Howdy Everyone,

I have a lil question for yall but a lil background may be helpful.

I have recently put in a tilt column to replace the standard straight column. It was a minor job but with some aggravating parts - the stock straight column has the rag joint made onto the steering shaft & the tilt's shaft was splined so I had to order a Flaming River U-joint - easy enough well wouldnt you know they would screw that up!

Well after finally getting in the proper u-joint & installing the column I popped out the old shifter lever's roll pin & took it out of the straight column to put it in the tilts column & it doesnt look like its the right lever ?? It sits way too close to the wheel & really doesnt fit in the slot correctly.

Does anyone know if the shifter lever is different for a tilt vs. a straight column ??

Thanks In Advance !!

Cheers

 

I'll go look.
I know the 77 & earlier are different.
The 78-79 have a slightly lever in them.

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/2cents.gif

[font color=red]Dennis

FTE Assistant Administrator
[/font]

[link: motorhaven.autoanything.com|How YOU Can Support This Site]

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/canada_flag_animated.gif

[link:www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html|My Website,"North Of The 49th"]

[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|Club FTE]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
[/font]

 

Tilt columns have a straighter shift lever than fixed.Brian

 

I'm back.
The regular column shift lever has TWO bends in it bringing it closer to the steering wheel.
The tilt column shift lever has one bend in it,just when it comes out of the collar.


http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/2cents.gif

[font color=red]Dennis

FTE Assistant Administrator
[/font]

[link: motorhaven.autoanything.com|How YOU Can Support This Site]

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/canada_flag_animated.gif

[link:www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html|My Website,"North Of The 49th"]

[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|Club FTE]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
[/font]

 

Thaks for the heads up

It looks like I'll be on the market for a shift lever for a tilt column. After I got in from work I went & tinkered a lil - it also looks as if the end of the lever the goes into the column is also different.

Anyone know where to get one to fit?

I have an old autokrafters book but it didnt have the lever availible, only the black **** on the end.

 

Try looking at the wreckers for a 78 LTD or Cougar with tilt.
The mechanism is the same.



http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/2cents.gif

[font color=red]Dennis

FTE Assistant Administrator
[/font]

[link: motorhaven.autoanything.com|How YOU Can Support This Site]

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/canada_flag_animated.gif

[link:www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html|My Website,"North Of The 49th"]

[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|Club FTE]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
[/font]

 

>Try looking at the wreckers for a 78 LTD or Cougar with
>tilt.
>The mechanism is the same.


What about robbing pieces from a van. Seems like tilt/cruise van columns are plentiful in junkyards and they look quite similar. The reason I ask is I have found a couple of messed up tilt pickup columns that could be bought cheap.

How big a deal is it to convert to cruuise?

Is the rest of the harness under the dash?

 

The cruise control add-on consists of :

The steering wheel center pad with switches.
The under dash to under hood wiring harness.
(Unable to do conversion with it.)
The cruise control vacuum pull down.
A vacuum cannister.
Vacuum lines.
Brake pedal for cruise.

What did you pay for your tilt column ?

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/2cents.gif

[font color=red]Dennis

FTE Assistant Administrator
[/font]

[link: motorhaven.autoanything.com|How YOU Can Support This Site]

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/canada_flag_animated.gif

[link:www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html|My Website,"North Of The 49th"]

[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|Club FTE]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
[/font]

 

I have not picked up the column(s) yet. I did pick up a Dana 70 (3.54 open) for $29.99 though. Cost me another $5 to get the tractor to load it. Unfortunantly I was unable to find a dana 70 or a 9" LSD.

 

don't forget the power brake booster! i can not see a difference in the pedal i just got from a cruise truck but the brake booster has a different end on it to push on the extra switch that mounts on the the end of it. also i have had a dozen or so tilts in the last couple of months and have learned that 78 and 79 are actually different in the shift collar casting and the shift arm! the arms seem to interchange okay but there are definitely two different assemblies. the car tilts do share most internal parts with the shift indicator and upper collar being the main differences (cars and some vans have locking columns). you can use all of the internal parts from a car but i have not needed a shift collar or arm so i have not checked those. here are pctures of the two. i am not sure you will be able to see the detail but it is in two spots. the shape of the area on the left where the big opening for the arm is wider and the sides curve in on one and the other the opening just tapers down to the spring pocket. also on the one with the wider opening there is a lot more "meat" around the area the flat tab end of the shifter rides in. also on the one with the wider opening the spring is completely contained in a hole drilled in the casting but in the other the top half of teh spring is actually exposed and just stick out of the casting. on the type with the exposed springs i have found several with bent springs as there is no support (only happens when the shifter pivot pin hole starts wearing badly). hawkrod

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=8032&.jpg

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=8033&.jpg

 

NON-cruise brake pedals use a bolt and nut where the push-rod attaches.
Cruise type brake pedals have a machined hook up that accepts the cruise shut down switch and a pin that holds it all together.


http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/2cents.gif

[font color=red]Dennis

FTE Assistant Administrator
[/font]

[link: motorhaven.autoanything.com|How YOU Can Support This Site]

http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/canada_flag_animated.gif

[link:www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html|My Website,"North Of The 49th"]

[link:www.ford-trucks.com/guidelines.html|Club FTE]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
64 1/2 Mustang Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
68-Mustang 289 2v-Sunlit Gold
[/font]

 

i don't know why but my pedal does not have the bolt and i know it is not a pedal for cruise because it is a stick shift brake pedal (smaller pedal pad) and ford did not offer cruise with the stick shift according to the literature. i think maybe they changed them as time went on. i did look up the booster as i thought it looked different and according to the parts book it is for cruise control only. i will try and look up the pedals later but it may be that ford changed the design and went to the pin on all vehicles at some point because the cars have all been that way since the late 60's. hawkrod

 

a side note that i forgot to respond to in my original post is about the steering coupler as noted in the begining of this thread. ford tilt columns have a removeable coupler on the two wheel drive vehicles. it is held on with a special 12 point 7/16 head bolt and you need it. the tilt columns have a removeable coupler because it is the only way ford could build the columns. the upper tilt knuckle prevents the inner shaft from being installed from the bottom like a non tilt so ford made the coupler removeable so the shaft could be slid in from the top. it is the same as a van and as long as the van does not have a locking steering column all of the upper tilt parts are the same. the van column is a couple of inches longer so they do not work well in a truck but if you find a worn or broken truck tilt you can buy all the parts you need from a van. the only parts you need from the truck are the lower inner shaft, the shift tube and lower shift arm, and the outer lower tube. all of the ather parts are available from a donor van. van columns also tend to be in much better condition as the vehicles tended to be more expensive and better cared for. hawkrod

 

Excellent Pics !

That really showed the different shift lever is needed as mine is rather fat with a short blade on the end.

I threw a couple in my webshots of the lever I was trying to use on this column
http://community.webshots.com/album/48212347PEpJnx

(I dont know how to post pics here )

Well I shopped thru Obsolete Ford Parts & AutoKrafters for a lever, anyone have any suggestions ?

There isnt a boneyard around here that carries old iron anymore so that kinda throws that out the window.

Cheers

 

well, i do have the one in the pic (it is one of my spare parts that i keep on hand as i have been selling a lot of tilts and tilt parts lately) i just polished it up and it is pretty nice. email me at tche7rry3(No Email Addresses In Posts!) (but take out the 7 before replying, spambot protector you know!). hawkrod