Topic: '76 TA Shifter Questions

[Trevon]

I think thats what I have too, and the button must be pushed from P to R but not from R to N to D, and then again to 2 and to 1, but it can go from 1 to 2 to D to N without pushing the button.  Fairly certain mine doesn't push to the right as the ratchet shifters are described.

[Bull]

Hi folks.  I had some time to mess around with the TA today, and I think I might be closing in on at least one of the problems relating to the lack of reverse lights.  But, you tell me.  Based on these two pics, it would seem that I am missing the linkage that connects the lever on the steering column to lever under the car that itself connects to the shift linkage knuckle.

Piece near the trans:


Piece on the steering column


Why anyone would just remove this piece and therefore incapacitate the backup lights is a mystery.  But, based on some of the wiring I have been working through on the car, I would say that at some point or points in its life, it was not in delicate hands.

Anyone have some spare linkage?

[eroc022]

i do, got a few of them..... you only need half of it though..... most of the time they were removed for header installations....

[Tin Indians Rule]

U can still test your backup lights by turning the column clockwise with the switch on about an inch or so. Have somebody at the back of the car while you turn the column and they should see the lights come on if the rest of the wiring is intact. The reason that piece is usually missing is that it gets bent up from dragging across speed bump, etc and get the thing out of adjustment. So they just disconnect it. Or they replaced the cable or something and couldnt figure out how to adjust it back to get the key out.

[Bull]

i do, got a few of them..... you only need half of it though..... most of the time they were removed for header installations....

Any luck finding one?  I'd like to get the reverse lights working so I can move on to the next issue and get this old Bird on the road. 

[Grand73Am]

Sometimes that linkage is removed when headers are used since they interfere. Or if the engine or trans has been pulled and somebody got lazy and didn't put the linkage back.

Did you look to see if you still have the backup light switch on the column under the dash? You probably do. Remember that it's also the neutral/safety switch. Without that linkage from the transmission, not only don't the backup lights work, but you also don't have the neutral/safety function. The car won't start unless that lever on the bottom of the column is in the up position, as if it were in Park, and you have to leave the lever in that position so the car will start. But then, it will also start in any gear, so you have to be careful not to start it in gear.

If nobody has a spare linkage setup, you might find one on eBay. I've bought them there before.
These are all the parts involved that you need to have:




Also, you don't have a ratchet(Rally) shifter. The one on the left is your shifter. The one on the right is the Rally shifter:

[Bull]

VERY helpful  post, Steve.  Thank you.

The neutral safety is the plastic switch that is sort of arc-shaped, and straddles the top half of the column right?  Sits down close to where the column enters the firewall?

If so, I removed it last weekend to clean and lube it. 

[Grand73Am]

yes, that would be it. Glad to help  .

[Bull]

Ok, so I received my linkage last week, and had some time today to mess around with it.  What keeps the bolt, #13 in the exploded diagram above, from backing out?  It seems like that bolt is long, as the head comes nowhere near contacting the surface towards which you are tightening it.  And what the heck does the super-thin, sort of bent washer under it do?  When I tighten the bolt, it hits the rod leading to the steering column to keep it in place via friction.  I get that part, I just don't like how sloppy the design seems. 

Much ado about nothing?

[Grand73Am]

Yes, that's the way it is. The bolt will stay in place when tightened up to the rod. I looked at the head of the bolt on one of mine and it is about 1/8" short of bottoming the head to the #5 part. That's actually good, since if the head bottomed out, then the end of the bolt might not tighten sufficiently on the rod. Your "super thin bent washer" is a "wave" washer, part #14 that you should put on the bolt before screwing the bolt into the #5 part. The wave washer fills in that loose 1/8" space and helps keep it from rattling around too much. Hope that makes sense   .

[Bull]

It does make sense, and I am obliged to you for the help.  What did I ever do before the internet?  Scratched my head a lot, I guess  

The washer seems so flimsy that I can't imagine it puts much pressure on the head of the bolt, but I'll just take the leap of faith that it does!