Column shift issue '55 Ford car.

[Lamar Wadsworth]

Another issue on Ozelle the '55 Ford. Column shift linkage is frozen up, worked fine the last time the car was driven in the late '80s. It will do second to high, but level will not pull back to do reverse and low. Replaced the bushings in the shifter arms where the linkage rods connect. I'm thinking the grease has gotten hard in the housing at the bottom to the column where the shifter arms are. Has anybody else run into that problem? The manual gives an exploded diagram of the mechanism that lets you choose the low-reverse arm or the second-high arm, but doesn't show how to take it apart and put it back together.

 

[Daves55Sedan]

At the top of the steering column, there is the shift rod that runs from back of steering hub to levers on the other side of the firewall. That rod is spring-loaded at the top.
It is required to pull the gear-shift lever forward in order to put the transmission in first or reverse. When the lever is released, the spring forces to rod downward whereby only second and third gears can be accessed.
There is your problem. That spring is frozen, usually because corrosion has blocked it from moving forward to become compressed.
Unfortunately, it may be necessary to remove the steering wheel, then remove the column from the car. The shift rod will need to be removed from the column just to assess the level of damage caused by the corrosion.
I had one that was rusted enough that I took the column to a dunk tank and they stripped it to bare metal. They can't salvage the spring, but I think many of the repro parts suppliers offer them as well as the rubber grommet that goes between the shift rod and gear shift lever. Don't give them anything non-magnetic. The dunk chemical will dissolve it. Everything needs to be steel or tin. The dunk chemical also ruins springs, so you'll probably need to get a new one. But it is fixable.

 

[Lamar Wadsworth]

That's good to know. So, when I pull out the column tube and shifter and unbolt the shifter gizmo at the bottom, the shift rod should just pull down off the pin it pivots on at the top?