Left handed shifter for Ruckstell

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2015: Left handed shifter for Ruckstell
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Buckley on Sunday, November 15, 2015 - 06:00 pm:

I have a question about installation of the left handed shifter that all the major vendors ( Snyder's T 2500 REL )sell. I have a picture that was posted by Verne Shirk, and it gives great visual information on mounting it. My question is...can the shifting piece that has to be welded onto the rod, be mounted on the passenger side of the car, instead of the driver's side? If anyone has done it this way, could you please post some pictures or drawings, on how you did it? By the way, somehow I "misplaced", that piece that is suppose to be welding on. Will figure something out. Thanks for any and all help.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bob middleton on Sunday, November 15, 2015 - 08:55 pm:

I made a couple using brake cross shaft and the arm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Dupree on Sunday, November 15, 2015 - 09:30 pm:

Early car or late car? For my '16 I used a junk brake setup. Saved the bearing blocks at the ends, used a piece of 3/4 rod for the shaft, and modified the parking brake handle to fit through the existing parking brake slot in the floor. Assuming you have a left hand drive car, the floor and floormats will have to be modified for a right hand shifter.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Sunday, November 15, 2015 - 09:36 pm:

The piece which is to be welded onto the shaft can be located anywhere you want it to be. It can be way to the left, way to the right, or anyplace in between.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Buckley on Monday, November 16, 2015 - 02:39 am:

Bob M. Since I'm fairly new, my parts room doesn't have a big selection....Yet

Ron D. My car is a 1925 Fordor left hand drive, and I want to add the new shifter, behind the parking brake, but where it hooks up to under the floor boards, I didn't want to move or to make a new Shift Rod Assy. (P38A, Ruckstell Number),for the left drivers side and my thought was just tie into the existing right hand side one.

Mike W. I know you've said you installed a few of these, in the forum here, awhile back, and this was the answer I was looking for. Doesn't matter which side the linkage is hooked up to shift from.

My idea is to hook into the existing linkage, on the right side of the car, under the floorboard, instead of
having to route a new rod from the Diff., around the battery and so on, to the new welded on bracket. Why make more work for myself?

Again if anyone has done this, I sure would like to see pictures or drawings, on how you did it.

Thanks again guys,
Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Monday, November 16, 2015 - 09:11 am:

Keith

If I understand your question, (only 1 cup of coffee today!), the existing Ruckstell bracket on the univ ball cap is what you want to run a new linkage to?

May be difficult, as with a 'left' hand shift rod, the handle will be located down the frame a ways, so it is much easier to just fit a new rod from the rear axle to whatever cross shaft you fit for the shifter handle.

Here is the typical 'store' bought left hand set-up.



This one from earlier post, uses a duplicate Ford cross shaft and fits a welded tab to connect the shift rod. Nice looking using ALL Ford parts!





The std., center mount, Ruckstell shifter handle and shift rod:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Monday, November 16, 2015 - 11:37 am:

I don't quite understand the reason you would want to install the welded arm on the passenger side of the car. Normally it is welded on the cross shaft near center of the car. The Ruckstell shift lock is on the driver side. See the below photos, this is how the rod is installed on most Ruckstell setups regardless of the shifter position.

The rod is supported directly over the drive shaft tube.








Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Buckley on Monday, November 16, 2015 - 04:21 pm:

Dan T. and Royce

Thanks so much for the visual aids of the installation of the after market left hand shift lever kit. It is now obvious to me that I suffered a serious "Senior Moment/Brain Fart"!! For some unknown reason, my mind had me thinking, that the original Ruckstell shifter, was located, farther to the passenger side of the car, than it actually is, proven by your photos. How and why, my brain told me this, I will never know.

I bought the kit a while back from Snyder's, and have been too busy to put it on, working on my steering problem recently, until now. As I mentioned above on my first post, I have somehow "lost", the part, that welds onto the cross shaft, so I will have to make something to attach at that point, on the cross shaft, then tie it into the old shifter area.

I really appreciate your photos and your time for the help. I will take photos, when my installation, is in progress.

Thanks again,
Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 11:43 am:

Keith -- When you get ready to weld the arm onto the shaft, put the Ruckstell in low range, and sit in the car in your normal driving position. Bring the shifter lever close to your left knee but not quite touching it. That will put the arm to be welded in the optimum position.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Dumas on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 02:13 pm:

On my 24 touring, I made my shifter from a Model T hand brake using a new rod straight across. I mounted the shifter on top of the frame and attached the shift linkage to the right hand side using the rh handbrake arm. The operating lever came up
thru the hand brake slot on the left. My shift linkage and support guide was made from a TT connecting link and guide bracket.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 03:14 pm:

Why would you want to drill non original holes in a good original frame anyway? As Royce posted above, your shifter lever should be in the middle!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Buckley on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 - 04:34 am:

Mike W.
Thanks for the great advice, as to how to position the new shift lever, when installing it.
Ted D.
I wish that I had all the tools and old parts I could rummage through, and make my own. But again, I'm still new to the T hobby, so one day maybe. In hindsight, I Should have gone to the Lau estate sale in Portland.
Larry s.
I read and saw the photos that Royce and Dan T. posted. I realize it now, it is in the middle. If they want to drill holes into frame like their pictures, it's their car. If anyone has a installed a Ruckstell Diff., they too have cut a good original Ford Differential housing.

Well, it's suppose to stop raining by the weekend, so hopefully, I will get started putting it in.

As always, thanks for the great tips.


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