The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk installing a column shift? holes needed?

i wanna put a 3 speed coulmn shift I got in my 53 burb. my steering column dosent appear to have holes to mount the bracket, just under the steeing wheel. Am i missing somethin or do i need a column [censored] column? can i just drill into my column>

The trucks that came from the factory with 3-speed transmissions had the holes for the shifter "collar". The trucks that came from the factory with a 4-speed transmission did not have the holes for a 3-speed shifter "collar".

You could drill and tap holes in the column for the collar, but I guess that you would have to be careful about metal filings getting into the steering column?

Maybe someone who has done this will post a technique and/or precautions.

It is theoretically possible to drill holes, but you will be tapping holes in 16 or 18 gauge metal and will not have much thread area (less than one turn) You could drill the holes oversize and put nuts on the inside. In order to do this, you would need to remove the horn contact ring fron the end of the column tube, and use a long 7/16 open end wrench with a little piece of masking tape to hold the nut while you start the bolt. Unfortunately, if you were to ever have to remove the shifter would lose the nuts, unless you repeated the process with a telescoping magnet.

Let me know what you decide. PM or email [email protected]

When the columns were originally made, these holes were punched, which left about a 1/8 to 3/16 sleeve to tap threads into.

It is possible to just replace the upper tube also. You will break the gasket at the top of the steering gear when you un-bolt the 4 bolts and than swap the tube. Granted, I think the steering column will need to be out of the truck too when you do this.

I would bet (and not lose the bet) that the thickness of the metal in the steering column is greater than 16-18 gauge. Nonetheless, whatever the thickness is, it must be thick enough for the bolts/screws for the standard 3-speed shifter collar.

If I had to drill holes in the column, I'd probably replace the column with a 3-speed column, as Greg suggests.

You could also use epoxy and forget about drilling the holes. Or you could make a split bracket that goes around the column and fasten the shifter to it.

Kurt

Why not try to find a 3speed column? If I were closer to Colorado, I'd trade you one.

so.. I noticed the column in my truck has a oval shaped cut out that the shifter box mounts to. but when I looked at my buddy dicksons 51 gmc, his column didnt. is it possible my column has the holes but its just coved by paint/the blinker. why would It be cut out down there if its not a 3 speed column??
?

hahahah!!!! i SANDED THE COLUMN AND FOND THE HOLES FILLED WITH J.B! WELD!

So it started "life" as a 3-speed truck...

Sounds like it went though a cosmetic shift-change operation?
Good thing it is a reversible procedure.