I'm looking to see if anyone has any input on repairing the manual shift column on a 76 F100 w/ a 302 vs. getting an aftermarket floor conversion kit. All of the bearings/bushing at the top of the column are busted and I'm trying to decide whether to buy the parts to fix the existing shifter or getting a floor conversion kit. Thanks for any help...

 

Is your truck 4x4? If it is a 4x4 do you have room for a floor shifter? What about swapping out the entire column for a good one? I've found that it is easier for me to swap columns than to remove the steering wheel and other stuff. Lokar makes some cool looking hot rod shifters for the floor but they cost$$$. You could look to see if B&M makes a conversion kit. If not try looking to see if there is a manual floor shifter that looks close to fitting properly and make a few minor changes. Just a few ideas.

 

Well, I just went over a 1979 style PS 3 spd. column last month.....It's not complicated to rebuild it, the tricky part is finding all of the new parts...you have to contact people with NOS parts and get all the bushings from them. After I rebuilt it, it was like brand new, nice and tight.

Overall, if you only buy the parts you need and no extra's (I bought several of each bushings...never know how long your going to keep the truck) it will probably cost you between $60 and $90.

New shift collar is about $40
and the bushings are about $5 a piece.

Lenny

 

Thanks for your help. I should be able to take care of it now.
Scott

 

Hello everybody,

I haven't posted for quite a long time, haven't even had time to lurk. Then today I thought I would look for some recent posts on this very topic, and waa-laa!!

I'm faced with the same decision for my 78 Ranger w/302. It's not a tough decision, because I'd like to keep it as original as possible. But I had one heck of a time finding bushings, and I'm not sure that the ones I finally got (from a Ford dealership in NC) are the right ones. (The worn ones are pretty bad, and it's hard for me to tell for sure).

My question is this: Does anybody have a photo of the correct bushings? Or if I photo'd mine, could somebody tell me if they are the correct ones?

I really hate to get started on this only to find out they are not right......

If they are not, I will be forced to get a floor shifter conversion kit. Which I will not attempt to install. I don't have anything to cut a hole in the floor with for starters...... Currently, I can get the truck in all gears except 1st. My mechanic is approx 3 miles from my house, mostly downhill, lol. Would I damage the tranny starting out in 2nd gear for that distance????

 

You'd be fine starting out in 2nd gear and driving there. How big of a hole do you need to cut to put the floor shifter in? When my buddy did his all he needed to do was drill a hole in the floor and run a cable thru to the transmission.

 

I found some pictures at this site while I was investigating what to do: http://broncograveyard.com/products/cat/18/142

The pictures of the bearings and bushings might be too small to compare to yours but hopefully they help.

I ended up getting a floor conversion kit that I am happy with so far-but the catch of course is the shifter is not original.

Good luck.

 

I switched from the column shift to a B&M floor shifter and I like it far better. There's plenty of room even with a 4x4. You can also go with a Lokar shifter which uses a linkage instead of a cable. The Lokar unit looks a lot like an original stick shift, very different style compared to the standard floor shifters. The cable only requires about a half inch hole in the floor (at the most) so they're pretty easy to install. I guess it all depends on what you're trying to do with your truck. I'm not too terribly concerned about keeping it stock.

 

Oh My Goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!



I knew this board was awesome, but jeez oh man! Scottf100,

those are MY BUSHINGS!!!!!



Thanks to all of YOUSE !!!! (hey Vicki, that was for you! )