C
charles
Guest
i wanted to know if a steering colome from a 58 impala will fit in a 55 buick three speed.? any feedback would be appreciated.my e mail is cbraiderfan@sbcglobal.net 
Charles, unfortunately this one of those parts swaps that looks impossible. The reason is the gearshift linkage. On the Impala, everything is pretty standard. There are two similar arms that stick out of the lower end of the steering column. These arms drive two similar levers on the side of the transmission case; one is for Rev and 1st, the other for 2nd and 3rd.
The Buick design is very different. There is one shift lever on the transmission case for all speeds. There is another arm out the side of the transmission called a selector lever. It moves the shift lever and shaft in and out of the transmission case when in neutral. When the shift lever and shaft are out, Rev and 1st can be selected with shift lever rotation. When the shift lever and shaft are in, 2nd and 3rd can be selected with shift lever rotation.
This will make more sense if you can get under the car and watch the motions as someone else operates the steering column gearshift.
The Buick design is very different. There is one shift lever on the transmission case for all speeds. There is another arm out the side of the transmission called a selector lever. It moves the shift lever and shaft in and out of the transmission case when in neutral. When the shift lever and shaft are out, Rev and 1st can be selected with shift lever rotation. When the shift lever and shaft are in, 2nd and 3rd can be selected with shift lever rotation.
This will make more sense if you can get under the car and watch the motions as someone else operates the steering column gearshift.