![]() As for that doughnut, which to me is the bigger problem, it seems to me something could be made out of a different material, such as aluminum or brass, that would last longer than the plastic. Again, I've seen fixes, such as reshaped detent plates, for certain years of Thunderbirds, but not for the 64. Fords had this problem pretty much through the 1970's, and there WAS a change for some of the late 70's models. Again, very surprising that there was never a recall or a fix implemented. The real problem is the shift lever action. But the brake release isn't the problem usually these care can move backwards even if the brake stays engaged. If that doughnut is gone, it can release BEFORE going into reverse. If the problem is only the shift lever/ detent plate, it only releases when the lever moves into reverse. The problem has to do with the fact that the transmission indeed has a tendency to drop out of park into reverse, and instead of the parking brake limiting the movement, it releases by itself. But if it gets sloppy enough, the parking brake can release anyway. There is good news in all of this - if you swing the column to the right, it's locked in park and can't shift. As for the doughnut, it's plastic, the new ones are plastic, I would think that something could be made out of brass or aluminum but nothing else is out there that I know of. The weld makes the metal harder and it does not wear as fast. In the case of the shift lever, I've been told that it's better to use a welder to "Reshape" the wear instead of buying a new lever. There's the shift lever itself that wears, and a "doughnut" inside the steering column that disintegrates and falls out - you would think that improved versions of these could be made, but nope - replacements are same as original, and eventually you'll have to deal with them again. ![]() I have seen certain "fixes" in the form of new detent plates that help prevent this from happening - on other years, but not the 1964. This is positively the worst piece of engineering ever to be put on a car, and they were never recalled or a fix made for this. The problem isn't the brake release, it's the shift lever.
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