Column shifter to floor mod ??

[Setterman05]

First off thank you for allowing me to be part of this wonderful club. 

I've been lurking in the shadows for couple weeks reading and learning. 

My son and I have purchased a 1990 LWB Pioneer MJ for his first truck. He starts his permitted driving (NC) in June.

We have a few projects we want to complete before he starts driving.

One project, if feasible is to convert from a column shift to a floor shifter. Has anyone done this or have any info related to this task.

 

[omega_rugal]

take the shifter from a XJ, plug n play

[Setterman05]

Thank you very much for the response. 

I was hoping it would be something like that. 

[boxyjeep]

I did it in my truck.  It's not as simply as just swapping the shifter...  You need a new steering column and the new cable linkages.

[Minuit]

The shifter cable runs under the carpet, through a hole in the firewall on the center-driver side, and then down to the transmission. Be careful with the ball and socket connector at the transmission as they can be fragile. This hole should already be pre-punched and plugged off. There is also a park ignition interlock cable that runs from the shifter to the top right of the steering column and snaps into a ball socket about midway up the length of the column. The shifter mechanism itself will simply go in place of a blockoff plate you have now.

 

You will need to plug the old hole for the column shifter, which is located on the upper driver side of the firewall.

 

For an OEM-like installation, you'll want an appropriate steering column from a floor shift vehicle. This is the perfect time to add cruise control and or tilt steering if those are items on your want list. You could get by with using your old column, but you won't have any kind of park interlock. That's dangerous.

 

You'll want the donor shifter mechanism to come from a 94 or earlier. There's a minor difference in how the cables connect.

 

Source: converted from column to floor shift on my 91, adding intermittent wipers and tilt steering at the same time.

[scguy]

On my 89, I had to drill the hole through the firewall for the floor shifter. It wasn't pre cut.