Shift lever

Hello everyone.... I'm in the United States and I want to take advantage of buying some spare parts.

The shift lever on my 1975 Gran Torino is loose. When it is in parking it sometimes falls by itself in reverse and when changing it has a lot of loose movement, as if it were not firm. What part will work for me? Are there new parts or do I have to look for used ones? It is much easier for me to buy now than when I am in Chile.

Thanks!

The owls are not what they seem

61magic has tackled this issue

https://forum.grantorinosport.org/column-shifter-problems_topic20301.html

[QUOTE=61magic]Okay, I took care of one of my problems so here are things I found that may be helpful to others with the same issue.

First, I had two problems to deal with. The sloppy shift lever and the lever not returning to the lock position for park etc.

The sloppy shifter is due to the holes where the roll pin goes through the column and the shift lever are worn so the lever moves around. I have not been able to resolve this, I haven't found a collar I could purchase individually.

Ecklers discontinued selling them for the 74 and had no stock left over. Searching ebay only produced complete steering columns but I don't want to spend $350 for a $50 part.

A friend suggested drilling the roll pin holes a little larger in both the collar and the lever and using a larger pin. I may try this if I can't locate a collar.

Back to the repair.

The second problem which was the lever not locking in the park position has been resolved.

After some research and looking at pictures I discovered there was a spring-loaded plunger located behind the shift lever which held the lever in the locked position.

Assuming the spring was broken I found one on ebay, the part was NOS with the part number FDU-7293-A.

This part number said it was for an earlier model Falcon/Ranchero. I didn't find a part specifically for a 1974 Ranchero but figured I would try it.

I removed the steering wheel, nothing special about this.

Next, I removed the turn signal lever and the switch pulling it forward to move it out of the way.

I removed the snap-ring on the steering shaft and removed the two nuts holding the first column in place. The bearing was stuck on the shaft, so it took a lot of wiggling of the collar to get the collar and bearing to move.

Note: I also had removed the key cylinder thinking this may be holding things which didn't make a difference so this may have been unneeded.

I couldn't completely remove the upper collar because the plastic wire plugs from the turn signal harness wouldn't come apart and I didn't want to break it trying to force it. I pulled the switch as far out as I could to get room to work.

Also, something in the steering wheel lock, where the connection to the starter switch was preventing the collar from moving any further.

I thought something the ignition switched connected could be the cause. Looking in the hole where the switch came out there is something that looks like a rack and pinion to move the steering wheel lock and rod for the starter switch is.

There is a snap ring in this area, but I didn't have a snap ring plier that would work in the cramped area. I couldn't get any further.

I inspected the "detent" (if this is the correct term) the shift lever engages to lock it in park and it looked fine, nothing worn I could see. I had found an NOS replacement on ebay for this part.

I was finally able to giggle things around enough to get access to the two small screws that hold the plunger and spring in place. Using a right-angle ratcheting screwdriver, I could remove the screws followed by the plunger and spring. A small magnet pickup tool really helped here to get the spring out.

The spring was broken in three parts. The replacement spring, found on ebay was a bit larger in diameter and seemed to be of thicker coil material.

It did fit the plunger and fit into the hole the original spring was in.

After putting everything back together everything worked as it should, the handle locks in park as it should and operates normally.

Much safer now and don't have to worry about the transmission falling out of park and moving.

So now I'm on the hunt for a collar that doesn't have the roll pin holes worn, if anyone knows a source pass the information along, please.

I may try the drilling suggestion and worst-case purchase a complete column and keep the extra unneeded parts for the "just in case" stock.

If you have any question about this procedure, feel free to contact me.

[/QUOTE

72 GT Ute

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AgentCooper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 21-April-2017 Location: Chile Status: Offline Points: 84	Post Options Post Reply Quote AgentCooper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Shift lever Posted: 21-July-2023 at 10:51AM
	Hello everyone.... I'm in the United States and I want to take advantage of buying some spare parts. The shift lever on my 1975 Gran Torino is loose. When it is in parking it sometimes falls by itself in reverse and when changing it has a lot of loose movement, as if it were not firm. What part will work for me? Are there new parts or do I have to look for used ones? It is much easier for me to buy now than when I am in Chile. Thanks!
	The owls are not what they seem

californiajohnny Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14723	Post Options Post Reply Quote californiajohnny Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22-July-2023 at 7:35AM
	could be a few things... pin and steering collar worn out, cable worn...or a combination of a few things
	JOHN 74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION

Rockatansky Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30-July-2010 Location: On The Road Status: Offline Points: 6398	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rockatansky Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 23-July-2023 at 3:15AM
	61magic has tackled this issue https://forum.grantorinosport.org/column-shifter-problems_topic20301.html [QUOTE=61magic]Okay, I took care of one of my problems so here are things I found that may be helpful to others with the same issue. First, I had two problems to deal with. The sloppy shift lever and the lever not returning to the lock position for park etc. The sloppy shifter is due to the holes where the roll pin goes through the column and the shift lever are worn so the lever moves around. I have not been able to resolve this, I haven't found a collar I could purchase individually. Ecklers discontinued selling them for the 74 and had no stock left over. Searching ebay only produced complete steering columns but I don't want to spend $350 for a $50 part. A friend suggested drilling the roll pin holes a little larger in both the collar and the lever and using a larger pin. I may try this if I can't locate a collar. Back to the repair. The second problem which was the lever not locking in the park position has been resolved. After some research and looking at pictures I discovered there was a spring-loaded plunger located behind the shift lever which held the lever in the locked position. Assuming the spring was broken I found one on ebay, the part was NOS with the part number FDU-7293-A. This part number said it was for an earlier model Falcon/Ranchero. I didn't find a part specifically for a 1974 Ranchero but figured I would try it. I removed the steering wheel, nothing special about this. Next, I removed the turn signal lever and the switch pulling it forward to move it out of the way. I removed the snap-ring on the steering shaft and removed the two nuts holding the first column in place. The bearing was stuck on the shaft, so it took a lot of wiggling of the collar to get the collar and bearing to move. Note: I also had removed the key cylinder thinking this may be holding things which didn't make a difference so this may have been unneeded. I couldn't completely remove the upper collar because the plastic wire plugs from the turn signal harness wouldn't come apart and I didn't want to break it trying to force it. I pulled the switch as far out as I could to get room to work. Also, something in the steering wheel lock, where the connection to the starter switch was preventing the collar from moving any further. I thought something the ignition switched connected could be the cause. Looking in the hole where the switch came out there is something that looks like a rack and pinion to move the steering wheel lock and rod for the starter switch is. There is a snap ring in this area, but I didn't have a snap ring plier that would work in the cramped area. I couldn't get any further. I inspected the "detent" (if this is the correct term) the shift lever engages to lock it in park and it looked fine, nothing worn I could see. I had found an NOS replacement on ebay for this part. I was finally able to giggle things around enough to get access to the two small screws that hold the plunger and spring in place. Using a right-angle ratcheting screwdriver, I could remove the screws followed by the plunger and spring. A small magnet pickup tool really helped here to get the spring out. The spring was broken in three parts. The replacement spring, found on ebay was a bit larger in diameter and seemed to be of thicker coil material. It did fit the plunger and fit into the hole the original spring was in. After putting everything back together everything worked as it should, the handle locks in park as it should and operates normally. Much safer now and don't have to worry about the transmission falling out of park and moving. So now I'm on the hunt for a collar that doesn't have the roll pin holes worn, if anyone knows a source pass the information along, please. I may try the drilling suggestion and worst-case purchase a complete column and keep the extra unneeded parts for the "just in case" stock. If you have any question about this procedure, feel free to contact me. [/QUOTE
	72 GT Ute

AgentCooper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 21-April-2017 Location: Chile Status: Offline Points: 84	Post Options Post Reply Quote AgentCooper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 03-August-2023 at 3:20PM
	Thank you all for your responses and advice. It was a very eventful trip and in the end I didn't buy anything. Back here in Chile, with time I will disarm and see how I solve it. I'll probably ask for help again when I can check it out.
	The owls are not what they seem