FMX automatic tranny questions

[nadams]

A little back story-

I have just purchased a 67 bump with a 352 and FMX auto tranny. The PO said the tranny was wasted and he had to be pushed into a parking lot, where it sat for 4 months before I bought it. I have the truck home now and was adjusting the timing and checking out a carb leak when the truck shifted from park to reverse. Luckily I had a northwest tire block (1/4 round of firewood) behind the left rear tire or I would have a new hole in my house where the garage door used to be. I was also standing out side the truck with the drivers door open. I shut the truck down and shifted it back into park but now the tranny seems to be fine. Before when I would shift the truck into drive the engine would bog down and die but now it seems fine.

I am a little afraid to road test it because the rear brakes do not seem to work and I live in a neighborhood. I don't want to run over any kids or pets. The PO also said the tranny died after he drove it for 3 blocks. I don't know how he got that far with the timing so far off.

So finally to my questions-
1. What would make it shift into gear by itself?
2. What would be the cause of the bogging down when shifted into gear?
3. Could there have been some kind of blockage or something sticking to make the tranny quit that is now unblocked/stuck?
4. Who is going to come over and fix it for me? JK

I really don't know anything about fixing a transmission so any help is appreciated.

[l1k2gadd]

The transmission jumping into reverse could be something as easy as a transmission shift linkage adjustment.

I'm not sure what auto trans the '68 FE cab donor I have here has in it but I believe the PO of this one, or maybe it was the '69 Ranger's PO, said it too jumped into reverse on him when sitting there idling.

There was a time when there was a warning out about some Fords doing this but it is too long ago for me to remember which ones.

[averagef250]

Sounds to me like the engine was so messed up the tranny shifting into second would kill it.

Either that or the tranny is toast.

Sometimes when the frictions in an auto tranny wear out they get so bad they can gall or weld together. When this happens you'll notice a power loss whenever the bad friction set is invlolved in a gear.

[fordman]

the column gear slector could be worn also. that could let it jump out of gear. as far as thee tranemission. it could be the motor ran bad and that was killing it while he was driving it. or maybe if he had just rebuilt it it was too tight with his specs that it just wanted to bind up. you say it went into reverse . did you try it in drive aslo after that? drive can go out and leave only reverse working. i have drove cars home in reverse. that had no drive

[nadams]

I ran it up and down the driveway a couple of times. I did not road test it though.

[fordman]

if it works then it was probably a bad running engine that killed it. some po's dont know whats wrong so they guess at it. unless it got hot and quit on him.

[l1k2gadd]

Blocking tires is something people don't always think about until a vehicle does just the thing yours did. Good thinking with that 1/4 round of firewood.

I use space-saver spares at times that are leftover from a couple of Fox Body Mustang parts cars I have had here. They are thin and fit under a lot of vehicles.

[AlleyCat]

My 67 did the same thing when I was working on it last fall. The right front brake drum was sitting on a 6x6.It jumped back, ran over the 4x4 wood wheel chock, fell off the 6x6 and wedged the driver's door into the fence. Turned out to be shift linkage adjustment.

[nadams]

The orange indicator does not line up with the corresponding letter. When in park it is to the left of the P. Is that a sign of linkage out of adjustment?

[fordman]

no thats just slack in the shifter i think most all trucks do that . mine does that too.