I'm really enjoying following your project. I kind of chuckled when I read your comment about the width........it was pretty much my reaction when I sat in my 37 Dodge Pickup the first time. I suspect the pickup is close to that width if not a little narrower. Unlike your sedan the truck is limited on how far the seat can go back so even at 5' 9" I'm pretty scrunched up in it. I described to one of my friends as the most uncomfortable most fun project I've ever done.

When I did my original mockup like you I decided on a column shift (that later changed to a floor shift when the build changed from Streetrod to more traditional Hotrod). When I was trying to figure out a mechanical shift linkage that would give me room for exhaust etc, I hit on the idea of converting the column to use an aftermarket shift cable. I ended up using the left over brackets from a couple of shifters I had installed on other cars and came up with this.


CS by M Patterson, on Flickr

As it became a discarded idea I never got around to trimming the brackets and making it pretty. As far as function it worked out really well and shifted nice once I figured out the ratios on the column and shaft arm linkages.

I found your comments on the molasses soak interesting, especially the smell. I've never used molasses but years ago I used vinegar for de-rusting. After a few days soaking the parts the smell was one of my complaints too. A few years ago I read about using citric acid and started using it to de-rust some old farm tools and was really impressed with it.......and it didn't result in an unpleasant order. It also comes in powdered form so it's easy to store (I usually buy it in 5 pound bags off amazon).

I never got around to it last year but I want to do an experiment with it this spring on an old weathered 283 block I have here. I want to mix up a batch big enough to soak the block in and see how well it cleans the water jackets.......... usually an almost impossible area to clean.


Anyway nice work in the 37.



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