The shifter lever on the drivers side of the AOD tranny points down for a column shift. To make it work for a floor shifter you will need to pull the pan and re-position the shift lever 180 degrees so that it sits in the upward position. You will need a modified shift rod to connect the original floor shifter to the shift lever on the aod. I found one on ebay that seems to work ok with my 69. I don't recall who made it. it was not a mustang supply house.
Check out Windsor-Fox for the shift linkage rod

http://www.mardelphotography.com/aod_help

 

10-4, I appreciate everyones help on this, it seems that the two constants I found searching this topic were the lack of talk about how the lever is set up and the number of times somebody posted about shifting your AOD manually. People we actually telling people to shift in to 2nd manually, then pull it back to 1st to hold it in 2nd gear, which will toast the band, lots of bad advice out there so it pays to be part of a forum like this.

 

This is the only way to hold second gear without changing the valve body in a stock AOD.

 

This is actually good advice. The key is you have to wait until the shift into second is complete then pull back to hold it in second. people toast the band by pulling it back into first before it completes the shift. My tranny shifts at 5200 auto. Manually I shift at ~6200. There are very good valve bodies that can change this.

Im looking at one that will keep 1-2-D(3) and then OD will be operated by an electronic button.

 

I ran like that for years at the drag strip in my 89 5.0 before they came out with a new valve body.

That was the first upgrade I did and never looked back. Extra clutches where next with a trans brake and then the rest, single input shaft and 31 spline coupler to the converter and when it finally gives, a new HD drum and output shaft.

 

everything I have ever read about pulling it back in to first says it will damage the band and not to do it. Seems like I also read it in a Mustang Monthly a while back.

 

That is funny beyond compare since my experience with bad advice boils down to coming from 2 major sources:

1. People who have no first hand experience with an item offering/repeating opinions
2. People who take information printed in magazines at face value

I'm just saying

 

I am just telling you what I have read, not calling anyone out. If that information is wrong so be it. This was supposed to be a helpful thread, had no intention of it turning into a argument. I justr read an article in 5.0 Mustangs and Super Fords (a Lentech article) where it says it will lead to premature failure, yet on the Baumann website, it says its ok to do it. So that being said, sounds like there will be an argument for and against. To get back on topic, I got my lever switched around yesterday and the TV is all hooked up. Is there a difference in lever shapes that makes you want the floor shift over the column shift AOD? If you have to switch them anyway why not start with a column shift aod anyway? Now I just need to either fab up or buy a shift lever and I will be done with the trans.

 

i have read through this thread and it doesn't seem to have turned into an arguement, just that real world experience is often different than technical research. i have enjoyed my aod swap greatly. i dont drive my car as aggressive as some but it will do everything i expected and makes for great road trips. the only thing keeping it from more road trips is the lack of A/C.

you will be pleased with the results!

 

Lentech is the most knowledgeable AOD company around. I had a long conversation years ago with Len about this same thing. When your shifting that way and your not in WOT (wide open throttle) you don't have enough clutch pressure on the forward drum and thus the clutches slip. So the suggestion was put in a valve body that gives you full pressure at part throttle and extra clutches in the forward drum.