The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Steering column thru floor seals.

I was going to order my steering column thru floor seal and noticed that the hole in the floor/firewall looks like the shape of the seal for a column shift. And the 4-speed column seal which I will be running doesn't look like it will go up high enough to cover the hole. Are there different holes in the floor when the truck had a floor shift than with the column shift?

http://www.truckandcarshop.com/trucks47_59/t47_036.html

Brian

The short answer is yes.

My cab which is factory original, has the oblong hole for a column shifter although my truck was a floor shifter from the factory. My impression ios that all the cabs were stamped this way. The present day suppliers of the seal do not sell one that covers the extra opening.

Ok, one of you says different holes one says no. At least I think that is what I am reading. I have seen many of these cabs, I never noticed different holes. In fact, I remember seeing years ago how the cab has the "hump" in the fire wall on both sides with the cut out only being on the left.

I have in piles of boxes somewhere an original floor shift seal and it looks just like the one at the link, I remember that. So, did that original seal just not cover the hole all the way and they expected some fire wall insulation or OTHER means of sealing the upper portion?

If that is the case, I'll just fill that hole and make it round like Chevy should have.

Brian

I am most likely not correctly understanding this question, but here is a link to a page with a 3-speed and a 4-speed steering-column floor seal.

truckernix: Does your steering column have the two holes near the top for mounting a 3-speed shifter-arm "collar"?

I had a 1/2 ton '54 factory 4-speed but I do not remember if there was a hole in the floor for the 3-speed linkage rod. I will ask the present owner to check it out and will post his reply (if he replies).

Tim

brian
i made my own hole/weather stopper out of a sheet of metal, bent to represent the floor and glued two layers of heavy jute. the hole is oblong (no, i have a T5)because of the nature of the column angle, this fills the air gap. all this is placed on the steering column after a sheet of rubber against the floor (1st). it is held in place by two 12x24 bolts. carpet and foil backed jute as well as the inside firewall cover it all
my.02

Tim,
mine has the holes for mounting the seal without the shifter. The original seal was just like the replacement, not large enough to cover the top of the hole. I don't know how they sealed it.

Fred

I thought I posted this, this morning but I guess not. Brian, I ran into the same thing when I replaced the seals in the firewall on my '50, 3604. Mine came from the factory as a four speed and the hole in the floor is teardrop shaped as was the original column seal. The seal did not have a hole for the column shift. I ordered seals from three different vendors and they all were the round ones which will not fill the hole in the firewall. This again leads me to think that they are all getting their supplies from the same supplier, and I might add, don’t have a clue as to what their suppliers are making for them. It’s just one more example of a lack of interest to the small details. And as long as we keep buying their parts and not complaining they probably won’t ever change it. I have to say that the replacement seals that I did get were well made and were accurate reproductions, that is, if you have a column shifter.

Since the rubber covered steel plate on mine was still in very good shape and cleaned up like new, all I had to fab was the foam. The plate would be the hard part to duplicate and if yours is missing or rusted I don’t know what you could do. For the seal I ordered a sheet of material (sq. ft. of 3/8” foam) from McMaster Carr and cut my own on the band saw. I drilled the hole for the column with a hole saw. Now it fits and looks exactly like the original did.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Thanks guys, I'll "getrdun".

Brian