Bottom collar for 4 speed key out function - auto to manual conversion

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DionR

DionR

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I find myself in need of a bottom collar for a 4 speed. I am ok to convert one of the multiple bottom collars if I knew what was needed beyond cutting the shifter hand off and filling it.

My '74 has the finger lever to turn the collar and unlock the key so it can be removed, but all of the how-to's I find for converting to a floor shift just cut the lever off and don't do anything with or about that function. Not really even sure how it works and if it it necessary. But I would like keep the functionality if possible on the '73.

Anyone have a how to or info on this part of the column?

I have the top two collars already, just not the bottom one. I would entertain buying one if someone had a source for just the bottom collar, but everything I find has all three for more money than I want to spend.
 
Did some further research and I think the reason this doesn't come up is because I am betting the bottom collar is left in the "park" position when converted and never rotated. The column shift setup (at least in the later years) has the same functionality where the key can't be removed unless the car is in park but hardly anyone thinks about that because the car goes into park most times before shutting it off.

The key seems to be the raise area on the inside left of the collar below.

1730130178769.png


I don't have a picture of a column shift collar yet, but will soon.

I went to the JY this weekend and scored all 3 collars from a '78 Dodge truck with a manual trans plus a full floor shift column from a '76 Volare. The truck was interesting because it doesn't have the finger lever, so I am guessing it didn't have the "switchblade" mechanism that both locks the steering wheel when the key is off and keeps you from pulling the key. The Volare column looks to use the exact same collars as my A-Body, but it remains to be seen if they are actually the same.

My plan is to pull my current column apart and the Volare one and then post a picture of the lower collars to compare them.
 
Just to finish documenting this, here is a picture of a column shift collar (top), '71-76 floor shift (bottom) and a '70 style floor shift collar (middle):

20241029_201747.jpg


The '70 version looks just like the column shift collar, but without the protrusions on the outside. Even the key lockout bar on the inside is the same. On the other hand, the '71-76 floor shift collar has a shorter key lockout, a pin for the spring and a stop lower down.

Based on this, to convert a column shift collar to function like the true floor shift collar in the later cars it would need a fair amount of work. The only real reasonable solution if you don't want to find the right collar is to shave the outside and lock it into the park location so the key can be removed.
 
BTW, the Volare column seemed to be a good source for the collars. They look to be exactly the same as the stuff I already have minus the obvious floor shifter differences.
 
I think I used E body parts on mine, most of them where floor shifts.
Plus I had it already.
 
sireland67 said:
I think I used E body parts on mine, most of them where floor shifts.
Plus I had it already.
Click to expand...

Best I can tell, they are all seem to be for A, B and E body, plus trucks. I watched a video on rebuilding E Body column to try and check casting numbers and some were the same numbers, so it seems reasonable to assume that is correct.
 
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