Looking to change my 81 F150's column back to an automatic column. Someone swapped in a manual column when they installed the ratchet shifter on the floor and I would personally like to go back to the column shifter.

My question is, are all 80-86 automatic columns the same? I would need one with no cruise control wiring.

 

1980 trucks had some unique wiring differences but I don't know if the steering column was different for that year or not. The rest ('81-'86) for sure interchange. Cruise control trucks were wired differently than non-cruise trucks, so you will need an automatic non-cruise column.

 

With or without tilt wheel makes a difference.

 

<p>I think it was 1984 when Ford started with the buzzer when the key is in the ignition and the driver's door opens; whether or not the pre-1984 columns can accommodate that circuitry (part of the turn signal switch) or not is something I don't know. But it won't hurt a 1981 truck that doesn't have the wiring for the buzzer but has a column that can accommodate it....</p><p>Cruise control wiring... IIRC the columns are exactly the same in that regard and it's just the wiring that gets added in when cruise is installed.</p><p>Tilt vs. non-tilt, automatic or manual transmission, those are the differences...</p>

 

Cruise columns have the horn wired differently, through a relay attached to the cruise circuit module.

 

<p></p><p>Right... but there are no differences in the columns themselves, just which wiring is installed into them... one can transfer wiring from one column to another if need be...</p>

 

This so-called manual column that was swapped in, is it for a 3 speed or 4 speed? 3 speed will have a shift collar for the lever, 4 speed will have a steering column extension in lieu of the shift collar.

So, what did a previous owner do, replace the A/T's shift collar with the steering column extension from the 4 speed...in order to get rid the empty shift collar hole, now that the shift lever is on the floor?

 

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I was at work. The truck was originally a 300/C6 truck. When they swapped in the 302, they attached it to the original C6 and removed the automatic column and put in a manual one and put the ratchet shifter on the floor. The current column has a collar cover and a key release button.

The truck is a F150 Custom, so I assume it didn't come with cruise control as I do not see anything that would indicate it under the dashboard.