What floor shifter options for an AOD?

I'm putting an AOD in and wanted to hear experiences, info, and opinions (like I wouldn't get plenty of those) on what floor shifter to go with. I will be bracket racing on street car night and so need to consider the performance aspect.

Thanx-Jamie

 

I personally like the B&M Megashifter.

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Performance-Automatic-Shifters/Megashifter

It's a ratchet shifter, so when you're racing you just push forward and it only changes 1 gear at a time. No worries of going from 1st to Neutral, or worse - REVERSE, by accident.



One that I will not recommend it the B&M Quicksilver.

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Performance-Automatic-Shifters/Quicksilver

I had one in an old '72 Nova I had and it was quickly renamed the Quickjam because that's exactly what it did - Jammed Quickly!

I honestly never bolted down the console because of it's constantly jamming and got quick enough that I could pop off the console, unjam it, and put everything back together while sitting at a stop light and still have time before the light changed!

You could also check out the Hurst shifter line too. Unfortunately, the only Hurst shifters I have any experience with is the manual shifters and the Dual Gate.

http://www.hurst-shifters.com/s.nl/c.723089/sc.8/category.2541/.f

Hope this helps,
-Scott H.

 

I have a B&M Megashifter and love it! Set up right you have "NO" worries. They are universal & will work w/ a AOD. GOOD LUCK!

 

I also plan on useing the Megashifter in my 72 with 5.0 and AOD. If you look in Summit under the item there is some small print for a AOD kit you will have to buy in addition to the megashifter. I personally like the B&M Hammer shifter but my wife likes the mega better. She wins

 

ya i have the b&m in mine. its great and works amazingly.

 

i have always used th b&m quick silver its very nice as well

 

I think you can run just about any shifter you want since the AOD only uses 3 positions for the forward gears. I hope I am right on this. I DO know I ran an AOD for a while on my stock ford F100 column shifter. I had trouble getting 1st because of the ratio between the trans. shifter arm and the arm on the column shifter.
If I had been smart enough I could have made it work I am sure.
clint

 

I have had a B+M Quicksiler in my car since 1985,always works perfectly.

Wifes Fairmont has a B+M Megashifter and it works very well also.

 

Thanks for the inputs so far. What I have read is that to hold an AOD in second gear you have to pull the shifter back to the 1st gear position after making the 1st to 2nd shift. I was hoping someone can speak of a shifter that works well for doing this.

 

ive got a Z gate in my car even though it says it doesnt fit the AOd it works fine

 

That is the way it works with a stock valve body. I would think to do that would need a none ratchet type shifter but I have not had one in years so I am probably wrong. After I got tired of trying to get the ratios right with my column shifter I put the Mustang shifter from the AOD donor into my truck in a console I made. I could do the 1-2 shuffle pretty easy with it since it didn't have any gates between the forward gears.
You could go aftermarket. I think Jay at Broader Performance can set you up with an electrically operated switch for the torque converter and a different valve body that will hold any gear as long as you want.
I would give him a call and see what he says.
clint