Floor Shifter

[old rat 49]

Due to bad shoulder I was wondering if it is possible to get a floor shifter in my car. Would be easier on the old bod.

[greg g]

The shifter is not like ford and chevy. Mr gasket made a shifter back in the 50's-60's but they are few and far between. Some one a log while back said he modified a uiversal to work but never detailed the process.

[Robert Horne]

My 38 and 37 have floor shifter. Maybe you could use a floor shifter from a car or truck like one of these.

[greg g]

Those were top shift trannies with the shifter going right into the top of the trans case. You might use the whole trasmission if you wanted to do that.

There is a 45 Plymouth on the local craigs list that the owner says is equipped with a GM 200r4 transmission, perhaps that is a route you could investigate if manual shifting is getting to be a chore.

[teardrop puller]

old rat 49

Before I changed engines, I ran a 700R4 transmission, with an adapter, behind my 218. It worked well and I used a floor shifter, looked good too.

kai

[Captain Neon]

One could convert to a T5 and get OD to boot.

[David Strieb]

My hollander exchange (printed in '48) shows some interchange from '35 to '39 for the floor shift car trans between chry, desoto, dodge, and ply. '40 to '48 car trans mostly interchange. Dodge / Ply truck trans of the era don't interchange, different bellhousing and bolt paterns.

I'm toying with putting my R10 od trans in my '38 dodge pu, I think I could make it fit the truck bellhousing, but I wouldn't do it unless I could figure out a floor shift.

Might have to use a car bellhousing, but would also have to change the clutch and brake. I saved all the parts from my '40 just in case I want to jump in the fire!!!

[dndrodshop]

Never played with the 48's manual. Is it like the 54?

One lever shifts and the other modifies the pattern?

Did modify a universal shifter for a 54 trans.

Attached is a couple pics.

[greg g]

Ed the column shift three speeds were all shifted the same through 59, witht he exception of the cable deal in 39/40 (?)

[David Strieb]

Would love to see some more info on the modifacations to the universal shifter, looks like a great setup, how's it work for you? What type of shifter did you use for that? I wanna adapt a R10 od to my '38 dodge pu. I could do a 3 on the tree using '40 ply parts, but perfer a floor shift. Would rather use the R10 instead of the T5 conversion. Wanna stay old skool w/the '38.

[MiltYergens]

THis was posted a while back.

[old rat 49]

Looks doable. Strange shift pattern though.

[wayfarer]

Numerous options are available to change to 'newer' trans, either 5-spd or auto, but the swap also entails a good many other required changes at that point. Read that as lots-o-work....but, if anyone has a interest, I have kits for the v-6 / v-8 Dakota type AX15 or R150 series as well as the 904 TF.

.

[Greenbomb]

Milt;

It appears from your picture that the usual "flat" H-pattern gets rolled 90 degrees onto it's side and you press the lever down to gain access to the bottom leg of the "H" to select low and reverse. That looks doable. Does Hurst still make a universal shifter like that?

[moose]

This is the floor shifter in my Model A. I built it last summer as a "proof of concept" type design. No bearings or bushings, I didn't make new arms for the tranny or anything. It worked and I ran out of time before I had to have the car going, so I left it. Still works. I'll make a new better one this summer...

[moose]

I like this idea. I might try this out, thanks.

THis was posted a while back.

[MiltYergens]

Back in the late 60's I actually owned a floorshift conversion for a early Mopar three speed Used it on my 1941 Plymouth, I bought it from JC Whitney. later I sold the trans and the floor shift went with it. I it had an H action, not like the illustration I posted. I remember it was way more direct than the stock column mounted stock one, the only problem was the the shift lever would always need tightening... a flat Hurst like lever would have worked better.

[msawdey44]

I had one of those JC Whitney conversions, too, on my '51 Plymouth. I recall that it was always getting out of adjustment, until I did some re-engineering. I remember having to thread one of the shifter rods and put a pair of lock nuts on it, but can't recall what this fixed--it did work, though the throws were long and the action a bit vague.

A couple years ago, I picked up a pile of NOS Ansen shifters for various of the old selector-type Mopar transmissions--one if for fluid drive, one for overdrive, one for Hy-Drive, maybe one more. I've been vacillating about whether to go with an old type overdrive or a T5 conversion on my '50 Dodge, but if I decide for the latter, I'll be selling off the Ansens, one way or the other.

[Roger the Dodger]

Looks doable. Strange shift pattern though.

It's a great pattern. When you start off in first and change to second, it pops up as you go through neutral into second. Then it's straight back to third.

I had one on a '48 Holden (Ozzie GM car) back in the late sixties. Very fast shifting. The car was originally 3 on the tree.

[thrashingcows]

It's a great pattern. When you start off in first and change to second, it pops up as you go through neutral into second. Then it's straight back to third.

I had one on a '48 Holden (Ozzie GM car) back in the late sixties. Very fast shifting. The car was originally 3 on the tree.

Sounds similar to the old V-gate 4speed shifters we used to run in our muscle cars. Straight back and forth. It had the shifter, then a metal T-handle as well. Hold the T-handle up and shift straight back from first to second, release t-handle and forward to third, then straight back to fourth. Reverse was a second lever off to the side. Worked like great!!