'55 Customline 3-speed on the column shifter position

[Throck Morton]

I remember doing this modification over 40 years ago to my '40 Ford. My older neighbor suggested it, he said they did it to gain a faster shift from 1st to 2nd.
You just had to 'slap' the shift lever down and towards the dash to gain an advantage when racing. He also said you could hug your girlfriend while driving!!
However, I have forgotten the details, but it was fairly simple to do, and to reverse.