[Green Machine]

The 6 cyl 250 engine and tranny sits back about 3 inches more than the v8 does on the 2wd, that is why the shifter is closer to the seat. Most of the three speed column shifts that get replaced with floor shifts never really had any problems, they just needed adjustment.

I'll try to explain the adjustment. First, inspect all 4 of the rubber bushings and replace as needed. If the shifter is hard to move when the weather is cold, the grease under the shift socket on top is old and dried out, just take the wheel off and turn signal and clean and lube it up on top. Lube everthing up at the bottom of the column with some wd40 so it moves nice.

Now here is the biggest problem with these and the fix - shifter getting stuck betwen gears - at the very bottom of the column there are 2 small bolts that hold the lower bearing, loosen but don't remove them. They are on a slanted slot/cam. Turn the sleeve to remove the slack between the lower shift levers, this will keep the selector between the shift levers from sliding past the levers causing it to be "stuck".

Next with the parking brake on, put the shifter in neutral and loosen the shift linkage adjustment bolts under the hood. Find a 3/16 drill bit and you will see there is a slot where you can slide the nail in and align the levers with the column. Go under the truck and insure the the tranny is in neutral. Now the tranny is "centered" with the shift linkages. Tighten the linkage bolts and you are done. No more shifter problems !!!.

One other place to check for wear is the roll pin that holds the shift lever to the socket, easy to replace and will tighten up the shifter feel. If the truck has had a ton of usage, the shift socket itself can get a little sloppy, but that is pretty easy to replace if you have the top apart to lube it.

Those shifters really are pretty durable and just have some one in the truck run through the gears while you watch under the hood. It is a pretty simple mechanism and a few minutes watching how it works and understanding how it operates will let you adjust it so it works perfect. Hope that helps.