steve s.

You have a nice looking truck. At one time I had a 1946 Chevy with a mechanically shifted two speed rear axle. It used a short rod from the bottom of the shifter to a bracket on the frame, and heavy flexible cable from that bracket to the rear axle. It worked very nicely, and the cable allowed for plenty of free movement between the cab, the frame, and the axle. Sorry, no pictures. .

Joe, I would like to offer some encouragement. Of course all states are different, but I have so far gotten a dozen or so titles for old trucks through the county court here in PA. I did all of the work myself, with no lawyer or agent. It takes a bit to understand the process, but it works very well. Basically I took the state to court, forcing them to prove that I did not own the trucks. The state could not prove that, and they offered to refrain from opposing my request if I would follow their procedure. That procedure changed over the years, but it never involved much more than paying the DOT to give me a copy of a form that said there was no vehicle in the system with my serial (or VIN) number. When my day came to go before the judge, the DOT didn't even show up some times. When the judge entered the courtroom to begin the day's proceedings he always looked around the courtroom, singled me out , and asked why I was there. I guess I stuck out as I wasn't a wife beater, gang member, or crackhead. He would review my papers, call out the name of the previous owner to the courtroom, ask for anyone present who objected to my ownership, and when no one spoke up, he named me the owner of the truck. I got a court order stating that I was the owner, and with that I was able to apply for a title from the DOT. the whole process takes a while, but it worked every time I tried. Think about it- the state can't prove that you don't own the truck, and the judge can declare that you do. I suggest that you look into this process in your area, I think it will work for you, too. Steve

As an alternative to the complexity of a vacuum shift installation, why not install an electric shifter? I have an Eaton 1310 (not in a truck) that shifts electrically, as do most other Eaton rear axles. It would be much quicker and easier, not to mention cheaper.