'Sherrie' my 86 Oxford White CV Coupe

[Mainemantom]

Glad that they fit and look good on your car. Glad to have helped you.

[clutch47]

.....From another thread...
http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...l=1#post835759

[clutch47]

Had Sherrie out for a little drive on Friday. She wasn't going into the depths of winter storage last week as I had planned, so A little corner carving session happened.
Spring swap was absolutely what it needed.
5 miles from home, pulling out of a simple traffic light.. tranny held first too long, stuck between 1st and second...then banged into gear after we got rolling.
SO..
Spring will have trans rebuild on the calendar. AWESOME.!!!!

[gadget73]

change the fluid first and see what happens. Might just be some dirt in the valve body making things stick. could also be the tv cable is gummy and hanging at high pressure.

[clutch47]

change the fluid first and see what happens. Might just be some dirt in the valve body making things stick. could also be the tv cable is gummy and hanging at high pressure.

Did all of that when I got the car. Total flush new filter, etc. etc. My friend down the street has a transmission shop. They did it.
the 1-2 shift has been soft for a while...
I have a hankerin' for a floor shifter too... but I haven't seen one that hits my switch.
My other car has a Hurst Pro-Matic 2 that I absolutely love.. but they are 3 speed shifters. HHhmm..

[knucklehead0202]

Damn it you just made me think about floor shifters and now i kinda want one. Reckon that would require a different shift lever on the trans? Mine is still being built so i could change it...

On a side note, our trannies only have 3 gear positions so would it matter?

[gadget73]

The AOD has the same shift pattern as a 3 speed auto, just in case thats what you meant.

The 1-2 shift is pretty much always mushy in an AOD, especially with heavy throttle. Its kind of an ass-backward transmission, the harder yo push them, the mushier it tends to shift in stock form. A shift kit might sort it. I'm just very not keen on transmission rebuilds unless there isn't a lot of choice. I'm cheap, and I've seen a lot of bad AOD overhauls. Its not a bad trans but they seem really prone to being rebuilt poorly and then failing quickly afterward.

be double sure the TV cable isn't wanky though. I've seen them get sticky from rust down at the trans end. The lever can bind up on the cable end and not let it move correctly. Pulling the cable off, cleaning the ball, and a bit of grease for re-assembly might be all it takes.

[clutch47]

The AOD has the same shift pattern as a 3 speed auto, just in case thats what you meant.

The 1-2 shift is pretty much always mushy in an AOD, especially with heavy throttle. Its kind of an ass-backward transmission, the harder yo push them, the mushier it tends to shift in stock form. A shift kit might sort it. I'm just very not keen on transmission rebuilds unless there isn't a lot of choice. I'm cheap, and I've seen a lot of bad AOD overhauls. Its not a bad trans but they seem really prone to being rebuilt poorly and then failing quickly afterward.

be double sure the TV cable isn't wanky though. I've seen them get sticky from rust down at the trans end. The lever can bind up on the cable end and not let it move correctly. Pulling the cable off, cleaning the ball, and a bit of grease for re-assembly might be all it takes.

We did the cable inspection and grommet fingerbang when I got the car so that shouldn't be my issue. I'll look at it again to be sure, but I'm leaning towards full-on gut the sumbitch and make it work the way I like.
I realize the AOD has 3 gear positions, and that's my problem. See....I want to control the OD. So after I talk to my friend...it may get something else. (AODE or 4R70W)
I'm partial to full auto function in D and hold the gear I choose in any other position. So for that....a 3 position shifter will KINDA work if the valve body will allow me to...hold1--hold2--D-O/D. We'll see.... I'll get Steve to put in the Alto Kevlar bands/clutches, and we'll talk about where to go with a shift kit or total valve body.
I'll probably get some kind of converter too, aimed at the cam specs the forthcoming 351 will be using.
The dance begins. For some reason my car projects always start with the transmission and rear end, move to brakes/suspension, and end with engine.

[gadget73]

Silverfox valve body will get you electronic OD lockout like the later transmissions have.

[clutch47]

Nice.
That'll get me the OD control AND a 3 position shifter. Yummy.
Thanks mister...

[clutch47]

Thinking out loud here.
Electric OD lockout using a stock shifter arm with a button on the end...
WAY cheaper than a floor shifter.
Any idea which column shifter arm with a button would directly replace my '86 lever with the 'make me bleed' peeling chrome option.?
Those Silverfox valve bodies sound great. Anybody have experience with one.? They sure ain't cheap.

[knucklehead0202]

Thinking out loud here.
Electric OD lockout using a stock shifter arm with a button on the end...
WAY cheaper than a floor shifter.
Any idea which column shifter arm with a button would directly replace my '86 lever with the 'make me bleed' peeling chrome option.?
Those Silverfox valve bodies sound great. Anybody have experience with one.? They sure ain't cheap.

This is all very pertinent. I'm actually getting a whole silverfox transmission after weighing the options. It's definitely spendy but at the end, i know it's all good shit. I talked to a good local rebuilder, who quoted me something on the order of 1800 for a HD rebuild, but i wanted the silverfox valve body with OD lockout, which adds another 5 or 600 bucks. Add a 4r70 wide-ratio gearset and i'm right about 3 grand, which is right about what the entire trans from silverfox is costing me. In the end, I know this guy knows his way around the AOD and won't disappoint. He takes a little while to turn stuff out because he has a full-time job in addition to his silverfox activities, but will be in regular communication. Shoot him an email and he WILL get back to you within a day or two typically.

Anyhow, i've also toyed with the idea of finding a Ford column shifter stick of some sort with the lighted "OD OFF" button on the end. My brother has an extra one somewhere from his '02 Harley Davidson F-150 but it might be a bit long and goofy. I was wondering if there was a mid-90s Lincoln or Merc car that had something similar but haven't scoured for it just yet. We're kind of on the same page here so let's keep up this dialog.

[VicCrownVic]

Anyhow, i've also toyed with the idea of finding a Ford column shifter stick of some sort with the lighted "OD OFF" button on the end. My brother has an extra one somewhere from his '02 Harley Davidson F-150 but it might be a bit long and goofy. I was wondering if there was a mid-90s Lincoln or Merc car that had something similar but haven't scoured for it just yet. We're kind of on the same page here so let's keep up this dialog.

In your case I think, depending on the year it changed, there should be a direct swap from a late '92-'94 Panther. I think it was somewhere in that year range that they switched from button on the shifter to button on the dash or maybe the other way around.

For clutch47, I'm not sure a direct swap is available since he has an '86. If there is a direct swap available it won't come from a Panther.

[knucklehead0202]

Good point vic, although with the early ones being a longer unit, i'd bet one out of a late '90s-2000s truck like my brother's would work, as they are longer as well.

[clutch47]

I'm gonna have to get my ass to the junkyard unless ya'll have the perfect plan. I had a stroke a couple years ago and a junkyard is a hell of a challenge.
But anyway..
I could do the button on the dash too I guess. Or wire it up to the early amp power pull switch UNDER the dash. That'd be a hoot. My '84 Capri had one..