Does anyone happen to have a shift cable from a floor shifted '88 T-Bird or Cougar?I've been looking for one,and was hoping someone here could help.Thanks.Also need the brackets.
Anybody??????
theyre hard to come by
No kidding.I've been looking for a very long time.They must be made of unobtanium.
well, you gotta think, if the cables are AOD specific (different in the TC), they only came in 87-88's, and how many 87-88 cars got a floor shifter?
if you can find out if the cable is the same between the TC's and the 5.0 cars, you could hop onto a place like turbotbird.com or turboford.or and post a wanted add there
A couple years back, I priced one from the Ford dealer for my '87 XR7, $168.50 :shoothead . I ended up installing a B&M console hammer for $199 complete, better shifter and heavier duty cable. Also the replacement B&M cables are only $39.00. :grinno:
Cable are different Shawn...remember it would be an A4LD shifter vs. an AOD shifter. Aside from that, I am not really sure if you can easily separate a cable from the shifter anyway. It looks like the end gets destroyed if you try. It's easier to get the shifter and cable assembly as one unit.
Ford actually has a special tool for removing those crazy little bushings, so you dont damage the items youre working on
as for the cables, i knew the shifters were different, but i thought the cable may be the same, because the difference would only be in the shifter?
Naw, the cable ends are different where they hook onto the transmission, and also where the cable is held into the bracket. Like on the 5.0 bracket, there are two screws that hold the cable on; on the 2.3 there's just a clip. They seem to be different lengths as well.
Special tool, eh?
Does the Hammer shifter fit where the factory shifter is in the console?I thought about going to a column shift.That doesn't bother me at all.I just don't know if the column shift linkage will fit with the Mark VII headers in place.Anyone know?Any ideas?My current shifter sucks because I'm making do with the wrong cable.
The shifter fits anywhere on the floor you want to put them. Althogh the console hammer requires a hole, just like the factory floor shifter.
Well I went out and cleared the snow off, and here is a pic of the console hammer in my Cougar. :ies:
yup, if i can find a pic, or even a description of it, ill post it
Thanks.The more I think about it,the better a column shift sounds.
Now now, that's my line. :p
(and only because every car I've ever driven regularly has had a console/floor shifter, and I'm only keeping my two column-shifted cars that way for a little change)
there it is! thats actually the exact picture i saw somewhere
I've got the column,the tranny shift lever, and the linkage for the swap.I'm just not sure if it will clear the headers.I know one way to find out................2 hours and a sunny day.
Hey vin what's up,got those parts, lisc plate bracket is mint but i don't think the autolamp sensor works.
No biggy.
Anyways about your problem you have 2 options you can use a mustang aod floor shifter and modify the bracket a bit to fit like i did then just get the selector and console plate out of a tc and make it fit by drilling to small holes and using the sell taping bolts that come with it, the only problem will be 2nd gear on the selector will be 1/2 on the aod, 7 detents on the tc vs 6 on the aod, not a big deal.
Or install the column shift(alot more work)and move the linkage bracket on the k member about half an inch down from the original bolt holes and drill out 2 new holes,then install 2 nuts,lock washers and bolts and yer set.
You will then be able to select 1/2 without the linkage hitting the H pipe.
You may also have to notch one bracket to stop it from hitting the o2 sensor,i did all that and it worked mint for 6 years on my first bird, should only take about an hour so.
Sounds good to me.I'll check on another sensor for you.A deal is a deal.Glad the liscence plate frame was good for you.If you need anything,let me know.I'll do what I can.
Hey,I was looking through my Haines manual,and saw that,according to them,there was a shift rod that worked where the cable for the floor shifter goes.I'm going to investigate,and I'll keep you posted.
Yeah, I was thinking of that years ago when I grabbed a floor shifter (and chiseled the mounting pad out of the floor using a screwdriver and a rock) and found out I'd have to take the tranny and valve body apart to flip the lever over (I'm lazy).
Then I noticed some Mustangs in the wrecking yard with rods, and discovered early Birds did too.
Then I thought about keeping most of the column linkage, and creating a rod to connect the shifter to some part of the old linkage.
Then I thought about using a long cable along the underside of the body, curving up to somehow connect with the fully intact linkage (but removing the old lever from the column) so locking the steering wheel would lock the trans too.
Then I put everything in a box in the closet, where it's been sitting ever since, probably never to be used.
pulling the valve body isnt as bad as it seems, just be ready to be drenched by tranny fluid
Now THAT is some serious mofookiernicatein' dedication right thar! :)
To flip the lever,you don't have to pull the valvebody at all.All you have to do is pull the little pin in the case that keeps the lever in place,loosen the jamb nut,and flip the lever 180 degrees,then reverse the process.Now,to find the rod..................
That's how I did mine!! :grinno:
You are correct, you do not have to pull the VB to install/flip/remove the shifter lever. I'll tell you how Im getting around the hard to find floor shift components:
Im using a B&M Universal Megashifter which mounts directly to the floor. I also do not have to cut a huge hole in the tunnel because the shifter only requires the cable to go through the floor, so drilling a small hole is all that is required. The B&M shifter requires the AOD install kit which includes a new shift lever and bracket which bolts to the trans. The stock shift lever is removed by pulling the pan and pulling the pin holding it in. This wont be a problem because I will have my trans builder change them out when he is rebuilding the trans. :evilgrin:
Ehhhhh... still sounds like too much work, and I'm tired. :sleep:
I already have the hole in the floor for my floor shifter.I'd like to keep the factory shifter.I've been leaving info with a lot of on-line salvage yards.No word yet.I'm starting to believe they only made 20 floor shifted T-Birds,and mine is one of them.
I have a broken shift cable in my '88 Tbird Sport at this time so I would really appreciate learning about what you ultimately did with your car.
I kept looking. Back in '05, parts were a LOT easier to find, and they were still rare. SO, fast forward all these years, you have to keep digging. Somebody out there has one. Watch for people parting car. Turbo Coupe cables are different. I'll keep my eyes open as well.