NP 205 shift lever question

[Orange71shorty]

Does anyone know if a 205 shift lever from a 71/72 is the same for 73 and newer?

[57taskforce]

No they quite different aside from mounting to the transfer case.

Top is 73-87
Bottom is 71-72

Edit: I need sleep. Bottom is actually my 70 only SM465 NP205 shifter.

[Dieselwrencher]

Tyler, isn't your bottom pic 69/70 np205 only?

[57taskforce]

Lol good catch, the two pictures I’ve got in my phone of 70 and 71-72 were right next to each other. That’s what I get for not proof reading. Here’s one I took that illustrates 70 only vs. 71-72, so you can compare them both to 73-87. Black is 71-72 and the bare metal is 70.

[Orange71shorty]

Does this look like 71/72?

[57taskforce]

It could be, the 71-72 doesn’t bend as far to the center of the truck as the 70 only does and the square body shifters I’ve seen/had don’t look the same at the bottom where they bolt up to the transfer case adaptor. Notice how the square body piece I posted earlier is welded down by the bolt hole.

[Orange71shorty]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

It could be, the 71-72 doesn’t bend as far to the center of the truck as the 70 only does and the square body shifters I’ve seen/had don’t look the same at the bottom where they bolt up to the transfer case adaptor. Notice how the square body piece I posted earlier is welded down by the bolt hole.

I’m looking at buying it but he said it’s from a 1982 k10

[57taskforce]

I would see if you can get a picture of the top half of the shifter. That will tell the whole tale.

[Orange71shorty]

All I have

[57taskforce]

That’s not a 71-72, look at how it’s straight coming thru the floor, all the way to the top of the shifter. The black one in the picture I posted is not completely straight.

[El Dorado Jim]

like pics show, the 73 and newer shift levers come up straight through the floor, the 71-72 levers are longer and have a bend in them, they bend towards the seat, levers do interchange,you can put a 71-72 lever on a newer 205

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by El Dorado Jim

like pics show, the 73 and newer shift levers come up straight through the floor, the 71-72 levers are longer and have a bend in them, they bend towards the seat, levers do interchange,you can put a 71-72 lever on a newer 205

Correct, levers interchange, holes on the floor do not in most cases though.

[Orange71shorty]

Thanks for all the replies, I was able to buy an original chrome 72 shifter today.

[57taskforce]

Awesome. Just for future reference here’s a picture I took today of my collection of different handles. This should clear up the differences, also I took a picture of one of my 71-72s mounted to a case.

Left to right
70 only 205/SM465, 73-87, 71-72

[Orange71shorty]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Awesome. Just for future reference here’s a picture I took today of my collection of different handles. This should clear up the differences, also I took a picture of one of my 71-72s mounted to a case.

Left to right
70 only 205/SM465, 73-87, 71-72

Thanks for the reference, very helpful. I appreciate it
Scott

[Mike C]

I bought one of the 73-87 shifters you show a picture of to put in my ‘86 K30 and it is completely different from the OEM ‘86 shifter which comes up much lower and bends towards the driver like your ‘70 only shifter. The longer, straight up shifter would not fit through the hole in my ‘86 so I just kept the shorter shifter.

[BASE]

This thread has been educational. I had no idea there were different variations of the 205 handle.

I have a SM465/NP205 I'm planning on putting in my '68 K10. Appears to have the squarebody shifter handle. Obviously not going to work with the hole for the rockwell that's in it now. Do you guys think I should just get a new hump and cut holes to match the squarebody arrangement? I really hadn't even considered it until I saw this thread.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by BASE

This thread has been educational. I had no idea there were different variations of the 205 handle.

I have a SM465/NP205 I'm planning on putting in my '68 K10. Appears to have the squarebody shifter handle. Obviously not going to work with the hole for the rockwell that's in it now. Do you guys think I should just get a new hump and cut holes to match the squarebody arrangement? I really hadn't even considered it until I saw this thread.

Thanks. I think we should have named this thread “show me your lever” I would buy a 71-72 4 speed/4x4 high hump and a 71-72 shifter from the parts board if it was me. No cutting required this way.

Originally Posted by Mike C

I bought one of the 73-87 shifters you show a picture of to put in my ‘86 K30 and it is completely different from the OEM ‘86 shifter which comes up much lower and bends towards the driver like your ‘70 only shifter. The longer, straight up shifter would not fit through the hole in my ‘86 so I just kept the shorter shifter.

Interesting; that particular shifter came from an ‘89 K30 cab and chassis as did the 465/round pattern 205 that I used to show how the 71/72 shifter looks bolted up.
That truck didn’t have a removable high hump like a lot of the earlier squares I’ve messed with. My 69 K10 had a 205/465 swapped in it with the same shifter from an unknown year square body.