I'm getting ready to do the floor shift conversion. Spent an hour looking thru lots of old threads (with pictures no longer available) and think my questions are answered except for the shift lever lockdown. Since that is such a crucial safety issue, it needs to be done well but I'm not getting any good ideas. Anyone have a good method? I think I'm OK with locking it in park where the key can be turned off, and the steering wheel locked, while driving. (Thought that was how it worked anyway.) I'll do the Neutral Start and Backup switches on the floor shifter or transmission so moving the key into the start position at any time isn't a big worry (other than damage to the starter and ring gear ). Could the rod that locks the steering wheel just be removed or shortened to defeat the steering wheel lock? How hard would that be? I know I'd be giving up a security feature but maybe it would be worth it to have a fail safe method of avoiding locking the steering wheel accidently. Safety trumps seurity. Can you tell I'm conflicted on this point?
I got away with removing the steering wheel shifter and I left the collar on. I just have to make sure to slide it all the way back so the key will come out and the steering wheel locks when I got to shut it off..
Jim, I made a bracket and bolted it to the selector at the base of the column on the outside the firewall. I was going to bolt the other end to the brake master cylinder bolts, but haven't gotten around to it. The friction between the new bracket and the firewall holds it fine.
i used some safty wire and wired the selector arm out side the fire wall to something near by (dont rember what) to keep the selector in the park postion.
Thanks. :Handshake That's all I could come up with too. There is a detent in the steering column that keeps the shift lever in the park position unless it is pulled up toward the driver, which would be hard to do with the shift lever removed. But someone (maybe Frank?) said the steering wheel managed to get locked when it shouldn't. Just don't want to take any chances on that happening.
OOPS!! Missed your post when I went thru the thread earlier. Your bracket holds it in the "Park" position, right?
One way to do it ... This is what I came up with. Since the disk brake proportioning valve mounts in a different place, the holes for the drum brake valve were there and in a convenient place. Bent an aftermarket battery hold down bolt from my junk to secure the shift lever in the park position.
Jim- I remember back in '84, I put a tach on the column of my factory floor shifted Comet. I tested it, made sure the light worked, it read engine speed perfectly. I went to go out for the night and when I put the tranny in Drive the tach dropped to the right. I never noticed that the ring on the steering column moved. I just disconnected that arm that attached to the flange on the steering column and let it be. I have never had a problem with it. When I did the resto, I think I positioned the band for the tach so that it would hold that shift ring in place. My steering column locks when the key is off. I know of no issues with it, but I may have a different setup with a factory floor shifted car. Seth
Pic and correction I checked, I did NOT put the band where it would keep the shifter column ring from moving. I did snap a pic. I had forgotten that there is a hole that appears to be where the shifter would have been on the bottom left side of the column, opposite of where the shifter would be on a column shift car. See the pic.
Hey Seth, Does your Comet have a shifter position indicator on the column? Sounds like the factory floor shift connects to the steering column shift lever to activate some combination of a position indicator, neutral start switch, backup light switch, steering wheel lock and key release. The Rube Goldberg shift lever lock down might be overkill. Seems like the worst things that could happen if the lever moved from the park position would be the steering wheel couldn't be locked and the key couldn't be removed. Not really safety issues. But, the B&M floor shift instructions do say to secure the shift lever under the hood in the full up position so I did. Jim
Jim- No, the only indicator is down on the shifter bezel. I never had any issues with it in regards to the steering wheel lock. It seems like I do remember that you could turn that piece on the steering column and put the gearshift in the floor from D to N-before I disconnected it. I think that was correct-27 yrs. ago now. Craig Selvey for sure knows how they were different between shifter locations.
I guess I am lost as to what you are trying to do. You can mount the column shifter in the "park" position. I would wire it up so the column collar will not move. Your steering wheel will not lock up as long as the key is in the "run" position. I hope this helps.
Yeah, it holds it in park. I'm thinking now that I went down to the bolts just below the column instead of over to the master cylinder. But like I said before, the way the bracket is bent, friction between it and the firewall keep it from moving.
Thanks. :Handshake Have to admit I was confused. One of the posts in the threads I researched seemed to say the steering wheel could lock if the shift lever wasn't locked down so I wanted a fail safe, not-too-ugly way to lock it down and I wasn't coming up with any ideas. I understand it better now and I'm OK with the bent battery hold down bolt.
