FLOOR SHIFTERS 2: CABLE VS LINKAGE

[91 LTD]

W/ a little extra scratch on the way and having looked at my interior w/ a floor shitter in mind, Im now thinkin bout a 6" arm LOKAR floor mount linkage operated AOD shifter, no need to drop the tranny, no cable to route, no stupi adjustments to make on the shifter body, super low key looking even w/ chrome skull knob, and will fit better than a B&M sport shifter. Wave of the future for $170 w/ out a boot?

[Grand Marquis GT]

What do they look like?

[91 LTD]

One of the big dogs is up, nice.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=LOK%2DFMS6AODFM&N=4294925134+4294839069+4294822068+400015+4294904006+4294782188+115&autoview=sku

[nitroracer]

I like it

[91 LTD]

Thanks, I think it's gonna be badass.

[Archangel]

I wouldn't install a floor-mount shifter, but rather either a transmission mount, or a tail-mount one. Reason is that a shifter firmly attached to the tranny will give a more precise shifting - it's all rigid connections, nothing to flex or stretch. Here's a link to a 6" tail-mount shifter: http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[91 LTD]

Thought bout it, but don't you need to drop the tranny to do it? If so Ill pass cause I just got the damn thing in and I aint gonna pay to do it twice. All this shifter is going to be asked to do, is while standing, shift into P,R,OD, or D if Ill be in the city going slow, thats it. I NEVER plan on using it to shift gears while the car is moving, I have no need to ever do that.

[Archangel]

Hmm, and how are you gonna shift from 3rd to 4th when entering a freeway? I always use the 'D' position while in the city, then when I start speeding down the on-ramp kick it in 'OD', then when slowing down after the off-ramp I'd go back into 'D'. I keep the car in '1' when driving in parking lots, keeps me away from trouble and prevents unnecessary shifting up and down.

The tail-mount shifter uses the bolts for the tranny's tailhousing obviously, I think they can be reached without dropping the tranny given a suitable set of extension and maybe flex joints. I don't have any money now, my ex needed everything I had saved up, so I haven't really looked into all that too much, but once she repays me I'll be doing the same decisions as you. I think the perfect combination for me would be a "slap-stick" shifter (ratchet) with a hard linkage, but I'm yet to find one.

[91 LTD]

First, from Summit on the floor mount shifter page: "Removal of the transmission is not necessary. " They dont say that bout the tail mount, don't mean much but....

Second, if I had it in D and was going to go on the highway here in LA you will always be at a stoplight somewhere before the onramp where you could shift up at a stop to OD and anytime there's traffic they turn on the lights and everyone stops before entering anyway. Plus if you drive w/ s fucked tranny w/out any higher gears for as long as I did you learn how to control shifts w/ the throttle. As for offramps Ive taken them doing 80 and my brakes slowed me down just fine to a complete and controlled stop by the stop sign at the end of the ramp.

As for a linkage slapstick, I dont think they exist cause the whole thing is a cable/ ratchet based system.

[Archangel]

Meh, your call on that man, it's you car and you tranny. Either way the Lokars are perfectly usable to shift while in motion. About shifting with the gas pedal, I learn how to do it during the first week after I got the car, IMHO everyone driving an auto car should be familiar with their tranny as to know what it's doing at any moment and how it can be controlled. All ratchet shifters can be converted to hard linkage, it just takes time and some fabrication - if I ever go ahead and get one of them I'll design a hard linkage for it, that oughta make me unique, right?

[91 LTD]

Hellz yeah, that's way beyond my plans. I dunno all in all I guess I just believe in letting automatics do they're thing. That and Im just plain scared of screwing things up again.

[Archangel]

That and Im just plain scared of screwing things up again.

Well, now that's what you get for trying to save on a $5 part Jk man, I see your point, good luck with it and take lots of pics when you get to the install.

[91 LTD]

Actually not, my car's carb (stock 2bbl Holley Marine carb) doesn't have the brass bushing it has a stud/ post that the tv cable attaches to. The bushing didn't fail the cable's attachment point did. Had just gotten my car back from it's post purchase the works tuneup and then next fuckin morning the carb starts flooding like a motherfucker. So my mechanic sends me to his buddy Tony aka the king of carburetors (carb only shop, had pictures of some Jag w/ more than one carb that he worked on, man is an artist and will tune my carb for free any time I stop by) so after all that I didn't have the $ for a Lokar tv cable (work had been slow) smartass.

Any who how beefy are the floor panels on these cars, cause I was just thinking how cheap and easy it would be to reinforce the area (if necc.) w/ a few strategically placed pieces of steel stock during the install. Been working alot lately so the $ will be coming in nice for a change and many more surprises will be ahead with pictures (gonna get digi cam for work).