Cruiseomatic vs Fordomatic shift levers

[1959retractable]

I was recently told that the shift levers on Cruiseomatic transmissions interchange with Fordomatic transmissions. Can anyone verify if this is true? I have a 63 Cruiseomatic in my 59 and would like to install the correct shift lever rather than modifying this one to work with the steering column.

[Ford Only]

I'm not sure what your saying but the shift lever for fordomatic & cruisomatic are the same the difference is the gear selector indicator plastic insert that has PRNd2d1L or fordomatic which is PRNDL you would just need to change plastic piece with the gear stamping to match your transmission. If its your saying you have a different steering column, a 1963, I'm not sure but it is not very hard to remove the gear lever, just press the pin out and compare or try it to see if it fits.

[1959retractable]

I was referring to the shift lever on the side of the transmission. I have the correct 59 steering column with the Cruiseomatic gear indicator.

[1959retractable]

246

Shift lever on side of transmission case

[Ford Only]

Sorry can't be much help on that, I did swap out the Fordomatic in my 59 for a Cruiseomatic from a 1964 Thunderbird and I know I did not change the gear linkage on the transmission.
Its been several year ago and I don't remember what I had to do as far as the linkage, I do know you would have to take the pan off the transmission to do a swap, it would probably be less work to modify what you have.
Another option would be to find the linkage that was used on the 63 and use that.

[58retrac]

Hi,
I have a '58 retrac with a 352 interceptor assembled in Nov 1957 with a fordomatic two speed, which had been removed from my car by its previous owner (the original tranny is gone).
I bought a medium case cruise-o-matic from a '64 car and want to fit it into my car.
I know the Q may seem naive but before sending it to my local mechanic I need to know how difficult it is to make the swap work and are there any tricks necessary to avoid possible problems ? Are bell housings interchangeable with similar bolt patterns ?
I read the info on charlietranny and other forums, but haven't found a straight forward answer.
I would appreciate help.
Thank you
Robert

[1959retractable]

My two cents worth is to make sure you use something to "locate" the starter correctly. Early cruise-o-matics used a rubber-covered metal gasket under the starter mounting flange to correctly center the starter in the correct position. Please don't make the mistake of thinking the starter bolts do a "good enough" job of putting the starter in the correct position. Don't quote me on this but I think Ford switched from that rubber-covered metal gasket around 1962 and began using a block plate gasket between the engine and bellhousing. This full size metal gasket correctly centers the starter in the right spot so it will engage the flywheel teeth correctly without either gear getting chewed up. The block plate gaskets are available if you didn't get it when you acquired the '64 transmission. Also, if the transmission is out then you have the option of changing the flywheel to the higher teeth count so you can use a modern starter rather than the older version. But that's entirely up to you. I just wanted to mention it while it's conveniently apart. As far as other specifics, I would imagine that transmission cooler lines may be routed differently but I'm not aware of any major differences that would prevent the swap.

[58retrac]

Thank you 1959retactable for a top tip. I'll discuss changing the flywell with my mechanic. I'll keep you updated.
Best Regards,
Robert

[SkylinerRon]

They should be very close, you can probably adjust the rod to work.

Goodluck,

Ron.

[58retrac]

Hi,
I finally moved the car and the c-o-matic to a skilled mechanic, but unfortunately he found out that a crossmember is missing and I urgently need one.
There are two available on ebay now:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Transmission-Crossmember-for-1959-Ford-Fairlane/232680860841

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1958-58-FORD-CAR-FAIRLANE-CUSTOM-AUTOMATIC-TRANSMISSION-CROSS-MEMBER-352/111940708800

The sellers are not sure whether they would fit my '58 skyliner 352 (assembled Nov '57).
So, I'm asking for help.
Can anyone judge just by looking at pictures which one is correct ?
Should I ask more specific questions or get measurements ?
rsvp
Robert

[58retrac]

I did some research and it seems the Skyliner has a unique frame configuration, thus making it extremely difficult to find a used crossmember for my transmission.
I see the future in dark colors when I think of myself searching remotely for a proper crossmember, so I figured I should try to find a skilled welder and get me a bespoke one.
Unfortunately I don't have the resources to reproduce one except for a common "1958 Ford car shop manual" .
Could anyone help me in finding blueprints or pictures with precise measurements of the frame and the crossmember ?
I'd really appreciate any help or words of advice.
The car is in good company now, but I don't want to wait another season to get it on the road again.
Best,
Robert

http://pl.tinypic.com/r/yfair/9

http://i68.tinypic.com/yfair.jpg