a new spin on a new tranny?

[41/53dodges]

hello all, time for another wacky engineering idea!

How many of you want to upgrade to a newer trans, but want to keep the column shifter?

[Plymouthy Adams]

hello all, time for another wacky engineering idea!

How many of you want to upgrade to a newer trans, but want to keep the column shifter?

column shifter is not part in part to any upgrade in my book..to me the column shifter is the single worse feature of these cars

[Frank Elder]

column shifter is not part in part to any upgrade in my book..to me the column shifter is the single worse feature of these cars

And yet, it is the first thing I think of fondly when I see an older model car.......good memories of simple times.

[Plymouthy Adams]

for sure Frankie, not knocking the shifter as part in part of an original car..just stating that it is not a part that is deaply endeared to me..and if modifying a tranny then surely I consider the shifter to be part of the upgrade and an improvement also

[40P10touring sedan]

I'm not the world's biggest fan of manual transmissions...I've driven them myself, but prefer the auto trans more - always have. Add non syncro gears and I like them even less....come on, would a 1st gear syncro been too much to add on when they made them?!{hahaha}

For me, a nice A500 auto would be nice even with the revamped motor mount issues that would follow it...wonder why ma mopar went and swapped the floor shifter to the column, the 30's cars had them on the floor - seems everything from the late 30s on just had to be column.

[desoto1939]

When the car compnaies decided to move the shift off the floor now they were able to get 3 people in the fron seat and 3 in the rear seat on a 4 door sedan. Also more up front room.

Here is another aspect that most of you do not even consider have you ever wondered why there is not a door lock on the outside of the drivers door but only onthe fron passenger side door????? The reason is that is was illegal to exit a parked car via the driver side door since the door would be opening into traffic when it was paralled parked. If I am correct it is still illegal in most sates today.

So to exit and lock the front door you had to slide over the front seat get arounf the floor shift and then exit the door onthe curbside.

When they went to the three on the tree you no longer had the obsrution of the bamboo pole or floor shifter getting in your way for an easy egress.

Also if you had a middle person sitting on the front seat it was harder to shift now you could sift the car without bothering the person sitting in the middle of the front seat.

This little part of history has been lost over the years. Also Carl Berrr who was a major designer for Chrylser and worked onthe Airflows had a 36 airflow and then had it converted to have the column shift just for the convienence and he was a designer at Chrylser. This is a well documented car and was recently sold a couple of years ago.

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[40P10touring sedan]

Rich, I heard that about the door locks, and was told by the PO that back in the day the gentleman opened the door for his lady, and, if she was a proper lady she would return the favor by unlocking his door...maybe why they all eventually went to multi outer locks and then keyless entry!...I could be wrong though....{hahaha}

For me having just turned 47, the years of "my" driving were any of my manuals all had shifters on the floor and autos were mostly all column...guess it's simply a matter of when you were raised. I have to laugh at folks who absolutely "must have" ABS, traction control, blue tooth capability, onboard navagation, keyless entry and even remote door openers because they're life would just be soooo complicated without that....sure it's nice and all, but I think alot of us here were raised and did fine without it. I was the official map folder when I was a kid...we took 2 weeks every summer and headed out in the family truckster{68 bonnie sedan}, sans AC, to drive to new points of interest for vacation and to add new pins to the places we hit on our vacation map...Good times!

[desoto1939]

Rich, I heard that about the door locks, and was told by the PO that back in the day the gentleman opened the door for his lady, and, if she was a proper lady she would return the favor by unlocking his door...maybe why they all eventually went to multi outer locks and then keyless entry!...I could be wrong though....{hahaha}

For me having just turned 47, the years of "my" driving were any of my manuals all had shifters on the floor and autos were mostly all column...guess it's simply a matter of when you were raised. I have to laugh at folks who absolutely "must have" ABS, traction control, blue tooth capability, onboard navagation, keyless entry and even remote door openers because they're life would just be soooo complicated without that....sure it's nice and all, but I think alot of us here were raised and did fine without it. I was the official map folder when I was a kid...we took 2 weeks every summer and headed out in the family truckster{68 bonnie sedan}, sans AC, to drive to new points of interest for vacation and to add new pins to the places we hit on our vacation map...Good times!

Yes I agree with you 100% percent. I am 61 and grew up with the mid 50s-60 and 70s cars. I can remmebr taking summer vacations witht he family and yes I was the map holder. I learned alot by doing this. My dad would map out the next days route the night before and I would go over it with him. Sitting in the back seat i would read the map and then call off the next exit on the interstates and or the next route number to take. I taught me how to navigate without a GPS. LAter on in life I rode a bicycle across the USA in 1976 did not have a cellphone, no GPS had to rely on reading a map. Life was much simpler then and we were able to cope with the adversities that were dealt to us along the way. The kids of today can not cope with lifes lesson. They have come to rely on the GPS, the cell phone the Twitter the facebook and all of the eltronic gadets that they deem necessary to just to go to school while riding the school bus.

Just watch what happening when the electricity goes off for a couple of hours or the cell phone towner is down. They can note cope. They can not pick up a book and read for the enjoyment. Also ask a kid to read an analog clock and tell the time. As them to thell you the time when its Half past 3PM. They do not know those terms they can only read a digital clock. We are losing the basics in life. That why I enjoy driving my old 39 Desoto it takes me back to a simpler time and I get to enjoy and appreciate what I have now.

The kids and some adults today need ever gadet to just get out of bed, I feel sorry for them.

rich Hartung

[Plymouthy Adams]

Lots of truth there Rich...of late and per wife's request I do carry a cell phone, sometimes an atlas, never a GPS..as for needing every gadget to get out of bed, well I will say an alarm clock is a benefit to me..I work hard, I play hard and as a result I sleep like a rock..

[Frank Elder]

Amen to that Brother Rich:)

[Don Coatney]

I use a GPS in my P-15 mostly for speedometer accuracy.

[Plymouthy Adams]

now I can see how that would be a plus..fighting some speedo issues on the current upgrade that I think I have overcome with stock parts..but it good to know the ultimate end all to all errors is the ole Garmin or facimile thereof..I know a few folks that use these just for that purpose..

[Frank Elder]

They make GPS speedos for boats.........

[Plymouthy Adams]

before fish finders I knew some folks who would paint an X on the bottom of the boat to mark a good fishing spot..lots of folks laughed at them and remarked behind their backs that they might not always get to rent the same boat..

[james curl]

They make them now for cars, saw the add just the other night in a new Speedway catalog, the sender unit is only a little less than $200.00 without the speedometer. You will have close to $400.00 in the speedometer and adapter before you install it, a GPS can be had in the $100.00 to $150.00 price range that will do more than the speedometer.

[Frank Elder]

before fish finders I knew some folks who would paint an X on the bottom of the boat to mark a good fishing spot..lots of folks laughed at them and remarked behind their backs that they might not always get to rent the same boat..

Turrible....jest turrible bad I says.........

[Don Coatney]

Turrible....jest turrible bad I says.........

I agree that was bad. The story is supposed to show that the X did not work when they moved there boat to a different lake.

[pflaming]

I learn so much from this forum. Didn't know the history of the locks and the column shift, possibly started on the cars. I remember the first auto trannies. My first recollection was my uncle's Packard, where the clutch was red and it worked itself,once the car was in motion.

I like the column shift, so close to the steering wheel. I think there is an "art" to driving an old car, shifting without the clutch for example. I'm anxious now to get mine on the road. Found a rear axle yesterday.

In defense of the floor shift, my girl friends like it when they could do the shifting!!!!

[littlemo]

I also love the nostalgia of using the shifting lever on the column, but I want to use it with an automatic transmission, so (option not available-assuming all choices refer to manual transmissions) no where to vote??? Cass, alias littlemo.....

Edited February 24, 2012 by littlemo

[Roadkingcoupe]

When the car compnaies decided to move the shift off the floor now they were able to get 3 people in the front seat and 3 in the rear seat on a 4 door sedan. Also more up front room.

In 1939 the Plymouth P7 was a floor shift (the last time before the console shifters) the 1939 Plymouth P8 was a column shift. The advertising proclaimed that the "P8 business coupe" was now a three passenger vehicle. Keeping in mind that the 39's had very narrow seats compared to 1940 and up. The three seater claim was a bit of a stretch (or cramped if you had three adults in the car).

At just under 17 feet long it was still only a two seater with a huge trunk for cargo. I really like the P7 coupe which was the last of the floor shift. In addition the 1939 column shift used a one year only "cable" activated shifter. Proving to be a difficult part to find today! Luckily the shifters were changed to linkage from 1940 and on....

[DCurrent]

Cell phones shouldn't be use while driving, but you just can't rule out the handy use of them these days either. Even though many of us can fix just about anything along the road, you have to have the parts. Parts just aren't as available for these old cars like they once were. If you are in an old car that is no longer turning the wheels it sure is nice to just make a phone call. At the very least it's nice just to have peace of mind.

Darren

[Don Coatney]

Cell phones shouldn't be use while driving, but you just can't rule out the handy use of them these days either. Even though many of us can fix just about anything along the road, you have to have the parts. Parts just aren't as available for these old cars like they once were. If you are in an old car that is no longer turning the wheels it sure is nice to just make a phone call. At the very least it's nice just to have peace of mind.

Darren

This is my on the road tool box.

[Rusty O'Toole]

hello all, time for another wacky engineering idea!

How many of you want to upgrade to a newer trans, but want to keep the column shifter?

I've thought about this. It is definitely possible, I owned several Mercedes Benz from the sixties with column shift 4 speeds.

What if you used a Chrysler 4 speed or 3 speed plus overdrive from the sixties seventies or early eighties? It would be possible to connect the shift levers to your column shift rods.This would allow shifting all 4 forward gears but not reverse.

Then it would be necessary to modify the column shifter to allow shifting into reverse, or make some other provision.

[41/53dodges]

I've thought about this. It is definitely possible' date=' I owned several Mercedes Benz from the sixties with column shift 4 speeds.

What if you used a Chrysler 4 speed or 3 speed plus overdrive from the sixties seventies or early eighties? It would be possible to connect the shift levers to your column shift rods.This would allow shifting all 4 forward gears but not reverse.

Then it would be necessary to modify the column shifter to allow shifting into reverse, or make some other provision.[/quote']

This system would (theoretically) not require any modifications to the actual column shifter, just a later model trans and some new control rods!

[Rusty O'Toole]

This system would (theoretically) not require any modifications to the actual column shifter, just a later model trans and some new control rods!

Yes but I am talking about a 4 speed. The stock linkage would shift the 4 forward speeds but what about reverse?