Peva

1985 shortbed with 4.9 and granny manual 4-speed floor shift tranny

Over the last few months, I've noticed that the shifter would sometimes pull out of the shifter mechanism if I inadvertently pulled up while shifting. It always will push back in place and everything works fine (scared me the first time it happened).

Here is the problem: Tonight, I was warning my wife about it so that if it came out while she was driving it, she'd know not to panic, and how to drop it back into place and keep going. Problem is, I pulled it out too far when I showed her what it does, and it's now completely out of the shifter mechanism, and it won't drop or push back in place.

I removed the rubber boot (4 screws hold the bezel to the floor), thinking if I could see what it was dropping into, perhaps it could be guided into place. Nope.

So - does anyone know how to get the shifter to go back into place properly so it works right? I hope the answer isn't that I have to drop the tranny and remove the shifter mechanism to get things to go back together properly.

That is my main problem and what I very much need the help with. If I can get the shifter back in and working (without having to drop the tranny), I'll be *very*happy.

However, anyone familiar with how it all fits together (I don't include myself in that crowd) will understand when I say that there is a dome-shaped collar that used to hold the shifter into the shifter mechanism, but that its locking slots are all bent up, and that's why it was able to pull out of the shifter mechanism in the first place.

So, I would like to replace that collar with a new one. LMC Truck Parts shows the pieces with that dome that hold the shifter down, but they have it greyed out in the illustrations, and no listing of those parts - see the snip of that part of the floor shifter page, below (again, it is greyed out so it looks faded). I added the red arrow pointing to the collar that I need to replace. Anyone know a source for the collar, or a kit that contains the collar?

Besides LMC, I also looked on the Bronco Graveyard site for the collar, but wasn't able to find anything on those bits for the shifter.

Thanks in advance for any help.


Red arrow points to floor shifter retaining collar
that I would like to find a source for:

Peva

Got it.

putnamusic

hey how did you get that dome off?
i have a '85 and the shifting is getting increasingly difficult; someimes a cant even get it into 1st or 2nd until i jam it real hard. it feels like its going to break.
do you have any pics or reaources that might help me? haynes manual does not help and so far i havent found anything online that is directly pertinent; everything ive found on youtube and elsewhere is a different assembly.
thanks for any help; it sounds like we have same floor shifter , but different issues.

burnthelight88

The diagram appears similar to a NP435 4 speed transmission. I don't know exactly what you have, but if that's the case, the dome is threaded on. Large set of pliers will usually spin it off without much issue.


Your difficulty shifting could be a pin that wears out, again if its the NP435. Any idea for sure what transmission you have? If its all original, you can check the door tag and post up the transmission code.

putnamusic

hey thanks for replying!
it's not a "push down and twist" style. on the door it says trans type B, and after some VIN googling, and based on pics and others' testimonies, it must be either a T-18 or T-19. it is a dome cap with four notches/grooves/slats for pliers. problem is, i cannot get a good enough grip on it; the handles are too big on any pliers that get a decent enough purchase. it looks like it was designed to let tranny drop first, then easily take off stick and cover etc., cause i got no room to work with because floorboard is in the way.

Steve83

The NP435 shifter retainer is push-&-twist style.

This & the PREVious few show the BW T-18/19 shifter & exploded diagrams:


https://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/831126 (for phone apps)

Make sure that's what you have before you attempt to use those diagrams. This shows many older stickshifts, for comparison & ID:


https://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/72405

This contains most trans codes (near the bottom of the caption:


https://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/72354

Based on your code, I'd expect it to be the SROD. But follow the relevant links in those captions until you positively ID it. Or post some good pics of it.

burnthelight88

My bad I got the two mixed up in my mind (working on my NP205 lately, had that NP stuck in my head). I have the T18, which looks similar to the diagram which you correctly stated is not the push and twist. Honestly mine was only hand tight but maybe you could use a chisel and hammer and lightly try to tap it loose.