Bob - Great picture of the entire shifter linkage. I'm trying to find a different shifter linkage bushing - the one shown in your picture at the top point where the shifter shaft goes into the shifter linkage assembly that goes around it. Mine is 1955 f-100.

The shifter levers are held in place on the shifter shaft (the long shaft that comes down the front of the steering column) by two pieces that are affixed to the steering column. Those two pieces go around the shifter shaft on the top and bottom of the shifter levers, keeping the levers from falling off the bottom of the shifter shaft or riding up the shifter shaft. (Those two pieces are held in place by the bottom piece being clamped around the bottom of the steering column, which keeps the shifter shaft in place parallel to the steering column). The bottom piece is a cup that the bottom of the shifter shaft goes into. The top piece is an "L" shaped bracket that goes along the steering column under the levers, then bends 90 degrees (above the top shifter lever) and has a hole that the shifter shaft goes through. That hole has a replaceable bushing. I'm pretty sure it's made of felt. I'm after that bushing.

From parts diagrams at http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/F...1952-53car.jpg
and http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/F...kup-3speed.jpg
7323 - felt bushing
7314 - metal cap that holds the felt bushing
7318 - bottom cap
7319 clamp for bottom cap
7303 - shifter lever
7302 - shifter lever
7336 shifter lever grease cup/spacer (pressed onto the lever with the grease fitting)
7337 - pin that goes through the shifter shat to activate the shifter levers
35150-S - spring washers (2)
7209 - shifter shaft

VanPelt Sales (513) 724-9486 has a lot of these parts. Mac at VanPelt is very helpful. He was a life saver when I rebuilt the Borg-Warner Overdrive and 3 sp core that I got to replace the 3sp a prior owner had swapped in for the original overdrive set up. (WHen I get time, I'll post about that project - it was a big learning curve. Meanwhile, private message me if you have Borg-Warner Overdrive questions.)

The shifter shaft on my truck has grooves worn in it from the shifter levers. I don't think the shifter shaft is available anywhere. Soneff's in Denver is cutting the worn end off, welding on a new tube, and drilling a hole in the new section for the 7337 pin. Once that's done, I'll decide if I need shifter levers also and I'll get back to Mac with the numbers above to see what he's got. He might even have the 7323 felt bushing and 7314 metal cap, but in my first call to him, I wasn't looking at the diagrams, so we weren't sure what I was after.

 

Replacing the lower end of the shifter shaft is what I did too. Made a huge difference I wrote up an article on rebuilding the linkages (attached) that shows more of it.

 

Ross

That's super helpful. Thank you. I've passed your Tech PDF to the mechanic/machinist, Dan, at Soneff's in Denver who's doing mine.

 

After big trouble trying to get the brass insert in the rubber grommets peened over onto the brass washer with everything compressed enough to get the retainer pin through, I realized that a PO had improvised the rods that go from those grommets on the levers at the bottom of the shifter column to the levers on the side of the transmission. They welded the ends from a mystery vehicle onto the threaded ends that the "T" shaped adjuster threads onto. The OD of the mystery vehicle ends are larger diameter than the ID of the brass insert that goes through the rubber grommets (at the shifter column end). The mystery end OD is also larger than the ID of the holes in the shift levers at the transmission. But on the 55 the transmission levers are just steel which is thinner than the column levers plus rubber/brass grommets - , so they flipped the rods around, drilled out the holes in the transmission levers to fit the mystery end's larger diameter, putting the "T" adjuster end through the shifter column lever's brass/rubber grommet. The "T" adjuster stem (with the hole for the retainer clip) is shorter, but long enough to go through the thickness of the transmission levers. Because the rubber was old and dried and compressed from age, they could get the shorter "T" adjuster stem far enough through the rubber/brass grommet to slide the retainer pin through. But, with the new rubber, that "T" adjuster stem is not long enough to go through the thicker rubber/brass and still have room to put the retainer pin through (the hole for the pin didn't stick out through the brass).

I have an extra set of levers for the transmission to replace the one's PO drilled out.

Would like to find a set of the original shifter rods that connect the rubber grommet ends of the shifter levers at the bottom of the column to the shifter levers on the transmission. If you have some you can part with, please send me a PM. In the diagram below, the 1st/reverse rod is 7328 and the second/third rod is 7326. Finding the original rods seemed like a needle in the haystack thing, so I carefully ground down the larger diameter ends of the "custom" ones I've got so they would fit through the brass insert/rubber grommet, doing my best to keep them as round as possible. First on bench grinder, then strapped them into vise and filed them, then finished with 60 grit sandpaper. I took off some of the shoulder so I'll add an extra washer to make it tight with the retainer pin, but it should work fine. and they're a tiny bit loose in the brass, but I think they'll work okay.

Mine is 1955. Other years can be slightly different. In rebuilding the shifter linkage (and steering box), I found the 1948-56 Ford Truck Master Parts and Accessories Catalog is really useful. It's around 1,200 pages of exploded parts diagrams and parts numbers and names. It's available as PDF on CD or as downloadable version. I found that CD and download versions both have encryption restrictions that only allow you to print to a hard paper printer - can't copy/print a single diagram or two to PDF or to an image file. This makes it hard to extract a diagram or two to email to someone when you want to consult. You can print a paper copy, then scan to PDF, I suppose, but I'm not sure if that somehow violates some fine print copyright agreement.

Thanks
Steven



Lever at transmission that PO drilled out the hole so it no longer fits the "T" adjuster. These levers are thinner than the ones with the rubber/brass grommets at the bottom of the shifter column, so the "T" adjuster end is long enough to go through them, with washer on either side and room for the retainer pin.

PO welded a mystery end onto the rod. Above finger is the mystery end that is too big diameter for the brass insert/rubber grommet, so they flipped the rod around and drilled the trans lever to fit that larger diameter. They could fit the "T" adjuster end through the brass/ rubber grommet at the column end levers because the rubber was old, dried and shrunk. The other rod also shows "custom" bending.

I was stymied trying to get the new rubber with brass on both sides to compress enough so this "T" adjuster stem poked through enough to get the retainer pin through. UNTIL I realized the "T" adjust is supposed to go on the transmission levers, which are not as thick.


55 shifter llinkage.pdf


When I ground/filed/sanded down the diameter of the end of the PO's "custom" rods to get them to fit through the ID of the brass insert, I took off some of the shoulder of the rod (to the right of the brass). Opps! But an extra washer takes up the space nicely.

I couldn't get them perfectly round, but they're close enough ... I hope.

 

Yep, I have just what you need.

 

That's great! Thanks

 

For the benefit of the forum, I am posting a picture of the linkage that I took off of my 55 F100.