seats and trans shift

[tony1940]

Hi, just picked up a 28 Model A, love it! Seat is a little to close so I moved the back of the seat farther back by removing a 1.5 inch piece of wood on the top back. Now to the upholestery shop to see if the lower wood support can be thinner. Finally, need to find out how to move the shifter to the right as it now hits my leg.

[nkaminar]

The shift lever can be bent cold. But take it out of the shift tower and put it in a vice. It looks like it may be chrome plated in which case the plating may crack. Another option is to find another lever that is more to your liking.

[Joe K]

If you remove your lever from the transmission cover - do it carefully.

I recently did this using a screwdriver with a groove filed in the tang and a pair of needle nose pliers - it worked and I didn't pick the spring out of my forehead - but the possibility exists. Make or buy a tool to remove the hazard.

Once out, you can check the "cross key/pin" to see if the gearshift shaft has been bent to right or left. The key should be EXACTLY SQUARE with the bend.

As to the gearshift/potential replacement: there are varying reports on the "degree of bend" between the 1928/29 shift levers and the 30/31. One report put the bend at 15 degrees for earlier and 20 degrees for later. See https://www.fordgarage.com/pages/tra...hiftlevers.htm

And yet Vince's picture puts it more at the "other report" which is 20 degrees for early and 30 degrees for later? (Think 30-60-90 draftsman's triangle in your mind's eye.)

There doesn't seem to be a Service Bulletins WARNING about this change.

And - to further confuse the market - those repop shift levers available seem to be somewhere between these two extremes - maybe 22 degrees? One can anticipate that in order to achieve the highest sales possible one might follow Ford's modus and make all subsequent parts "back fit" previous production?

So - you pays your money and take what you can get?

I have a bona-fide original "AR" shift lever currently being repainted (yes - repainted as the original was down to pitted bare metal.) When I can at the next paint drying cycle, I'll measure this with my trusty draftsmans protractor.

Joe K

[Pete]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

The shift lever can be bent cold. But take it out of the shift tower and put it in a vice. It looks like it may be chrome plated in which case the plating may crack. Another option is to find another lever that is more to your liking.

Just wrap several layers of shop rag around the lever where it contacts the vice.
The plating will survive.

If you so not have the facilities, drive the car to an ornamental iron fabrication shop and tell them what you want. I guarantee they can do the job and maybe with the stick in the car. It is amazing what people can do with a portapower these days.

[jw hash]

that piece of wood you removed goes under the package tray, not in front of it.

[Y-Blockhead]

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I had the same problem, I made a simple "Bender" and bent my shifter ~3" to the right. No need to remove the tower or put a stain on internal parts.

[Pete]

Porto Power had a fixture available like that wood and screw hook one except it was all metal and had a small hydraulic cylinder in place of the bolt.

[nkaminar]

Y-Blockhead, That bender is really clever. Did you put something on the lever to keep the bolt from marring it?

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

Y-Blockhead, That bender is really clever. Did you put something on the lever to keep the bolt from marring it?

Yes, I cut 3 pieces of plastic from a rattle can top and put them in the eyebolts and bolt. It actually bends the shifter pretty easily. Slide it down a far as possible on the straight part of the lever.

[Joe K]

I have a bona-fide original "AR" shift lever currently being repainted (yes - repainted as the original was down to pitted bare metal.) When I can at the next paint drying cycle, I'll measure this with my trusty draftsmans protractor.

6.5" offset in 15 degrees "vertical" yields ATAN(6.5/15) or 23.42 degrees.

This a "Type 2" AR (multidisk) clutch/transmission which has a date range from late 1927 through October 1928 - the beginning of the single plate clutch.

It would be interesting to see the original engineering drawings.

Joe K

[Joe K]

It would be interesting to see the original engineering drawings.

Brent in 10-uh-C has favored us with "drawing cut-outs."

Looks like 20 degrees for 28-29, and 28 degrees for 30-31

file:///C:/Users/16037/Downloads/Shift_Lever_Dimensions-2.pdf

Joe K