C5 shifter problems

[85_Ranger4x4]

I am putting a C5 behind a 302 in my Ranger. I am going to use the factory C5 shifter. The knob was nasty so I took the old standby A4LD method of removing the chrome ring and giving it a good pop with the intent of swapping it for my A4LD knob. The thing came off and flew apart, and won't go back together, it acts like it is missing parts. I figured fine, be that way. Low and behold the whole shifter is different. Rather than the bumpy plastic rod that gets pushed down to actuate the flipper thing it has a tiny metal roller that somehow actuates the flipper thing.

Of course the A4LD knob doesn't work at all.

I have the chrome ring at the bottom, the button/slider, and a spring about 2" long. It never did have the chrome ring that went around the button. Am I missing something else? There is nothing to hold the button in... It worked fine before I tried to switch.

 

[The_Dealer]

looks like its time for a b&m for a c4. they have some around 100 bux

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

looks like its time for a b&m for a c4. they have some around 100 bux

I have thought about it but I don't really like how they look. There is nothing to cover the huge hole in the carpet around 4x4 lever, and nothing to mount my gauges to. I just like the factory one, with the big lit selector and trim in the right places.

If I could just get the knob back together so I can get it to work until it gets warm enough to prowl junkyard to find a better looking knob it would be great.

After thinking about it overnight, I wonder if the roller held the button. I am going to try that...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Put the shifter in 1st gear so the roller was more or less pointing straight up, and worked the button as I pushed down on it... and now it works fine again.

 

[rednine4]

I havent done it yet... but I am confident it will work.. my plan is to use the shifter with cable from a foxbody mustang (automatic) aod.. has that factory look with a simple design.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I havent done it yet... but I am confident it will work.. my plan is to use the shifter with cable from a foxbody mustang (automatic) aod.. has that factory look with a simple design.

That would look great in a 2wd or a electric shift 4wd. The cable would probably be better than the Ranger linkage setup.

On a first generation RBV, they all have floor shifters. If you have manual 4wd that lever is somewhat incorporated into the floor shifter bezel too. It wraps around the boot covering the base, and covers up the hole in the carpet. It also makes the bezel wide enough to perfectly fit a 3 hole gauge bezel on the front.

Kind of a crappy pic for this, but you can kind of get a idea of what I am talking about here. My interior is pretty much gutted at the moment so it is about as good as it is going to get.

 

[rednine4]

Yeah, that's similar to my setup.. i have an 85 BII used to be manual trans with manual tcase... I plan to use the existing boot... just tuck the shifter through the boot so it will sorta look like a stick at the bottom because of the rubber boot... at the top it will have the foxbody t handled shifter...

Like I said i havent done it.. ive seen it done on a 2wd but lining everything up on the 4wd may be a bit of a task.. Hopefully u can figure something out that keeps that stock vintage look.. at least thats what I aim to do with mine.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That would be neat using a big boot for an automatic.

I am not sure what has to be done about the 4wd lever yet, (C5 is a couple inches shorter than the beloved A4LD) but I think the transmission shifter will work out fine.

I do need to find a 3spd bezel yet though... not earthshatteringly urgant though because I rarely looked at the old one when I shifted it. Nobody at a car show can lean in far enough to see that the bezal has more speeds than the listed transmission.

The whole idea of this build aside from some dress up stuff on the engine, is I want it to look like it came this way. I even found a '85 5.0 AT emissions label in the F-series book at LMC.

 

[stevealvey24]

[/QUOTE]

Just wandering what you wount up doing here? I'm looking for the shifter pieces that you have in your ranger.

 

[slammer67]

I made a console to cover the hole and put in a B&M quicksilver shifter