1976 300 i6/c4 tranny linkage issue

[76explorer2008]

I am in the process of finally finishing what was supposed to be a gasket change to a full engine overhaul since i basically fried the 360 that was in my 76. Coming up to the end now, i am facing one little issue, the transmission linkage...Since i dropped down to a sb the old tranny had to go, the c4 behind my 300 has a slightly different shift arm than what the c6 had. I still have the arm coming off the steering column but it will not go down far enough to even make contact with the piece on the transmission. Did the 300 have a different arm for that year range and does anyone have any advice on what i could as i am dying to get back in a good ole american classic and impatiently waiting to start back at hauling scrap metal

 

[76explorer2008]

And before I forgot this is what the arm on the transmission looks like for all of yall folks.

http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u537/76explorer2008/imagejpeg_2_zpsf7026970.jpg

 

[dustybumpers]

Are you asking about the kick down, or the shift linkage?

 

[76explorer2008]

I was talking about the shiift linkage.

 

[BuzzGun79]

Contact "Lokar performance products"....www.Lokar.com....They may make a cable conversion kit for your existing column.

 

[76explorer2008]

Ive been to that site before but some of their prices were a bit high, with what i got now would i be able to use a floor shift? I didnt want to as ive had one on another 76 and it was a bit of a pain.

 

[76explorer2008]

I just took a look at the cable conversion kit and they also state that they do NOT fit Ford trannys...maybe a little fabricating involved?

 

[BuzzGun79]

Sounds like you will either have to fabricate a piece..or find a c-4 truck for the missing items, or the floor shift option,which in my case thats the route i went...

 

[76explorer2008]

Well after doing a little bit of research and asking a few people about the linkage, we have figured out that what we have is not a c4 but the fmx. Also it was setup already for the floor shift option as Park is all the way so the column shift would not work anyways

 

[76explorer2008]

After a little bit of research and asking around, I had one guy come out and take a look at the transmission. He then told me that it was not a c4 as originally told it was a FMX, also it came out of a van not truck as we had originally thought and it is already setup for a floor shift so thats the route we will go. Does it take the same type of tranny fluid as a c4 or something diferent and whats everyones opinion on it as Ive heard bad and good so anythings helpful right bout now.

 

[Fellro]

I can't say on vans with FMX, but cars actually have a lever that goes down, while the trucks come up, and operate backwards tot he other. I might be backwards, but I do know that the cars are opposite how trucks move. As far as I know, FMX's were more common to cars than trucks.

 

[BuzzGun79]

Here is a little History on the FX/MX,FMX Units..

In the mid 1950s, cars began to grow in size, and in response to heavier vehicles, more powerful engines were being developed. The original Ford-O-Matic was used as a template when developing the next automatic transmissions for Ford; in fact, many of the gear sets are interchangeable. The new transmissions arrived for model year 1958 which coincided with the release of Ford's new FE and MEL engines. Although marketed as Cruise-O-Matic, the new transmissions were known internally as the MX (larger) and the FX (smaller). They were a three-speed design using a Ravigneaux planetary gearset like the original, but moved the pump from the rear to the front of the transmission, while also using a different valve body so the transmission would start in first gear as opposed to second. The MX was built in the Livonia Transmission Plant in Livonia, Michigan and was placed behind the more powerful engines in Mercury, Lincoln, and a select Ford models. The smaller FX was built alongside the Ford-O-Matic at the Fairfax Transmission Plant and was put in midrange Ford and Mercury models. Because the original Ford-O-Matic started in second rather than first, it was marketed as a two-speed after the new three-speed transmissions were introduced. Production continued until it was replaced by the C4 in 1964 and application was for smaller Ford and Mercury vehicles.

The FMX...In 1966, Ford introduced the C6 automatic, which left them with three heavy-duty automatic transmissions and crowded conditions at Livonia Transmission plant. Ford decided to combine the best attributes of the MX and FX transmissions and ended up with an improved version of the "X" called FMX. This transmission used the stronger MX-type rotating parts in the smaller FX style cast iron case. This cut down on both weight and the number of transmission components Ford needed to make. This transmission was manufactured at the Fairfax Transmission Plant, freeing up capacity at Livonia for the new C6. The FMX was manufactured from 1968 to 1979, when the Fairfax Transmission plant was closed.

Although the FMX was phased out in the United States in 1979 in favor of Ford's then-revolutionary Automatic OverDrive (AOD) transmission, the FMX was sold for another two years for use in V8 Ford Falcons built in Australia. The FMX ceased production when Ford Australia phased out the V8 engine.

Gear ratios
First: 2.40:1
Second: 1.47:1
Third: 1.00:1
Reverse: 2.00:1