1965 Ford Thunderbird Shift Linkage

[Tinkeringrob]

Hi all,

I've been having a little trouble with the shift linkage on this. I have read for hours online, and tried a couple things but I still cant this to shift right.
I will include some pics as well.
When all hooked up, it simply feels very sloppy. From park it seems to skip R and N all together. Then I feel and hear it click into Drive. Many sites seem to point to the arm at the end of the column as the culprit. I believe mine seems ok.

To me it looks like something is weird on what I think is called the bellcrank. Where it pivots/attaches to the bracket holding it to the frame. I had my son shift in the car and I see the whole rod wobbling, move up and down. Instead of simply staying still and rotating. Marked with the yellow arrow on picture.

To try and help I also found a bushing for it. It wasnt perfect but seems to help a little. And I pressed down very hard on the springs to insert the cotter pin. Again helped a little but not much.. Does this look normal? I have the repair manual but I cannot find much help in there. Nor can I find any pics online of this part of the linkage.

This is actually my first project car. So I may use some terminology wrong!

[David Langhorne]

Whatever issues you have with the linkage (when mine went sloppy it turned out the plastic bushing was gone) the shift lever should still engage PRNDL
positions positively. I would take the shift lever out and check for wear in the end as a first step.

[pratap]

Hey! I'm working on 65 thunderbird and trying to figure out the shift linkage. The car is not shifting and i noticed the hose that connects to the tube you showed in the picture is disconnected. Can you please show where it links to?

[Terry64HT]

What picture are you referring to?

Terry
64HT

[pratap]

The picture of the new part that is in this post. In my thunderbird the tube gets connected to a hose that comes up but is left disconnected there. I want to figure out where it connects to as the car is not shifting. I think it’s called shift linkage because if you search online for shift linkage that’s when the parts show up including the one in the picture in this thread along with other linkage parts!

[Alan H. Tast]

Do you have a shop manual? If not, I strongly urge you to get one - NOW! You can thank me later...

[pratap]

I have shop manual but it doesn’t show any shift linkage

[Alan H. Tast]

The picture of the new part that is in this post. In my thunderbird the tube gets connected to a hose that comes up but is left disconnected there. I want to figure out where it connects to as the car is not shifting. I think it’s called shift linkage because if you search online for shift linkage that’s when the parts show up including the one in the picture in this thread along with other linkage parts!

I think you're talking about the vacuum hose/line that's needed for the vacuum modulator fitting on the rear of the transmission. There should be a vacuum hose going from a fitting on the brake booster to a steel line that's near it - that line/tube runs alongside the transmission case and to the back of the transmission, where the vacuum modulator is located - it's connected to the steel line by another short length of hose. A larger vacuum line should be running from a fitting on the intake manifold to the brake booster, from which the line for the vacuum modulator is connected as noted above.

Brake Booster & Pedal Installation (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual)

Vacuum Modulator (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual p. 7-4)

65 SM p 7-4 fig 4 - Vacuum Diaphragm & Control Pressure Connecting Point.jpg (22.59 KiB) Viewed 895 times

For the record, the 1965 T-bird Shop Manual does little to illustrate the linkage between the steering column and the transmission. As for the mechanical linkage, look at these illustrations from the 1965 T-bird Shop Manual for the transmission kick-down lever:

These are for the kick-down/downshift lever/control from the brackets on the intake manifold to the kickdown lever on the transmission:

Transmission Throttle Kickdown Linkage (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual p. 7-23)

65 SM p 7-23 fig 11 - Throttle Linkage.jpg (22.5 KiB) Viewed 895 times

Transmission Control Levers (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual pg 7-36)

65 SM p 7-36 fig 47 - Cruise-O-Matic Transmission Case Control Linkage.jpg (22.84 KiB) Viewed 895 times

This illustration is from the 1965-1972 Ford Car Master Parts Catalog (MPC) and shows another mechanical linkage for the transmission downshift lever from the lever/bracket assembly in the original poster's picture, and the main shifter rod from the steering column to the transmission for both 1965 and 1966. Quite frankly, without some good photos from the engine bay side and the underside of the car, it's hard to describe how all this is put together. The support linkage/lever assembly (7A185) has an end that goes through a hole with a nylon bushing in a stamped sheet metal bracket (7C431) that's attached to the back of the engine/bellhousing and to the subframe (that's what's in the original poster's picture from which this thread was started). Rod 7A024 is confusing me - someone with a '65, please post pictures of how all this works (have any, especially Redstangbob?).

For the connection from the steering column to the transmission shift lever, focus on part # 7325, which is the rod with a swivel end at the steering column and a slotted end at the transmission control lever that is held onto part # 7B415:

Steering Column & Shifter Linkage (from 1965-72 Ford Car Master Parts Catalog)

This is from the 1965 T-bird Shop Manual in the Steering section. This helps illustrate the connection of the main shift rod at the steering column:

Moveable Steering Column Installation (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual p. 3-24)

In addition, IF memory serves me correctly (bear in mind I've never owned a '64-66), there should also be a vacuum hose that goes from a vacuum source off of the engine via a hose through the firewall into the back-of-dash area and to the Neutral Safety Switch that's on the steering column. There should also be a hose that goes from the Neutral Safety Switch assembly to the parking brake's vacuum servo. When you set the parking brake while the car is in "Park", vacuum in the hose from the Neutral Safety Switch is interrupted so that the brake isn't released; when the gearshift lever is moved out of "Park" vacuum returns to the hose and pulls on the servo, thereby releasing the parking brake.

Parking Brake System (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual)

Parking Brake Control Assembly (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual)

65 SM p 2-11 fig 9 - Parking Brake Control Assy.jpg (23.08 KiB) Viewed 893 times

Starter Neutral Safety Switch Vacuum Connections (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual p. 7-23)

65 SM p 7-23 fig 13 - Starter Neutral Switch.jpg (23.6 KiB) Viewed 895 times

Neutral Safety Switch Vacuum Connections (from 1965 T-bird Shop Manual)

65 SM p 2-11 fig 10 - Connections for Automatic Parking Brake Release.jpg (10.53 KiB) Viewed 893 times

Does all this help? All I know right now, to quote D.P. Gumby, "My brain hurts."

[Terry64HT]

Well done, Alan

Terry
64HT

[Alan H. Tast]

Well done, Alan

Terry
64HT

Thanks, but I won't consider it "well done" until we get the bracket 7C431/levers 7A185 and linkage 7A024 nailed down and resolved.

[redstangbob]

The 65 is now a resident of Maine, so all I have are pictures. This is the best I have, hope it helps.