1966 Ford Mustang - Project '66 - 1965-1968 Automatic Shifter Rebuild

9 Reinstall the retaining nut for the shift levers, and securely tighten it. Make sure the alignment of the two levers does not change while you tighten the nut. Otherwise, the levers will not seat properly, and you may damage them.

10 Temporarily install the T-handle to the shifter lever and test for proper operation of the shifter gate and pawl. Since our upper lever was new, it needed a minor adjustment at the locknut (arrow). Most original shifter levers will not need an adjustment. Also, if your shifter pawl cable is frayed or already broken, the cable can be purchased separately as well.

11 Now that the shifter lever installation and adjustment are complete, you can reinstall your shifter housing plug.

12 Our '66 hardtop originally had a long console in it, as evidenced by the console installation mounting screw holes. At some point throughout the years, the console was removed and a standard shifter housing was installed. Whoever did the installation decided to forego the correct mounting bracket. Instead, they simply ran longer tapping screws directly into the shifter housing, all the way through to the transmission tunnel. The bracket shown here is the correct piece for a nonconsole car.

13 Our original shift indicator lamp assembly was in good shape, except for the ground lead having been pulled free of the lamp body. We carefully cut open the molded end with an X-Acto blade and soldered the ground lead back on. Then we placed the molded end back over the wire and used some Super Glue to seal it shut.

14 A new bulb is installed into our indicator lamp assembly and tested with a 12-volt power source. Installing the light is simply a matter of gently squeezing the retaining fingers and snapping the lamp onto the shifter lever.

15 When we install the rebuilt shifter into our '66 hardtop, we remember that the shifter retaining bolts were in poor condition: two were stripped and two were broken off-with the latter being a common problem. A 11/44-20 tap made quick work of the two bolt holes that needed to be repaired.

16 For the two bolt holes with broken bolts, we decide to forego any type of extraction and simply drill them out. Once the bolts are completely drilled out, we use the same 11/44-20 tap to make new threads.

17 Throughout the years, as these old Mustangs of ours are taken apart time and time again, certain items end up in the trash can or are destroyed. The shifter housing seal is one of these items. Usually missing from previous shifter rebuilds, floorpan work, or carpet replacement, these seals keep out dirt and noise from the passenger compartment. Make sure you use one of these when reinstalling your shifter housing.

18 Our shifter housing is now installed back into our '66 hardtop using new mounting hardware. Notice that we have the correct console shift-selector plate installed onto our shifter now as well.

19 The special adjustment bolt shown here is a hard-to-find item if yours is missing or worn out. Ours was in decent condition and only needed new bushings.

20 The shift arm received years of abuse from loose bushings-wearing out both ends. A new shift arm was obtained from Texas Mustang Parts as well.