Column Shift Bell Crank Assembly Issues

[mat in tn]

now that you have the x member landed how does the bell crank assembly look. are you modifying? how are you connecting to the 4r70w ball stud made for the newer style cable?  

[Tarheel Blue]

Made some progress on the bell crank issues. In order to get the shaft of the assembly that runs from a bracket on the frame to the bracket on the trans in a more perpendicular alignment I relocated the grommet hole by 1.375”
I took this NOS bracket
and welded part of the C6 bracket and sprayed a little black on it.


Currently I’m using the shift lever arm that is in the center of this photo.

I drilled the hole to accept the grommet to accept the connecting rod that goes to the lever on the bell crank. All looks like it’s going to work well, I just can’t confirm as my steering column is not in its final position. Until I get it bolted in place I’m afraid that all of the compounding geometries of angles/ rotations and spans would give me false indications of success.

[mat in tn]

the connector link has a bit of a double dog leg offset to it. the selector shaft on a bell crank design has a definite double offset. as much as 1-1/4".  this way all of the pivot points are at right angles at least. this was not an issue with cable selector designs. and why the 4r70w had a much flatter lever. flat for most cars.

[Tarheel Blue]

Here’s a different photo showing the offset. Again, I’m currently mocking everything up using the center arm and seems like it aligns well.

Part # F75P 7A256-AA for anyone that’s interested.

[Tarheel Blue]

The other day Matt had asked if I’d checked my pinion/ yoke angles.
Yes I did and they match, but that made me remember to pass along a couple of tips or lessons learned.

First is something that most people probably already know, your smart phone has an app that works as a level or angle finder. Cool!

Second would be that, somewhere in the late 1900s, Ford switched the design of the trans mission x-member from what I call the tall or raised x-member to a flat x-member. This resulted in a change of the transmission mount height. The earlier mount is shorter, something right at 2” tall while the later mount is closer to 2 5/8”
This corresponds nicely with the difference in the two x-members. So, you need to match the mount to the x-member rather than matching the mount to the transmission.

[Gary Lewis]

Good to know.  Thanks.

I'm following this as I'm going with an E4OD in Dad's truck.

[mat in tn]

I know that there are differences and that is why I asked. I don't always know the specs per the install and as much as I hate it, I get numbers transposed at times. so, I try to keep notes and literature available. a tail shaft lifted too high or set too low from a mount change could cause a vibration from the driveshaft in some cases. I doubt we are talking 100 plus mph though.