|
|
Limeworks Automatic Transmission Column Shifter - Slick ShiftingRetro-Shifting A Modern Auto Transmission From the June, 2011 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliot
|
|
To this writer's mind, nothing quite spoils the look of a period interior more than a modern column where there was once a "three-on-the-tree". Modern-day period rods and customs have long used solid (as opposed to tilt) columns, whether original or aftermarket, such as the popular LimeWorks hot rod columns, as well as old-style steering wheels and column shifters. But adapting an original column shifter to operate a modern automatic transmission has always proved awkward and difficult to engineer. Here's the Safety Shifter... Here's the Safety Shifter assembled on one of LimeWorks' hot rod columns with their '40 wheel. Based on the '40 Ford design, it works with TH350/400, 700-R4, and 200-4R transmissions as well as the Ford C4, with more to follow. Not so any longer though, as, to complement their steering columns and reduced diameter '40 Ford steering wheels, LimeWorks now offers just such a shifter. Incorporating a neutral safety switch, so the car will only start with the shifter in Park, it'll fit TH350/400, 700-R4, and 200-4R transmissions, as well as the Ford C4. We were intrigued, not to mention interested, in installing one in a project car, so we followed along as LimeWorks' Steve Dennish fitted one to a customer's Model A roadster equipped with a small-block and TH350. As it transpired, the Model A was a good choice. It's probably one of the most compact installations out there, with very little space around the lower firewall/cylinder head/transmission area, so if the shifter fits here it'll fit almost anything. The shifter is shipped disassembled, as each installation will require it to vary in length, or where the detent arm or gear selector arm mounts to the shift tube. However, it comes with detailed instructions for assembly, so we'll skip that part and move straight to the actual install. Incidentally, with the exception of the heim joints used on the gear selector rod and the aluminum upper and lower housings, every part of the shifter mechanism is manufactured from stainless steel, though some parts are unpolished. LimeWorks offers the column shifter as a kit to fit any 1 1/2- or 1 3/4-inch-diameter column, including its own, or as a retro kit to install a safety switch to a stock column. The trans arm and linkage can also be purchased separately, in 14- or 18-inch lengths. The '39-style column drop... The '39-style column drop at the far right is available in a 3- or 4-inch drop, and as shown has the hole for the column shifter. The '40-style drop next to it is also clearanced for the shift tube. The trio of plain '32-style drops on the left show the 3-, 4- and 5-inch drops available, and can also be ordered with the shift tube hole. Both the '32 and '39 drops can be ordered to fit 1 1/2- and 1 3/4-inch columns, while the '40 fits a 1 1/2-inch column only. The roadster arrived at LimeWorks with a long floor shifter, and a small dished steering wheel mounted to a solid column that used exhaust tube for its outer sleeve, hung from an angled billet column drop, was in turn spaced from the dash rail using C-section steel. Sure, it did the job, but it wasn't the prettiest of installs. Plus, with a Model A being so small, the shifter took up a lot of interior room to operate, and the steering wheel was a little too close to the seat base for comfort. The roadster's now a lot nicer to drive, and the redundant floor shifter location now allows for a cup holder!  The shifter assembly was bolted...  The shifter assembly was bolted in place temporarily to check for driver comfort and clearance between the shifter knob and dash.  After it was checked for clearance...  After it was checked for clearance against the shift tube, the header was removed to allow better access. At first Dennish mounted the shift linkage heim joint to the underside of the gear selector arm though this was later switched to above the arm, as the selector rod rubbed against the transmission case when selecting gears. Usually there's a larger gap between the rear of the engine and the firewall, but as we said, space in the Model A was at a premium!  With the TH350 trans in Park,...  With the TH350 trans in Park, the selector arm was installed, along with the selector rod and heim joint.  The new column and shifter...  The new column and shifter were installed using one of the holes used to mount the old billet drop, though a second hole had to be drilled in the leading edge of the under-dash shelf fitted to this particular Model A, as the hole centers were farther apart for the 3-inch '39-style drop now used. The column was mounted to the floor using the old bracket.  The detent housing is installed...  The detent housing is installed almost against the floor. The neutral safety switch mounts to the rear of this housing.  LimeWorks offers this gear...  LimeWorks offers this gear indicator as an optional fitment.  With everything operating...  With everything operating as it should, one of the two set screws in each of the selector and detent arms were removed, and an 1/8-inch hole drilled through the threaded hole and into the shift arm. Dog point screws , or Allen set screws, were then installed to pin the arms to the tube, maintaining alignment and to prevent the arms moving during operation.  With the threaded stainless...  With the threaded stainless selector rod adjusted to suit the clearance requirements of the application, the gear selector arm was locked in place with this set screw (arrow). The instructions describe how to fine-tune the rod to select gears. It should be noted that the selector arm, as well as the heim joint, requires a little clearance above as the shift arm actually moves upward slightly to allow the detent arm to disengage the lock-out pin from the detent housing.  This shot of the detent housing...  This shot of the detent housing shows the holes into which the detent pin (on the detent arm) (arrow) must engage as the trans clicks into Reverse and Neutral. The hole with the ball bearing is the Park detent, which activates the safety switch when the detent pin pushes on the ball.  Dennish checks that the indicator...  Dennish checks that the indicator reads correctly as he moves the shifter arm through the gears. With the selector rod almost vertical in this application, the 1 and 2 positions were slightly off, though barely noticeable. In most installations the rod will be at an angle, and the indicator will read correctly.  The dog point screws look...  The dog point screws look like this, the pin on the end locating in the 1/8-inch hole in the shift tube to lock the arms in place.  Here's the safety switch on...  Here's the safety switch on the backside of the detent housing. The start wire from the ignition was wired through this switch to the starter solenoid, preventing the roadster from being started unless the trans is in Park.  Here's how the roadster looked...  Here's how the roadster looked when it arrived at LimeWorks, with a dished steering wheel, billet column drop on a C-section steel bracket, and regular floor shifter and here's the finished install with the new column shifter, LimeWorks column, '39-style drop, and three-spoke LimeWorks Sprint Car wheel. A definite improvement in looks, safety, and ergonomics.  As with the detent housings,...  As with the detent housings, the upper housings will fit 1 1/2- and 1 3/4-inch columns. The hole in the backside that locates the shift tube also houses a tapered spring, which is how the detent lever is spring-loaded to facilitate lifting the detent pin from its Park, Reverse, and Neutral positions.  Various detent plates are...  Various detent plates are inserted in the housings depending on what transmission is to be used, and the housings are available for 1 1/2- and 1 3/4-inch-diameter columns. The ball bearings used in the Park detent are slightly larger than the holes in the plates, meaning they can never drop out.  Gear indicator plates are...  Gear indicator plates are available for three-speed and overdrive transmissions.  The gear selector and detent...  The gear selector and detent arms are stainless, as with the rest of the assembly, but are not supplied polished. Note there are two holes for dog point screws in each one, allowing ease of access to drill the locating holes in the shift tube.
|
|
|