tree shifter - advice needed

[Iceman_70]

Hello community !!

still tearing down the 56 I have ... but also started thinking (and dreaming) about the rebuild ...

I guess my 56 was factory build with a manual transmission and a tree shifter as it has a clutchpedal and the holes and mounts on the steering column. The PO however, upgraded it with a SB350/TH350, and installed a floorshift...

Can I switch it back to a tree shifter ? or would you advice to stick with the floor shifter ?

When I think about these types of vehicles, I always see them with the large lever on the steering column like this :


And I also found a fellow builder on the Stovebolt forum that has the equipment for sale ... I just don't know if it will work, ..., and if I have enough room to install it... looks like my headers are in the way
For the connection I think Lokar has some nice cable solutions, I just don't know how the tree-shifter box works ... does it have internal notches that need to correspond to the TH350 ? or how does it work...



So any advice is welcome !!

[mr48chev]

Are you wanting to change to a three speed trans or use a column shifter with the automatic?

You can put the shfter back on the column easily enough if you want to run the automatic and there should be some column shifters for automatics floating around especially on GMC trucks from the same period.

The box and levers under the hood on the column shifters are located up close to the firewall and you could either fabricate a shift rod or buy one of these http://www.kugelkomponents.com/zenca...=index&cPath=2 to make it work.

[zenchal26]

Good thread I also want to put the shifter back up on the column. Po had a th350 with rigged floor shifter (couldn't get it all the way in 1st hit seat), I'm putting 700r4 in and would like to keep orig column. I will need to find all the shifter parts though.

[booger1949]

i used my tree on a 700r4 as well its easy to do. i used the bottom shifter arm an just figured out what angle to do my arm goin to the trans

[OrrieG]

With stock column shifters the bottom lever length on the column has to be the same as the lever length on the transmission so the factory detents match the transmission detents. Using a stock column keeping them the same will give you approximately the same arc as stock. The transmission has detents, the ones built into stock columns are to prevent accidently getting into reverse or park. You should also rig up a neutral safety switch for the one time you forget and start it in gear.

[booger1949]

i took the guts out my shifter housin on the bottom of the sterrin shaft an had to cut the shifter rod to move the bottom shifter alittle to give me a better angle an to make the shifter work in the same direction as a regular auto shifter