55.2-59 Help, a couple questions

[Phungki]

Originally Posted by dsraven

---headlight switch-there will be the little button. sometimes you have to push the plunger (switch on/off plunger) for the switch in and out a few times to get it to release. just work at it a bit and it will come.
---column-holes are for the column shifter. the assembly on the other side of the column is the shifter unit. there would have been a rod/shaft that connected to the shifter and went through a bushing set up on the column, like a pillow block, to steady the rod and keep it oriented to the shifter. the rod would have been like a 1/2" bar which exited the floor above the column and connected to that box on the column you show in the pics. from there linkage would have connected to the transmission via 2 adjustable rods. these trucks have a column that is pressed into the steering box so to remove the column you also need to remove the steering box and steering wheel so you can feed the column through the firewall. the floor grommet may or may not have the extra hole for the shifter rod to go through and connect to the shifter box. if the truck was originally a floor shift and you have the column box on your truck then the column may possibly have been replaced over the years. this could be for a steering box swap due to wear or whatever. if you want to keep the original column but use an updated steering system, like IFS, you can cut the column off above the steering box and grind the double D flat spots on the shaft. you will also need to support the column inner shaft in the outer tube but there are bearings available and there is also a post on the site somewhere showing how to do that along with what bearing will fit the shaft and the outer tube. do you have a plan to do something like that or are you just taking things apart for your build with the intention to assemble back the same way they were?

Yep got it out this morning. Couldn’t see the button, just had to feel around for it. Came right out and unscrewed easy enough.
So I guess someone at sometime switched from column shift to floor shift and left the shift box attached.

Thanks to all who chimed in with their wisdom.