I'm sure this has been addressed, but I'm a newbie, and couldn't find anything, so here goes. I just picked up a '51 f1 with a 3 on the tree, and at 6'1", I keep banging the shifter and steering wheel with my knee when braking and shifting. I am looking into a steering wheel with a 4" dish, which would move the wheel away from my knee, but I am wondering if it is safe/advisable to bend the shifter to allow it to be up higher, in closer proximity to the new steering wheel. I think the 4" difference would help. Are there any other problems I am going to create by doing this? Any help is appreciated. Thanks Eddie J.

 

Talking the shifter lever you grab to change gear? Be ok to bend it but you'll want to do it in such a way that doesn't torque the rest of the setup in the process. If it unscrews that will be easy to do. It will be slightly "shorter" from what you're used to to adjust for the angle, but nothing I'd worry about.

 

Thanks Stephen. I'll remove it from the rest of the linkage so I don't damage anything else. Thanks for the tip. Nice '56!

 

Your gear shift linkage might be worn and loose. That would make your shifter hang down more in 3rd gear. Carpenter and Midfifty and others sell kits to replace the grommets.
Here is carpenters kit at $4.95: Gear Shift Linkage Grommet Repair Kit 1948 - 56,
part #01A-7354-RK. Gear Shift Linkage Grommet Repair Kit | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts

 

Yes, by all means remove it to bend it, and apply the rosebud. I don't remember if it's a casting or forged, but be careful you don't break it.

 

Sorry you didn't notice the problem before you bought the truck. At 6'4" I have the same problem but luckily I noticed when I was checking out a '52 about a year before I bought my '50. It helps a lot to have the shifter on the floor.

 

If you have manual steering the smaller wheel will make it more difficult to turn the wheel particularly when parking.

You could have your seat back redone so that it is thinner. This moves your butt back further giving more legroom.

 

That is a good idea, Pete. I fixed up my seat in my 54 last year and had foam put in the seat and the back. It looks great but I sit too high now and too close to the wheel. My truck is a standard cab and I believe the the standard cab seat frames are built differently than the Custom Cab seats. But anyhow, I just might have the seat back redone with thinner foam or no foam as it was originally.

 

Welcome and here is another ideal. There is no problem with having the gas tank behind the seat. They have been like this many years with no trouble but while I am putting my 49 back together I moved it to under the bed so I could get more leg room in the cab.