Steering column swap

I searched the archives but I'm still confused! No surprise. I have a 74 that was column shift (C4) and is now floor shift (B&M). I'll be visiting a scrap yard Thursday and will likely find an original floor shift column. My problem is the connectors. It sounds like older turn signal switches may be different but I'm unsure of the connector with the ingnition switch, neutral safety switch etc. Can I swap an older floor shift column and simply re-wire the neutral safety and back up light switches. Is the connector physically the same? Thanks.

 

Not sure what all you are asking about concerning the wiring, but I can add that finding a floor shift steering column can be difficult. They are pretty darn rare.

But.....if you find one, I would get all the linkage if it is still on the car. Those are real hard pieces to find.

This is what I can add about the wiring. On a floor shift automatic, the neutral safetly switch is located on the tranmission. A wiring harness goes from the neutral safety switch, up through the firewall, and then plugs into the bottom of the steering column where the column mounted neutral safety switch would be if it was a column shifted automatic.

Hope this helps...

 

Turn signal switch is different on the early models and have a different size plug.

 

Thanks for the responses, nice pictures, very helpful. Craig, I agree, these are rare, but of the 15 mavericks in this scrapyard, one is a floor shifted 73 grabber. Just not sure if the column is still there!

 

You dont need to change out the whole column. Just get the rear section of the upper collar, where the shifter handle comes out, and put that on your column.

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But since his car was a column shifted automatic, he will also need the collar that goes between THAT collar you pictured and the steering wheel. The "in between" collar has the shift indicator on it. (Park, R,N, D 2,1)

P.S. You darn manual tranny guys know nothing.

 

Craig, this is by design.....and we are the type that has more fun!!!

 

Thanks Mavaholic, one more question since it has been years, I'll need to remove the "clip" to remove the steering wheel but do I need a puller to get if off the splines? Otherwise, as I recall, it is simple bols and nuts so to speak.

 

You will need a steering wheel puller, or a hammer, to get it off. I recommend the puller.

 

Thanks for all of the replies. Mavaholic, I appreciate the heads up with the column collars! We found three floor shifted mavericks! Two were missing the columns but the third was a charm. We were able to get both collars and the plastic trim piece below the second collar!

 

My son and I have spent the past few evenings doing a column swap from an older maverick into a newer comet assuming the harnesses would be the same.. Well. You know what they say about assuming.. because we have ran into the same problem that you have pictured^^^

Is there any way of wiring one harness to the second?

 

Cant you just swap the wiring/switch into the new column?

 

Would gladly do that.. but the previous owner mangled the old harness. They left us about a 1/4 inch of wiring before the turn signal cam and removed the key switch with a chisel.

If anyone has a early model wiring harness or a column that we could have the harness from. We will gladly purchase it.