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  1. #1
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    Default '82 Zephyr - floor shifter fix help

    The lock mechanism on the floor shifter in my '82 Zephyr doesn't work - when you press the button on the side of the shifter handle it doesn't do anything. The previous owners were kind enough to provide me with a pair of scissors that they had been using to reach down into the shifter to manually lift the locking pawl so that you can move the shifter in/out of P and past R.

    My plan is to replace the auto transmission with a stick as my build progresses, but for now it would be nice to have the shifter actually operate properly. Is there a quick/easy fix to restore the button on the shifter handle so the shifter will work without scissors?

    Thanks!
    '89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
    '82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car

  2. #2

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    junkyard shifter? I would think a good number of them would swap over, especially Mustang.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  3. #3
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    Foxes are pretty rare at the local junkyards; lots more SN95s and now even S197s are starting to appear. The only Foxes of any flavor at the local yards right now are 3 later Mustangs ('89, '90, '93), so I don't know if they would be compatible.

  4. #4

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    Post something in the wanted section maybe? There are guys on here with yards full of cars...
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  5. #5
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    I'm not going to bother actually swapping out the shifter, it's not worth the effort. If I have to actually do work , then I'll just leave it as-is until I pull the transmission. I was just curious if there might be some quick fix.

  6. #6
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    Take it apart and see what the problem. Could be the button in the tee handle or a broken cable in the handle. If you can’t be bothered then why post it?
    Fox Body/3rd Gen MCA Gold Card Judge
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  7. #7
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KevinK View Post
    Take it apart and see what the problem. Could be the button in the tee handle or a broken cable in the handle. If you can’t be bothered then why post it?
    Cable is broken. All Ford stuff prior to the areo revision was the same inside, so find a replacement wire...even a bike cable crimped would do it.


    Pintos, x shell Granadas often got T bar auto's, and get parked up.

    Bill Heeley 3261 Mt. Olney Lane, Olney MD. 20832 has every thing you need to fix it.


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  8. #8
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KevinK View Post
    If you can’t be bothered then why post it?
    I posted to ask if there were any quick/easy fixes - you know, the sorts of tips and tricks that folks might have gathered during the 30-40 years these cars have been on the road. Something like: There's a plastic tab on the button, which is where the cable attaches. That plastic tab breaks off, but if you screw a self-tapping screw into the button, you can connect the cable to that. Takes 5 minutes. I just made that up, but that's the sort of thing I thought I might find. I know I can fix a broken shifter by replacing the whole thing, but IMO that would be a waste of my time/effort/money, as I'm just going to remove the thing later this year to install a new drivetrain.

    Quote Originally Posted by xctasy View Post
    Cable is broken. All Ford stuff prior to the areo revision was the same inside, so find a replacement wire...even a bike cable crimped would do it.
    That's a quick fix suggestion - a bike cable. (But if I have to completely disassemble the thing to install said bike cable, then I'll just stick with the scissors.)

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