Dodge Challenger question

Cafe Society
1

One of the guys here at work is busy restoring a 1972 (?) Challenger, and he’s come up with a question.

He’s looking at pictures he took of the car before he tore it apart. On the steering column, just forward of the firewall, there’s an arm sticking outboard, about five inches long. Fastened to that arm is a rod, maybe 1/4 inch in diameter, which heads back underneath the car. It looks for all the world like the linkage for a column shifter for an automatic transmission–but his car has a floor shifter.

He can’t remember what it was connected to under the car–or whether it was connected to anything. :rolleyes:

So what the heck is it? Has his car been retrofitted with the column from a column-shift car (or converted from column to floor shift)? Or is it something else–part of the steering locking mechanism, maybe? And what is it supposed to be hooked to (if anything)?

2

I have alway was heard it called a backdrive linkage. it ties the transmission to the steering column on floor shift cars to control the reverse light switch/neutral safety switch/column lock located in the steering column.
ETA it should be hooked to the transmission near where shift cable connects to the tranny(for an automatic) or in the extra hole on one of the shift forks on the side of the tranny(for a manual)

3

Whoops, let me correct the model year; it’s a 1970.

4

Thanks!