Which Transmission will give me the correct ?

[66gtk]

You want your oil pan and bellhousing to be roughly the same low spot on your car. Trim if necessary, but don't let the bellhousing sit significantly lower than the pan. With a mild 289 stroker, you may consider the TKO 500 as well. It might be smoother to shift. I just LOVE the old TKO in my FIA, but that transmission is no longer available. Sounds like you might want the 4 speed shifter ball, which is a nice touch - even on the 5 speed for the authenticity you are seeking. It also confuses people who attempt to drive your car when they look at the shift pattern and can't get it into reverse (:

Your next consideration is which gear ratios you want for the transmission and rear. Let the debate begin. Lot's of factors to consider (tire size, engine torque curve, driving style, anticipated touring miles on the highways, etc...) Or you could just say the hell with it and choose the 3.31:1 rear and get a Toploader mated to a rev happy engine like the stock HiPo was/is.

[LMH]

Most original owners I know tell me they wouldn’t change transmissions from the original 4 speed but it sure would be nice on the freeway if they had that fifth gear!
Larry

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by crendonman427sc

Hi Glen,

Surely the Canton Oil Pan would hit something first, before the flange of the Scattershield hit if they were that low??

I am trying to figure this out in my head (before I commit to buying a certain type or model) but Technical Dimension Drawings from manufacturers, seem to be fairly thin on the ground.

David

Hi David,

It should be a simple enough check to measure the distance from the flywheel to the block/pan interface, and then add on the depth measurement of the Canton pan (if it's not fitted), and compare that summation to the outer radius of the scattershield. I would do that myself (Canton pan and QT scattershield) ...but would have to move too much 'stuff' in my limited garage space

Cheers
Glen

[xb-60]

Hi again David,

Back to your original question about “correct shift stick position in the cockpit”….

Here are a couple of pictures of the interior of Lynn Park’s CSX2307 “Dirtbag” (show me a more original, unmodified 289):






The shifter location shown above should be a reliable indication of what is correct for a 289 Cobra, yes?

This makes me think about what I have done on my own setup. I made an adaptor to position the shift lever on the centre plane of the gearbox, but at least I included some adjustability:



The shift pattern on my shift knob is different to that on Dirtbag because, of course, mine's a Toploader, not a T10



Cheers,
Glen

[1795]

Glen,
Nice looking adapter! I just wet with a piece of heavy bar stock that I drilled and mounted to the linkage and then offset the shifter to the inward side of the bar stock.

Jim