So I rebuilt a 70 floor shift non-tilt column. I found another one that was supposed to be from a 70 Chevelle 4 speed car. I thought all 69-72 A-body floor shift (auto or manual) columns were the same. The picture of the short lever is supposed to be from the 70 Chevelle (although stamped 71 on the column) and the longer shift lever picture is from a 70 (what I thought was a Buick floor shift column). Why the differences? (Is one for an automatic and one for a manual?) Thanks
Any thoughts gents? Are floor shift and 4 speed/manual columns different? Or does just Buick use a standard floor shift column for both auto and manual and Chevelle use a specific column for 4 speed? Basically making sure I keep the right column for a 70-72 Buick 4 speed project. Which do I keep? Thanks
Those are both from automatic transmission cars. A 4 speed would not have the shift lever at the bottom of the column or the shift tube and bowl. I don't see why you couldn't use an automatic column in a 4 speed car, other than looks. There are differences between years and models as to how the intermediate shaft attaches to the steering shaft.
Steering columns dont know what transmission your using... On a Buick, there is no difference between a 4 speed column and an automatic column. Both have the same shift lever at the base and both use the same shift tubes. A chevelle 4 speed column has a different gear selector at the base of the column. It's straight
On a 4 speed Buick, the gear selector at the base of the column operates the reverse lockout. When you put your 4 speed buick in reverse, it rotates the column to what is "park" on an automatic allowing you to remove the key.
