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I will not go into a lot of cause and effect issues on this page. Many factors can influence how your transmission shifts. Where is the first place you should look, if your transmission is not shifting properly? The factory shift control is a likely culprit. Fortunately, it is also the easiest, fastest, and cheapest problem to repair. Before we look at some problems that can be encountered with a factory Ford 4 speed shifter, I would first like to emphasize three very important things. 1. After you read this page you will know more about your factory shifter than 99 percent all automobile repair shops. 2. Even if you find a shop that specializes in Mustangs, chances are they won’t be adept at toploader and shifter repair. 3. You are the driver of your car and you are the most qualified person to diagnose its problems-- with the help of "proper instructions." Note: The following article will deal mainly with factory Ford toploader and Borg Warner T-10 shifters used from 1962 to 1968.
Possible problems with linkage rods and levers First, check the shift levers, which bolt to the transmission. The levers have a tendency to become wallowed and they develop slack at the attachment point to the transmission. This slack is probably the result of many years of use, but the cause frequently is improper torque of the retaining nuts. Here's a look at a good shift lever. Here is a bad shift lever that has been wallowed. The slack caused by a worn lever can cause problems with your shift. The easiest fix is to replace them. The next thing to check is the hole where the shift rod attaches to the lever. Ford uses wave washers, flat washers, and pins to keep the rods and levers tightly and securely joined. Here’s a look at the wave washer set-up. Over long periods of use the wave washers will flatten and lose their tension or perhaps get discarded altogether. If this happens, the resulting slack will cause wear in the mounting hole. Then, the hole becomes wallowed, causing a loose fit between the rod and the lever. For a tight fit, the lever needs a good mounting hole. Another thing to check is the rod end that joins with the lever. When the wave washer is weak or absent, it can also cause wear on the rod end. A good rod end and a good mounting hole will insure a lever that fits tightly. These problems are most easily remedied by replacing the worn part, but can be repaired by a good welder and careful work with a metal file.
Control Box First, take the snap ring loose and remove the spring retainer and spring. After removal, check the spring's height. A new spring will measure 1¾ inches. Most worn springs measure somewhere around 1½ inches. Next, remove the retainer cover bracket on the control legs. Inspect the big wave washer directly under the bracket. Most 30-plus year old wave washers will be flattened and cracked with no tension. Now, remove the control legs. After removal, clean and inspect them for any visible damage. Look especially close in the large hole shaped like a Chevrolet emblem, where the big pin runs through. The legs can crack and break there. Check the interlock spacer to see if the 90-degree tab is broken off. Then see if it’s wallowed out and beaten in the corners. The usual place these shifters have big problems is the small square pin that is driven through the big round pin. These small pins are a press fit and sometimes they get worn and loose. If they are worn, they move around and can cause shift selection problems. The small square pin should be jutting equally on each side of the big pin. Check it by inserting the pin into one control leg to determine that the space on each side is equal. The next thing to check is the U-bolt that the chrome shift handle bolts to. A pin holds it on, which is also a press fit. The pin press fit into the big pin, which runs through the control box, and not the U-bolt itself. This pin can become worn and slide back and forth. It cannot come completely out, if you have the correct shoulder bolts with which to attach the shift handle. They are long enough to run past the pin on each end, preventing its departure. The U-bolt should have a small amount of movement side to side and be able to swing freely back and forth down the length of the big pin both ways. See if it is wallowed out in the pin holes where the small pin runs through. Now, check the threads where the shift handle bolts to make certain their not stripped. Last but not least, examine the two holes where the big pin runs through the main shifter housing. See if they have any large amount of wear. It’s not likely, but it can happen. Some of the defects mentioned can cause big problems, some small, but even the small problems can add up to an inoperable shift control. As you can see, the shift control box is fairly simple and easy to repair. With your factory shifter rebuilt and restored, you have eliminated shift problems. If you find that your shifter is worn and needs new parts, we offer a linkage and control box kit for 1964 through 1968 factory units on the Shifter Parts page. Mark@TH
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