Wait a sec. Mil1ion... What did you mean by "the hole on the shifter cowl worn out like an oval?" Which hole? The one where the shift lever has a pin through it to hold it in?

I can't seem to figure out why the whole shifter cowl on mine can be moved around by hand.

And do you have to remove the shift tube to get at that spring? There's only one spring indicated in my shop manual and that's at the bottom of the shift tube. I was planning on ordering parts before I take this all apart but I guess I'm going to have to disassemble first. I had been planning on replacing the following: shift collar (lower flange), upper bearing, turn signal cams, and that spring that's making my shifter floppy. Should I be thinking about anything else while I'm at it?

 

There is also a small spring that fits into a hole on the cowl part then presses against the shift lever to give the lever a push back to regular riding position..

What normally wears out is where the roll pin is.
It wears the hole oval,then the shift lever is allowed to flop around.

 

Okay. I get it now. Sorry for being so dense but it's hard to know what some of these pieces are supposed to look like without having an example!

It looks like the floppiness of the shift lever in my truck is caused by a combination of the small spring and the worn out hole in the cowl. Mine is really really really worn out. I'm wondering if the PO drilled out the hole to make it bigger at the top. I thought the shifter was just supposed to be secured with a roll pin. On mine, the head (top part of the pin) is large like on a screw but the bottom is small (like for a normal roll pin). I guess I'll just go ahead an order the cowl.

Hopefully the shifter is not damaged at the base cuz I haven't been able to find replacements for those (although everyone seems to stock turn signal levers).

 

jeff's bronco graveyard sells new levers: http://www.broncograveyard.com

 

They sell turn signal levers and shift lever *****....but I haven't been able to find the shift lever (or "auto shift handle") itself.

 

You're right, they used to sell them brand new not very long ago. They were factory Ford -- Ford must have just stopped making them. You may be able to have your local Ford dealer locate one on some part shelf somewhere... I've had luck like that in the past:

I call and get the part number and then ask them to search their system for any dealers that have them. It may not be local, but you may find it. Once you get the part number, you could also call Dale King Obselete Ford Parts (in Kentucky), don't have a number. He might have an NOS one.

Good luck.

 

Sounds like the bronco graveyard ones were NOS (new original old stock). In some ways keeping these trucks alive now is a race against time as the NOS parts disappear. Some of these things will take a lot of digging to find. For example, it took me a very long time to get a brake equalizer bracket--there are no aftermarket replacements. Macs referred me to someone who referred me to someone who referred me to someone. The last someone had the part but he didn't have any formal way to take phone orders (no credit cards). So we agreed on a price and I sent him a check.

I'm starting to feel that Mustang and Bronco parts are much more readily obtainable (with many aftermarket options) than many of the F-Series parts. Not sure why that is.

 

I still think the real source of the problem is the roll pin holes are elongated & that causes the slop.

 

I know that my role pin is no elongated. I took the lever out and could not find any trace of a spring.

roll pin hole is not elongated, that is.

 

Well, I took my column apart totally today. Have some more questions:

1) I have a new shift collar (cowl) on order as the role pin hole for my shift lever is totally messed up. My assumption is that both the top and bottom holes are supposed to be the same diameter...to accomodate a role pin! Is this correct? On mine, the top hole is about 1/2" in diameter while the bottom is less than 1/4". There definitely wasn't a role pin in there.

2) How is the shift collar supposed to be fastened to the shift rod? I had to remove the entire collar and rod assembly as one piece. It looks like the top of the shift rod has been thicked with a bead of brazing (it's brass color) and then the collar (or cowl) has been forced on. It would have to be pounded off at this point. From my shop manual this doesn't seem right, but then there's no explanation as to how this is supposed to go together.

3) The shop manual also notes that there are supposed to be too screws and nuts that enter the back of the upper collar (the part that houses the turn signal pieces). Mine didn't have any screws/nuts there. It's not clear to me what those screws/nuts are supposed to be for. Could I be missing a part? What are they supposed to hold in place (if there were there)?

4) I'm also not sure what is supposed to be near the bottom of the shift rod to make the neutral safety switch work (mine's disconnected). There's a little metal bracket with maybe a tab (about 1/4") rising up from it. Isn't there supposed to be a pin or something that sticks out to make the NSS work?

5) Finally, the little spring for the shift lever is broken in half on mine. Home Depot does not carry parts like this. I did fine a spring of similar diameter but it is nowhere near as "sturdy" as the one that was there. I'm going to check an ancient independent hardware store that's nearby.

 

I have already found several of the other column parts, I'm still looking for your spring.

 

Oh man. It sounds like I'm missing a lot of pieces. Could this column have been pulled from something? There is definitely an NSS on this column (although it's not hooked up).

Okay. So the hole IS supposed to be the same size on the top and the bottom!

By "plastic bottom" you mean the trim piece that surrounds the column and is screwed to the dash? I took that out first...but it was easy since it wasn't quite together along the split on top.

Hrmmm. Nope. Didn't have 3 screws. As I posted earlier the whole thing was loose before I took it apart. That is, while assembled, I could move the shift cowl left to right so that the gear pointed didn't match up correctly to the right letter (if that makes sense).

After I popped off the steering wheel (with a puller), I disconnected the turn signal switch assembly and then pulled it out (wasn't held in by any screws) along with the upper collar (or cowl, the part that houses the turn signal assembly). Next, I pulled the entire shift rod with the attached shift cowl out of the column. There are no screws securing the cowl to the shift rod. So I guess I'm missing those and don't quite understand where they would go.

While trying to figure out why it was all so loose before, and not understanding what I was missing in parts or screws, I started wondering if the whole thing was just supposed to be held together by the steering wheel. But that didn't make sense. Although the cowl would be tight if you pushed it all the way back into the column with some pressure.

So do these claws grab the shift rod column then?

Awesome. It seems that my column is a huge mess. How about sending me your truck so I can have an example to work off of?

Thanks for your patience and help. It's been kind of nerve racking that this truck is in such a sad state of repair. Progress has been very slow. The shop manuals haven't been as helpful as I had hoped...although I'm glad I have them.

Now why do you have this stockpile of parts anyhow?? Hope you have a PayPal account!

 

Toolz-
Check your email.

 

BY plastic bottom I mean the end of column hole filler that clips into place with 3 tangs.

I will talk with you by e-mail & send you a blow-up pic of the 78 regular column.

 

Mil1ion-
Can you also send me the diagram you speak of?