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C6 transmission problem

Hi all,

I do hope someone out here can help me with this as I'm not getting very far with this over here in the UK.

I have just imported a 66 coupe that has had a C6 switched in place of the C4. The previous owner installed a B&M Unimatic floor shifter in place of the stock shifter. I am wanting to get rid of this B&M shifter and reinstall an original shifter. I'm not keen on the B&M at all as it has an obscenely long neck and because of this it won't engage into P as it hits the front dashboard. Crazy. I managed to get a mint '66 floor shifter with all the bits off Ebay but it seems to be a cruisomatic shifter with a "L, large dot, small dot, N, R, P" shift pattern rather than the 1,2,D,N,R,P setup as expected. This is where I'm a little uncertain and confused.

This cruisomatic shifter appears to have a strange shift pattern.

1 - it sits in L but unlocked 2 - shifts to large green dot (main D - all 3 gears??) without having to press the button but moves easily between this, the small dot and N without and clicking/locking. This has confused me totally. 3 - the next click position is not locked - is this N ?? 4 - Next click is R which 5 - then drops into P.

Do I have all this correct ?? Now the question is will this work if I link this shifter up to the C6 ??

Many thanks for any help or advice. Cheers,

Jonathan

Reply to
JB
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"What engine do you actually have in that 66.

I owned a 66 and it only came with the C4 automatic, IIRC, although there were a couple of manual options.

I owned a 68 428 Cobra Jet, which had the C6 tranny. I hated the car because it was front heavy, never ran as it should, got 6-8 mpg, etc... I wanted to change it over to the small block BUT the small block wouldnt fit the C6.

So, whatever you have, it is obviously a little special.

Reply to
<HLS

C6 automatic transmissions were available with small block (289 {6 bolt}302

351W 351C) Inline-6 300 and big block(360FE, 390FE, 427FE, 428FE, 429/460 "385" series) bell housing bolt patterns. I am sure there are a few engines I missed that there were C-6 transmission bolt patterns for.

As the original poster stated the original small block C4 transmission was removed and a small block C6 was installed...

Reply to
Another Made Up Name

Thanks for the info on the C6. The engine is a 289. Anyone got any ideas if an early 1966 stock shifter (with "cruisomatic" written on it described in my original post above) will function correctly with the C6 transmission ??? thanks

Jonathan

Reply to
JB

Here is how the C4 tranny shifted in a 66

L= Always stays in 1st. big Dot= Normal drive pattern start in 1 shift to 2 shift to 3 little dot= start in 2 shift to 3rd. Intended for use in snow or slippery conditions.

In 1967 they changed to the more well known PRND21 pattern. It was just a change in the valve body that changed the shift patterns.

I don't know if the C6's were available with the two dot shift pattern. I would guess yes.

Anyway, you should be able to install a shifter from a 67 mustang and it would have all the markings that match your trans.

My guess is that you can install the shifter you have and the little dot would be Drive and big dot would be start in 1 and shift to 2.

Reply to
Kathy and Erich Coiner

According to parts catalogs, there is no break down for a different transmission. The 65-66 shifter was the same for all auto shifts. The only shift that was different was the "with console" setup, but the pattern was still the same. So, if the C6 was available for the 289 in '66, then the shifter would be the same as for the C4. As for the shift pattern of the C6 itself, I do not know if the linkages would be setup differently.

My 65 requires unlock to go from neutral to reverse and again to go to park. It will shift from neutral to either drive range without unlocking, but required unlocking to go to L. It will transit from L to either drive position without unlocking. (I just went out to the garage and tested to make sure.)

Reply to
Spike

Thanks to all for your help with this. It seems as though the 66 shifter I have described will work but not isn't really an ideal solution. It would seem better to source a 67+ type shifter that provides the correct shifter tooth pattern to match the C6.

Cheers once again to all who replied.

Jonathan

Reply to
JB

In 65-66, ford did install a C$ (as you know), but it had an odd shift pattern.

P-R-N was the sam as always. But the foreward drive gears had a slightly differant pattern. The first position (L), started the trans out in 2nd gear, it would not shift down to first. It was Ford's first attempt at traction control. The second postion (large dot) was for normal shifting 1-2-3. The last position (small dot) was for first gear only.

This shift pattern was inside the trans, and not in the shifter. You could make the shifter you have work. But you're probably better off getting the mechanism from a later car with the C6.

Reply to
.boB

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