47-59 Column shift automatic! What do I need for a shift linkage?

[Mains52]

Hey guys I am trying to get the rest of the parts I need to put my truck on the road. I have a tilt/telescoping column out of a 73 caddy with column shift that I need to mate up to my 19974l80e. What do I use to connect the two? Sorry this is a probably a pretty simple thing but my brain is over thinking it . Thanks in advance,
Mike

[mongocanfly]

I assume the caddy had either a rod or cable for shift linkage..although the caddy linkage may not have the full range of movement the 4spd trans lever will have

[mr48chev]

I'm trying to think if that year of Cad had the detents for the shift arm on the column or not. The ones with the detents complicate things as does the neutral switch that is designed for a Turbo 400 3 speed rather than a 4 speed od trans. That may not be an issue as long as park and neutral and reverse are in the same spots.

Several outfits make and sell the style of linkage in this link https://jlfabrication.com/products/u...-linkage-kit\\

Kugal Komponents was the first to make them almost 50 years ago. And they still sell them today https://kugelkomponents.com/product-...hift-arm-kits/

The Lokar ACA-1800 is the the same design and they have a nice photo to show you how it hooks up This on Amazon but you can find them at Speedway or Summit or ___ ___. https://www.amazon.com/Lokar-ACA-180.../dp/B000COMNIG

[Chopped53]

I have a tilt/tele column from a 68 Olds and a 4L65e transmission. I used the Lokar ACA-1800 mentioned by Mr48. I had to bend it to fit around the front lip of the cab but it works great.

[mr48chev]

You have to bend/reshape them a tad most of the time on an actual vehicle.

[dsraven]

I always recommend a cable shift set up due to engine flex possibly shifting a gear for you with a hard linkage. it could be something that would require custom fabrication though. I think the older vehicles, prior to factory cable shifters, used an equalizer bar that connected to the trans shift lever and pivotted on the frame. the lever from the column shifter connected to a bellcrank on the equailzer closer to the frame so as to be less affected by engine and trans movement due to torque windup or worn engine mounts etc. there are some kits available from ididit to convert a lever and rod style column shifter.

[joedoh]

my first 41 with a 700R4 i adapted the ball and socket linkage from the donor and it worked well. there isnt a way the lokar would have worked on that one, it needed the ball/socket to get around the cab and have a straight shot to the trans. I have pics but thats a different computer than the one I am on nor the work one I do my cad work on so it will have to wait

[51 3600]

If the Lokar style linkage works, here's another source that I used. Less expensive but still a quality product. Have not had a Lokar unit in my hands but this one appears to be equal.
https://warrperformance.com/product/...ge-kit-cb5010/

[Mains52]

Originally Posted by 51 3600

If the Lokar style linkage works, here's another source that I used. Less expensive but still a quality product. Have not had a Lokar unit in my hands but this one appears to be equal.
https://warrperformance.com/product/...ge-kit-cb5010/

Thanks for that link. Bought it immediately ha.

[mr48chev]

All of those rod with the adjustable arm setups are knockoffs of Kugal's kit. Most of the kits run around 70/80 dollars. The lokar being on the high end but not all that much higher. I'm a bit suspect of one that sells for about half the price though as I would rather pay a tad more for one from a shop that is known for the quality of what they sell in this case and that would be Kugal or Lokar.

This is a wear part and the discount part might wear a lot faster than the name brand units.

[Accelo]

Without headers the stock truck linkage can be made to work with minimal effort. With headers you need the other style. I believe the shift feel is better with the stock linkage. The rod is a little on the thin side (maybe 5/16") I am using the Lokar style and am considering changing out the rod to some 1/2" SS tubing for extra rigidity.
I did add spacers to the ball sockets as the angle was too steep and it was interfering with the retaining nut. The two extended nuts are metric and standard to retain the bracket at the transmission. I also believe the threaded rod is different on some of the shifters.
Mine is threaded the whole length and the one in Mains52's link is not. Like mr48chev mentioned they are knockoffs and cheaper built in some cases. The one pictured is better quality than the one I purchased.

[mr48chev]

In his case, he has a column designed for a 3 speed automatic, he has a 4 speed automatic. The good part is he can use a shift quadrant for a 4 speed automatic.

That slip and slide adustment that Kugal figured out years is gold when it comes to getting your travel of your column shift lever and the travel at the trans to match. Plus unlike a stock shift arm on the trans you can clock these shift arms exactly where you want them so they can work best.
I've been there, done that when it comes to modifying stock linkage to work with something it wasn't designed to as I flat didn't have the money to spend on stuff but had a ton of time on my own projects. My 51 Merc comes to mind there when I put the 350 Olds and Turbo 400 in it with the Camaro Subframe. Tilt wheel out of some kind of GM car with column shift and I and a couple of my pretty sharp students spent several hours getting the linkage dialed in. That adjustable rod setup would have made it a 30 minute or less job.
On the other hand I worked for a guy who would spend 10 hours building linkage he could buy for probably less than that 40 dollars his shop price because he was too stubborn to buy a piece rather than build it and he couldn't understand why he wasn't getting a lot accomplished in his shop.

Throw in the simple fact that the majority of the time we know little about a fellow members skill sets, their level of being able to visualize and their imagination and memory of seeing something in the past that just might work.

That said, there isn't a blooming thing wrong with posting photos and a description of what you did with a few oem parts to accomplish this. the "here's what I did" carries a lot more credibility than the "you ought to fab your own out of old parts because buying parts is copping out".

[Greyhound101]

I have a column from an '81 Monte Carlo and a 4L60 (700R4). I used the Kugel kit and it worked great. Didn't have to trim the rod at all. Use a coat hanger to get the proper bend angles and bend your Kugel rod to match the coat hanger. Took about 30 minutes to do.

https://kugelkomponents.com/product/...-arm-kit-long/

[mr48chev]

All of those kits clone Kugal's kit to some degree. I'm thinking that his kit was an NSRA hot rod piece of the year when he first came out with it. Before that we did a lot of linkage fabbing to get the travel of the arm on the trans to match the travel of the arm on the column.