1957 gear selector won't come out of Park

[fordomanic]

My '57 Bird has developed a strange problem recently where it stays stuck in Park. It started a few weeks ago as an occasional glitch whereby the shifter became balky and would not come out of Park but I could release the shifter after several atempts. The problem has increased in frequency to the point where I no longer use Park (I use neautral and the handbrake when I shut the car off). There have been a couple instances where I thought I would be stuck where I was because I could not get the gear selector out of Park (it now takes a lot of button pressing, shifter shaking and cussing). The release button on top of the shifter seems to be working insofar as it goes down and comes back up when I press/release it but it does not seem to release the linkage from the park position when I depress it. The shifter does not exhibit any issues when shifting between any other gears. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks, Dave.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[Shawnski]

Make sure the knob is screwed down tight as if it’s loose the rod that disengages the parking clog won’t release. I typically loosen the knob on purpose as a theft deterrent.

 

[zeroroadkill]

Good deterrent! BTW what is the threaded hole in the top of the shifter knob for? Does anything go in there?

 

[4VE]

My '57 Bird has developed a strange problem recently where it stays stuck in Park. It started a few weeks ago as an occasional glitch whereby the shifter became balky and would not come out of Park but I could release the shifter after several atempts. The problem has increased in frequency to the point where I no longer use Park (I use neautral and the handbrake when I shut the car off). There have been a couple instances where I thought I would be stuck where I was because I could not get the gear selector out of Park (it now takes a lot of button pressing, shifter shaking and cussing). The release button on top of the shifter seems to be working insofar as it goes down and comes back up when I press/release it but it does not seem to release the linkage from the park position when I depress it. The shifter does not exhibit any issues when shifting between any other gears. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks, Dave.

If it is the same as my 55, there is a thing called a "shifter pawl" which can break due to being worked hard. They are easy to replace and inexpensive: Larry's Thunderbird is where I got mine. Check to see if the entire part is intact. It is a formed device that retracts when the button is pushed.

 

[Ward 57]

Good deterrent! BTW what is the threaded hole in the top of the shifter knob for? Does anything go in there?

I believe that is for the screw that holds the button on.

 

[fordomanic]

If it is the same as my 55, there is a thing called a "shifter pawl" which can break due to being worked hard. They are easy to replace and inexpensive: Larry's Thunderbird is where I got mine. Check to see if the entire part is intact. It is a formed device that retracts when the button is pushed.

If it is the pawl, would I get at it from the interior or from under the car?

 

[4VE]

If it is the pawl, would I get at it from the interior or from under the car?

Yes, from the interior. No need to go from below. You probably can't access it from below. Just dis-assy the shifter cover. It is right below it. It should be visible at the base of the stick and you should be able to see it actuate when the button is depressed.