Building a '70 Nova that I hope runs somewhere in the 11's. My plan is to make the car look as stock as possible for a sleeper look. So I'm undecied on how I want to shift this thing. Going to run a TH350.

I've had column shifter cars in the past, but nothing that was very quick.

I'd like to stay away from an aftermarket ratchet type shifter, but I don't really want to sacrifice e.t. either. I guess the easiest way would be to try to tune the tranny to shift on it's own, when I want it to.

Anyone running quick e.t.'s with a column shift?

This thing was column shifted, and ran in the 8's:
http://www.fasttimesmotorworks.com/Fast%20Times%20Web/ftmweb040401/ftmpgnickimp1.htm
Don't know how he reworked the column/linkage, but the car is wicked!

I dont see any problem with it ... other than getting through tech. There has to be a positive reverse lock out .....

Not only reverse lockout but neutral lockout. I have hit neutral a couple times. I'd bet that someone makes a lockout for column shifters. I have seen mods for using them with reverse pattern valve bodies giving a positive lockout.

The biggest problem with a column shifter is the linkage / header fitment. Probaably integrate all or most of the Lokar Column Shift into the package.

For what its worth, I run a B&M Quicksilver that is very unobtrusive appearing, even with a bench seat. Not exactly the most hardcore race shifter, but so far it has been very reliable. I have seen these used in quite a few street rods where the unit was covered in fabric to blend in with the interior. Could maybe even consider a Lokar Floor Shifter unit if the trans will be setup for automatic shifts.

GRN, would you happen to have a pic of your application? I've run the Quicksilver before, and it's one of my favorite shifters. I was also thinking about going this route, and just ditching the stock platic housing and making a boot around just the shifter.

Hi,
My friend has a 72 Nova that runs 10.70's all day long that is column shifted. Not a street legal car as it has 1 race seat and a 'glass nose. EVERY day at the track somebody asks about it! It's 406 powered with a Turbo 400. Here's the best part......He is at the NED Bracket Finals in Del. this weekend running for his home track. Car has easily 300 runs on it with the column shifter!!

MarkM,
I forgot to tell you I run an old Quicksilver shifter in my Chevelle bracket car. Its a good street/strip unit. Works for me. Good luck!
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Originally posted by HVY70SS:
Hi,
My friend has a 72 Nova that runs 10.70's all day long that is column shifted. Not a street legal car as it has 1 race seat and a 'glass nose. EVERY day at the track somebody asks about it! It's 406 powered with a Turbo 400. Here's the best part......He is at the NED Bracket Finals in Del. this weekend running for his home track. Car has easily 300 runs on it with the column shifter!! How did he incorporate the reverse / neutral lockout??? I've been staring at mine for a while trying to figure out how to do it, AND have it pass tech.

Mine has ran a best of 12.2 @ 113 with the stock coloumn shifter. They made me test the nuetral safety and that was it. Hopefully they dont make a stink about it next time when I go for 11's. If anything I think its safer than a floor shifter because your hand is right next to the steering wheel. ;) I think the only time I have ever gone past drive and hit neutral was when I bought the car and I thought I had started out in low 1 but I was in low 2, yeah I was like 17 heheh.

I have a column shifted 72 Malibu. I adjusted my govenor weights so that I achieve the shift point that I want and just leave it in drive when I race. No-one has ever questioned the reverse lockout during tech.

Mark,

No picture available, but it was a very easy install. I just set it as far forward as it would go while still leaving plenty of room to get my hand around the shifter. I am using the plastic base that cam with it, trimmed down to fit the contour of the trans tunnel. I have seen these installed in street rods where the base is covered to match the interior. It looks clean in the car because it only has the shifter only and no additional levers.

HOT ROD did a story a while back on a former street racer who drove a '65 Chevelle Malibu 4-door sleeper known locally as simply "The Four Door." Grandma paint and wheels, stock interior, disguised go-fast goodies. He left the factory column shift on, but took the linkage out and ran a floor shift auto, and just tossed a t-shirt over the shifter when setting up a race. That link for Nick Scavo's Impala above is full of awesome sleeper tricks... HOT ROD did a feature on it a while back as well- One of the innumerable cool sleeper tricks he did was to cut off the top half of the fuel tank, weld it to the trunk pan and then stick a cell and fuel pump inside, totally hiding it unless you pop the trunk.

I believe Terry Pennington's stock appearing ZL-1 Camaro (http://www.fastraces.org/terryPzl1.jpg) is column shifted, and I watched him run back-to-back 11.13s at 128+ on the Polyglass tires! Talk about a sleeper! :eek:

There was a pretty good article on that car in this issue of Hot Rod:
http://www.fastraces.org/terrysmallHotRod.jpg

Originally posted by HVY70SS:
Hi,
My friend has a 72 Nova that runs 10.70's all day long that is column shifted. Not a street legal car as it has 1 race seat and a 'glass nose. EVERY day at the track somebody asks about it! It's 406 powered with a Turbo 400. Here's the best part......He is at the NED Bracket Finals in Del. this weekend running for his home track. Car has easily 300 runs on it with the column shifter!! You're talking about Steve O?
Steve is the man, he can be found on DRR under the name "column shifter".

I run 11's on the gun and can do it no problem. Are you supposed to have a fancy shifter for sub 12.0, track wise?

Thanks for the reply's. The car is currently a 3 on the tree, so I'd have to get a column shift column if I wanted to go that route. Still undecieded..

LoL, thought it was an auto. I'm a goof :)

I thought he was talking auto too... :D

Originally posted by hoffbug:
I thought he was talking auto too... :D Me too ..............

I am talking auto, I have a stick shift three on the tree right now. But a from what I understand a manual transmission column wont work with an auto transmission, which is why I said I'd have to change it. It's a stocker right now with a I-6. Going small block, auto, smile.gif .

Sorry for the confusion, smile.gif .

contact column shifter on DRR!

Can you give me a link to that site? Thanks

Motor Martyr,
Yes, that is Island Dragways own Steve O!!
I can personally thank him for pulling me out of drag racing retirement. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Motor Martyr,
Yes, that is Island Dragways own Steve O!!
I can personally thank him for pulling me out of drag racing retirement. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Doesn't the factory column shifter essentially have a reverse lock out? Don't you have to pull the lever back in order to shift it into reverse or park? I thought you could upshift from 1st through drive and even neutral without pulling backward on the shifter, but to get into reverse or park, you need to pull back on it. It's been a while since I paid much attention to the shifter on my Wife's 72 Monte. I'll have to check it out when I get home.

Tom

They do, but it is very easy to shift into neutral going from 2nd. The other issue is that the detents in the column linkage can become out of sync with the tranny when the motor is fully torqued over. My current car will shift itself from D to 2 when I matt it. The first time this happened the engine went into valve float before I realised what had happened. ( at the strip of course, with everyone watching ) duhhhhh...

Originally posted by HVY70SS:
Motor Martyr,
Yes, that is Island Dragways own Steve O!!
I can personally thank him for pulling me out of drag racing retirement. graemlins/thumbsup.gif cool, you've seen my gold 67' camaro up there then?

Originally posted by MarkM:
Can you give me a link to that site? Thanks Can you give me a link to that site?

I know my B&M Quicksilver is NHRA leagal and it will not lock out of neutral, only reverse and park. I imagine this is so you can get it into neutral quickly should anything bad happen. On the Quicksilver, it won't let you go from neutral to reverse directly. You have to go from drive to reverse. It's a bit odd.

Tom

Originally posted by hoffbug:
I have a column shifted 72 Malibu. I adjusted my govenor weights so that I achieve the shift point that I want and just leave it in drive when I race. No-one has ever questioned the reverse lockout during tech. I did the same in my 67 Nova, used a stock column shifter and 700R4 with a calibrated governor, left it in drive and ran 11.70's.

On a TH350, can't you adjust shift points by the vacuum regulator?