Slick 60's

Looking at a 61 unibody. Its a four speed on the floor but theres no shift knob. May seem like a stupid question but whats the shift pattern? The owner says it came without the knob and he said its a standard H pattern with reverse being all the way to the left and up. Ive never heard of this pattern before and was trying to find a shift knob to confirm. Anyone know the pattern?

Might be a Borg-Warner box...

That I honestly don't know. I didn't think the 61 originally came with a 4 speed on the floor. He did say the 1st gear is like driving a tractor, whatever that means. I had just never heard of reverse being left and up. Ive always known all the way to the right and down.

Ignore first, shifts like a three speed.. First is up on the left side of the H, its a Compound first good for not much more than about 8-10 mph...
Second (first) would be like your first gear...
Third(second is up and away...
Fourth (third) is down and away... reverse would be up and away

1st (C)..........3rd..........R


^______N____^_______^


^ 2nd.............^ 4th

Ok I think I understand. Ignore 1st but it is where it normally is top left of the H pattern. 2nd is bottom left in the H but start there. Would reverse be left and up or right and up?

Here ya go....
White knob out of a 57-60 Ford
Same as the slicks

That's it, tried to draw the pattern but it got compressed

That makes it so much easier to understand. Thanks guys. Hoping to get it and post some pics soon.

This is what some refer to as a granny low. I guess because it is so slow.


Johnny

Yep, my '61 short uni has one behind a 223, and my '63 F350 also has one behind the 292. The tractor comparison is quite accurate! We don't have many substantial hills here, so the uni 1st gets little use; the one in the F350 tow truck is worth it's weight in gold compared to a three speed!

Paul

Wonder if I can find a shift knob with the pattern on it. I don't think the original had a shift pattern on it.

Look close....
I have seen them so worn down
It was barely visible !
Sometimes the grooves are full of 50 years of gunk

I have cleaned them up with a pointed scribe & repainted

Most likely a T98 transmission and that granny low is something like 78 to 1 ratio. If you can get the traction, You could pull a house off it's foundation.

Rich

Thats funny Rich as thats the exact way he explained it to me as well. Last question. He put new headers on it, but the rest of the exhaust is missing. He said it would need 2 mufflers and 2 tailpipes. Are there diagrams of these exhaust systems and their components? I can seem to find a picture anywhere. Do they make exhaust components or do most people go universal?

IME, they all came with the sift pattern onthe knob. As to exhaust, your choices are wide open. You will need custom pipes to tie in to the headers. You can run stock replacement style mufflers, or pretty well any you choose. I prefer Magnaflow or SLP "loudmouths"; if and when I achieve adulthood, that might change! I like x-pipes for both performance and sound, and prefer full length pipes for both safety and sound. I bring them out the side behind rear wheels, mainly because I occasionally tend to hook up trailers with the engine running. To each his own; a good shot can make good choices based on your preferences.
Paul

The Y-blocks have a sweet, distinctive sound all their own. One of our members, Kenny Nelson, has the best sounding 292 I have ever encountered! Maybe he can add details of his exhaust.
Paul

Have someone make you a custom shifter with no markings, best theft deterrent there is

A custom shifter isn't a bad idea. But to be honest nowadays a manual shift with no power steering is just as good a theft deterrent as an alarm system.

unibody madness wrote:Have someone make you a custom shifter with no markings, best theft deterrent there is

Ha! I just did that for my slick, and I had that very thought!




BTW, my 62 Slick has the grandma-low four speed everyone has been describing, and reverse is to the far right and up.

I DO have one car where reverse is left and then up, but it's a 1968 Volvo 122. I also have a studebaker with a "three on the tree" shifter, where reverse is toward you and up. First is toward you and down, and second and third are away and up/down respectively. Oddly, with such disparate shift patterns in cars I drive all the time, reverse always seems to come right to mind, as if my brain is in tune with which car I'm driving. I wish my brain were in tune with the rest of my life!