Adapting a column shift to a 5 speed overdrive transmission would be an engineering nightmare! There's an RPM calculator formula somewhere in the tech tips section that allows you to plug in such variables as tire height (the 27" figure quoted), rear axle ratio, transmission overdrive ratio, etc. and figure out your engine RPM at a particular road speed. As a ballpark guesstimate, running a stovebolt engine much below 1800-2000 RPM in top gear on the highway will cause massive losses in fuel economy because the engine is lugged down below its comfortable torque range and the power valve in the carburetor will open up. Simply lowering the highway RPM doesn't always translate to a fuel economy or performance advantage. Make things work on paper before you start swapping parts!
Jerry This^^^^^ is the best advice possible for those of you wishing to go highway speeds.
~ Cosmo
1949 Chevy Half Ton
Rocinante, like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities.
"...my good horse Rocinante, mine eternal and inseparable companion in all my journeys and courses." ...Don Quixote, Cervantes
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it."...Yogi Berra
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." ...Eric Hoffer
| 
