Bass Ackwards

[FormerMarine1981]

I just put a 351 W with a C4 transmission out of a 76 Torino in my 69. I connected the shift linkage rod from the steering column to the transmission. I thought it was in park and was adding transmission fluid while it was running and it started to jump slightly as I was adding fluid. Well long story short when my indicator reads "park" I am in first gear and 1st gear is park. Is there any way to fix this without getting into the internals of the tranny?

[two-bit]

any way you can reverse the bracket on the trans?
Sounds like the detent is rolling in one direction, and your shift lever up the column is set up for it the otherway.
Been a while since i looked at a C-4.
Good luck.
Two-bit

[FORDification]

By any chance was the Torino set up with a floor shift?

Sounds to me like you have the wrong transmission shifter arm (if that's what it's called, I can't remember off the top of my head), the one that the shift linkage from the column attaches to on the tranny. Anyway, floor-shift transmissions have a lever that points up, while column-shift transmissions have a lever that points down. If you hooked up the column shifter to a floor shift shifting arm, the shift pattern is going to be reversed as you described. You simply need to find the proper shifting arm from a column-shift transmission.

Or you can make your own with a piece of flat steel.
Drill another hole in the existing arm and bolt a piece of steel pointing downwards. It will take some messing around to get the correct location for the upper linkage hole but is do-able.

Either that, or someone's installed reverse-shift valve body in that tranny.

[FormerMarine1981]

The linkage on the torino was on the column but it was also a cable unlike the rod I am using now. I could probably fab up a device that works like a pivot. When the rod pushes down it pulls another one up. And before my brother reads this I don't think I should just sell it to him

[jbanks]

But really, if you just sold it to me you'd have far fewer problems to worry about and more money. BTW, I just called Dad to go buy that Bronco for me. Yay! More junk!

Ok, back on topic. We looked at the trans that came from the truck with the proper linkage and couldn't tell how to remove the linkage. It didn't appear to be held on by a nut or pin or anything, but I could be wrong. It seemed to be just a rod end it was attached too. Thinking about it now, I wonder if there was a clip holding it on that maybe the dirt covered. Hmmmm..... Anyone know how the transmission linkage is attached to a C4 trans?

[Jake11]

Yep.

You gotta pull the pan to change it. Pretty easy on the bench.
Theres a big nut on the inside that holds it on. Gotta pull the
valve body too. Need pan gsk, valve body gsk's, ATF.

[FormerMarine1981]

Maybe I should just put that C6 in it. Lets see how the c4 does in the truck then we will see.

[68F250]

That reminds me when I was putting the C6 in the Mach1, it fell off the jack and landed on the shift lever, broke it in half. Floor shift lever was not that easy to find.

[jbanks]

Dang, pulling the pan and getting in there doesn't sound like fun. Good luck with that.

I'd just drive it as is for now and fix it down the road. Can pull the trans later or just put a bar attached to the linkage that points the opposite direction. Maybe that's why it took so much work to get the linkage to work.

[FormerMarine1981]

I can drive it like it is for now. I think the best and easiest way, aside from replacing the arm in the transmission, is to use Keiths idea. A piece of Flat steel but make it adjustable with a slot so I can line up the gear indicator.