If you really need to get the truck going, and do not wat cut or grind the bracket, you could put in the old speedo gear, and not hook it up, then find a 90 degree adapter at a later time (so you have no speedometer, who really needs one?).

 

I'm good with truck until after this weekend...by Monday I hope to have it running.

About the shift lever going next to bracket mount side as pictured above...Spring pin snapped wrong way...did a 180 and put shift lever next to outside of bracket.


Changed sides with the links, adjusted some, and now seems to shift through the gears as far as I can tell. Anyone see anything questionable about how it looks here? Thinking I'm now ready to install the transmission and work the speedometer cable in the mix, and cut the hole in floorboard...

 

It looks correct. When my dad was here the other day i climbed under his truck to see his.The only thing I would do is take the brackets on the gear selectors and flip them down. It is best to get the linkage horizontal with the ground. The more horizontal the better.

 

IMO: That is one fine piece of "afro engineering" you have going on there.......

 

Did they make a factory 3 speed on the floor for the 80 to 86? I have never seen one. The factory 4 speed that I have and the one on my cousins 69 mustang looks almost identical to the hurst shifter he is using here. About the only noticeable difference is the universal linkage plates on the shift arms.

As I said before my dad has used his for almost 14 years now, no problems.

I am sorry but I do not see a reason to comment negatively on a guy who is doing what he can with the most he has. He has no transportation and is already a week without his truck. Sometimes field surgery is all you can do. Give the man a break if he is not doing it to your armchair standards.

Here is to link 34

 

I personally don't know of any factory floor shifted 3 speeds period. They usually start out as column shifted. None whatsoever in the 80's...

 

I do not believe in "universal" anything. Either get the right parts for your application, or don't do it at all.

What he has going on there looks like crap. There is no other way to put it and I'm sorry if anyone is offended. On second thought, no I'm not.

I can totally understand needing to get your truck back on the road, but not by "rigging" it.

 

Again, show me a truck floor shift for a 3 speed that fits this truck. Show me a 3 speed column shift that fits this truck in his era that is not wore out. How is what he is doing wrong?

Everybody would love to show a restoration truck here. Truth is majority can not. I am very lucky to have such a low mileage truck, that it does pass for pretty nice. Truth be told if it was a high mileage truck I would do field surgery all day long until I could get on top of my income. Bottom line is you do what you can. I have never had the fortune of having money, but have had the fortune of ingenuity. I do believe that is what the majority of this site is about. If I want to know what the ford bible wants done, I would take it to a dealership to get raped.

 

Sometimes you have to / get to make custom installations, there's no harm in that so long
as the design & installation of the apparatus gets the job done. From a mechanical
engineering standpoint, I would tend to agree that it'd be preferable to have those rods
parallel with the ground if you could swing that.

 

Thanks, I'll try flipping the gear brackets down this morning and see how it looks and shifts.

I think I understand how to adjust the Linkage now. The two linkage levers on the shifter hang straight down under the short top lever where the shifting lever bolts to and sticks up into the cab. Important that the two hanging linkage levers remain straight down where the pin holes align so the spring snap pin can catch either hole in neutral, keep this alignment together. And with transmission in neutral adjust the linkages to fit the gear brackets in neutral...while the two hanging linkage levers remain aligned. To me, this seemed to be an important part in "Adjusting the linkage." Get everything lined up good in neutral and it should start shifting...maybe tweak a little after...maybe...

Right or wrong, that's how "Adjusting the linkage" looks to me. Maybe someone can explain otherwise?

And hey uncle.stosh, I'm pretty sure you know a lot more about mechanics than I do. The whole underside of my truck looks like crap and I don't enjoy wallowing under it...ha ha. Reminds me of a story a very old guy told me...back in the dust bowl days when the "Okies" were rushing to Calif. and something like a bearing started knocking in the desert, they would pull that bearing and put a piece of a "Blank Check" paper under the bearing to stop the knocking and make it the rest of the way to Calif. Not the way you would do it, and I sure would rather not...but I can't say never.

The way you use the word "Rigging" puts it "Universal to the whole job" instead of any specific thing that is rigged and dangerous or subject to failure...which I may could change if more specific...or maybe not, I'm not removing the flywheel again at this point and hitching a ride...after I get the truck running it will be a lot easier to go get things done. I also doubt that 100% of flywheel "Turning" results in failure, but I could be wrong. And thanks for your input...maybe steer the next guy into a better result.

Just another Rat Truck, a universal rigging in progress I guess. *You* should do better! ha ha.

And thanks for the help guys, I'm looking closer to getting it on the road again, and I'm pretty sure it will turn out better than if I had done it without any help or ideas from here. Thanks!

---

 

I meant: Anyone that does this should be able to do this better than this...I don't know much...

Anyhow, finally got going again.


Truck has mostly sat last 3-4 years not used hardly at all. Polish I put on in Spring still shows shine


Inside Cab...floor shift...


A "Used" Hurst Indy 3-Speed Floor Shift...Mr. Gasket #7667A Shifter and Boot/Trim. Transmission Bracket pushed Speedo Cable to a strain, it still works so far. Good to be on the road again! Testing today. A work in progress. Needs more.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by F3Beam

I meant: Anyone that does this should be able to do this better than this...Testing today. A work in progress. Needs more.

Man, no need to sound so apologetic, I think you did a GREAT job! Especially
considering the circumstances - your remote location & distance to adequate
auto supply stores. I doubt I could have done a better job, using sticks & stones
as tools...

 

Great work, I've been watching this topic for the past week or so and I'm glad to see you got it all knocked out and drivable again. And I see nothing wrong with your setup; you did what you had to, and it works, and that's all that matters.

I agree with bghnkinf250, you could try grinding a bit of that horizontal edge off that's blocking the hole (when it's convenient for you, of course), and see if that gives you more clearance. Though I'm not sure if it'd affect the strength of the bracket or not.

BTW, very nice and clean truck, I like the two-tone interior. The red and black look awesome.

 

Are you in 1st and 3rd gear against the seat? You may have to slide your seat back a notch. Or you could make a plate to move the shifter away from the seat.


Edit: I looked at the picture and you should be able to move the shift up on the bracket under the truck.

 

I'm pretty sure there are places that sell shifters that are angled in such a way that they clear the seat. I'd think they'd just bolt onto the main assembly in place of the original shifter.