66 SHIFTER DETENT PLATE??????????

[CANNEDBAND]

HOW DO I INSTALL A NEW SHIFTER DETENT PLATE?ON MY 66?????????? :confused:

[tbird5866]

Are you sure you need the detent? They just don't wear out. Have you checked your shift lever for wear?

[CANNEDBAND]

Not sure,I read where a new detent plate would cure "sloppy shifter syndrome" so I thot I'd try.The pointer wanders all over the quadrant and won't stay in P either..Thanx

[Joe Vandatta]

I agree with the Fordman, the detent plate is made to last. I have had mine out on my 66 to ck. it and found no signs of wear. I have had my 66 slip into reverse and so have some of my friends, it seems to be a common problem.
As the Fordman says, I would ck. the shift lever first
Good luck,
Joe

[CANNEDBAND]

Thanks,Joe,I'll check out the lever and tranny lingage.I was following the suggestion of one the reputable 'bird houses which advised the detent plate WAS prone to wear and was a leading cause of sloppy shifter.Later.........

[El Sol Infinito]

...Reviving an old thread:
I called Thunderbird Headquarters to get parts to fix my shift lever slipping problems. After reading all of the threads here, I assume it's just the shift lever being worn on mine. However, at Tbird HQ, they said it's the detent plate, and that sounds like their standard line. I ordered one and one of the lower collar bushings as well as the shift lever, so I should have all of the parts I need. I'll post with results.

[Harley Eaton]

If the pointer "wanders all over", the problem is the shift tube bushing just above the gearbox. It's "gone". If it
"won't stay in P", its the worn shift lever. Been there, done that...

[El Sol Infinito]

Turns out that after replacing the shift lever, the shifter stays in park now, but the lever still moves all over the place between R and L. Sure enough, the lower column bushing is completely non-existent.
Anyone else had luck here doing that quick bushing replacement mentioned in the Bird's Nest that involves cutting it and slipping it over the column?
I've got one on order and will give it a try.

[El Sol Infinito]

Note to those in the future doing the lever replacement:
If you have trouble pushing the new lever into the hole with the new rubber lever bushing on like I did, if you give it a light rub with some motor oil, it'll slide right in.
Don't spend 45 minutes trying to fight it like I did.
Also, when you are pounding out the roll pin that holds the shifter in place, pound it out from the bottom. Then pound it back in after replacing the lever from the top. Doesn't look like its a tapered pin to me, but that's the way I did it, just in case, and it worked fine.
By the way: The new shift lever keeps the car in park great. When you pull your old lever out, you can't miss the notch that's been worn into it.
A very easy and worthwhile fix, safety-wise.

[El Sol Infinito]

In response to Harley's comment: You are right on. I replaced my lower column bushing and the shifter detents feel fine.
Here's how I did it, for all of you in the future:
I took the trick from the Bird's Nest that mentions cutting it and slipping it over the column and into the tube.
It wasn't as easy for me as it sounds, but after a couple of hours of fighting and cutting and scratching myself, I finally got it up in there where it needs to be.
The bushing is made of rubber and is formed into a taper so that it wedges between the steering column housing and the shift tube. There is a little nodule molded on that wedges into a slot at the top of the steering column housing. The birds nest trick suggested cutting the bushing at the bottom (opposite the nodule) and slipping it over that way. Well the shifter lever (all of these parts become self evident when you're in there, by the way) is just too close to the column housing to make this a simple proposition. You're just going to have to work at it with a screwdriver and some other pointy implements to try to push it in there. I would suggest cutting the bushing at 3 o'clock (when looking from the engine bay towards the back of the car) where the nodule is at noon. This MAY make it easier to work the two loose ends into the column housing.
After fighting and cussing and forcing, I finally got it all up in there, EXCEPT for the very tip of the cut end, which feels like it is poking out very slightly. Since the cut ends are at 6 o'clock and therefore totally invisible underneath the steering mechanism, you can only feel it out and it is VERY hard to work. (Thus my suggestion of cutting it at 3 o'clock) Finally after pushing on that one end with a screwdriver for about 40 minutes over two days, I just said to hell with it and put the brake system back together.
The shifter feels totally great, by the way. I'm assuming that because the bushing is wedged up so tightly in the column housing it will probably stay put. If and when it fails, we will be able to use this post as an indication as to how long this workaround will last. I'm hoping for quite awhile.
One last note, don't feel sick after doing this when you go to start your car and it doesn't crank. The shop manual says specifically that after doing any shifter work on the column, you will need to adjust your neutral safety switch.
Good luck to all.

[Harley Eaton]

I've done this job many times in less than an hour. I always cut the bushing in the center of the nodule, which makes the cut at the top when installed. Harley

[El Sol Infinito]

That sounds pretty smart. That would probably make getting that nodule to seat in the slot a little easier, too. I wish I'd known that before I started...