Floor shift in a 65 dart

[salinasjoel]

what is required to switch from column to floor shift in a 65 dart

 

[brummett]

what is required to switch from column to floor shift in a 65 dart

Automatic, right?

The '65 Dart GT (and Valiant Signet I think) had a floor shifted automatic. It's a 1-year piece. The '66 console both looks different and won't work with the '65 cable-shift trans. If you switch to a '66 or later 904, you can just pretty much any aftermarket shifter.

You can remove the shift lever from the steering column by driving out the roll pin that holds it in. To make it look better, you'd probably want to find a steering column from any '63-'66 A-body that's not column shifted.

 

[crvtec90]

And the columns have different length shafts depending if car has manual or power steering. If i remember correct.

 

[C130 Chief]

64-65 Barracuda, Dart GT, and Valiant Signet use the same small shift console. 1965 column shift auto steering columns were a one year only piece as they had a cable shift adapter box. Your best bet would be to find a floor shift parts car and get the column, console, cable, floor brackets wiring harness etc...

 

[BillGrissom]

My 65 Dart is factory floor shift auto. Besides getting the shifter & cover, you need a welded bracket off the tunnel to mount it. It is simple sheet-metal so should be easy to fab one. Mine is apart now for painting, so reply if you need photos. You might also need a different shift cable than column shift, since might be longer and might have a different cabin end. The shift cable goes thru holes in the firewall on the left side of the tunnel juncture. A 1964 shifter might be different since I read they changed to the standard P-R-N-D-2-1 shift pattern in 1965. The valve bodies also differ.

 

[salinasjoel]

Bill pm sent with my email... Pics would be wonderful thank you. I'm switching to manual steering too so it shouldn't be an issue changing to a floor shift column

 

[BillGrissom]

Photos of my 65 floor shifter. The brackets are actually more involved than I recalled, but you could still fab them. The shifter parts all hang in the air, so the exact location is just to get the shift cover to sit in the right place. Note that everything is skewed toward the driver's side.

 

[fstfish66]

unless your looking for a stock apperence u can get an after market cable shifted shifter,,,with or with out small console and not have to worry about finding a 65 set up and welding the brackets to the flooor

 

[cosgig]

I have the floor shifter, brackets and the park cable as well as a manual steering column if you'd be interested. Don't have the mini console, and someone cut the shift cable, but you can put out a wanted for that stuff. PM if you're interested, Geof

 

[brummett]

And the columns have different length shafts depending if car has manual or power steering. If i remember correct.

True. Power steering cars had shorter shafts, since the power steering box is longer.

But you can swap the inner shafts if the replacement steering column isn't the same power/manual-wise as the part currently in the car.