Yesterday I installed a new A/T tilt column on my '72 Chevelle SS ragtop, and today I want to finish up the final items. Among those are the installation of the automatic transmission shifter handle into the column. EASY, I thought, but it's proving to be a big pain in the arse! Looking into the square hole with a flashlite, I can see the spring, and understand that the "sharp" edge on the end of the handle needs to clear the end of the spring, but I can't seem to get the handle to seat into the pocket for the last 1/8". It simply gets to a point and bottoms out. I've wiggled it in different angles, applied lots of pressure, tried it in several positions of the column shell, etc... Are there tricks to getting this handle to seat in far enough so I can slide in the retainer pin? Thanks for your help guys! :confused:

You kinda have to drop it in the hole then move the top of the shifter towards the windshield and feel around or the mechanism in the column. Then use the shifter to move it (it will slide) by bringing the shifter towards you, like you would be dropping into gear then it should drop down into place. Good luck

I have sent your question to one of the engineers at Delphi Saginaw Steering. Hopefully, he might remember back 33 years to the early years of the energy absorbing steering columns. The shift levers were designed by the GM Car Divisions, the steering columns were designed by Delphi Saginaw. So your question is one with regards to an interface. It might be difficult to resurface the design facts on columns and levers after all these years.

Are you sure that you have the correct shift lever? (i.e. it came out of this column, therefore, it should go back in). Or did the shift lever that you are having the problem with, come from your original steering column?

A shift lever used with a tilt column might not have the same bends as a shift lever designed for a standard (non-adjustable) steering column. I think that the shift bowl on the tilt column is closer to the instrument panel than a shift bowl on a standard column. Now, this should mean that the standard shift lever when installed in a tilt column might hit your instrument panel. It doesn't necessarily answer your question as to why your lever won't insert into the tilt column.

Could there have been differences in automatic transmissions in 1971 (i.e. 2-speed Powerglide versus 3-speed Hydromatic transmissions.) Since a Powerglide only had Dr and L, whereas Hydramatics had Dr, L1, and L2, I wonder if there might have been different levers required for the different detents. I wonder if you might have Chevelle supplier catalogues which could indicate if there are different levers for the different transmissions. (I don't have any catalogues.)

Tom-

Thanks for your suggestions...I will try that method tonight and post back results. I appreciate your reply.

Jim-

I think you may be on to something here. This tilt column was purchased from 1A Auto in Massachusetts, a good supplier that refurbishes and sells them in different configurations. The car has a TH350, non-tilt, with the shifter on the column. I replaced it with a tilt column that also shifts on the column. Where your reply seems to make the most sense is the possiblity that there is a difference in the end of the handle. The receiver "pocket" on the non-tilt column has a much deeper hole, so the handle slides right in. This new column pocket is shallower. Maybe if I ground off the end of the handle it would work, but I think it's best to await an answer from that engineer at Delphi. Thanks so much for forwarding it on....hopefully he can shed some light on this issue. Oh yeah, I will scour the Chevelle parts catalogs for listing on handles to see if there are different ones available for tilt/non-tilt columns.

Greg,
The engineer reported that the end configuration that fits into the shift bowl is different from the tilt column to the standard column. So you will need to purchase a tilt column shift lever. He didn't respond to any differences in transmission shift gates.

I am quite sure that many of the tilt column shift levers also have slightly different bends to miss the instrument cluster or dash pad.

That certainly makes sense....as there is a longer, sharper edge which can't get down into the tilt column pocket. I'll buy a tilt column shift handle & see how it goes. Thanks for ALL your help. Team Chevelle at its best! graemlins/thumbsup.gif