on the transmission.  They also sell parts so your neutral safety switch works correctly.

[NTX5467]

There are usually TWO detent mechanisms.  The one in the steering column that you have to move the shift level toward you to move through the shift quadrant. The other one is internal to the transmission.  BOTH need to match for things to work right.

 

Once you get the "lens" to match what you've got, then you can modify the steering column bowl detent to match.  Might even be able to modify one from an existing used column for a THM400 or similar.  NOW, you won't find it in a parts book, but it's there and usually screws into the shift bowl mechanism.  Not sure how the "leverage ratio" might be affected, though.

 

NTX5467