Ford Explorer: column shift to floor:: shift..auto trans

i have a 92 Ford Aerostar 2wd van... i need to replace the shift
cable... this van has a column shift with airbags ..... my local junk
yard has a aerostar with a automatic floor shift and cable... can i
convert my van to a floor shift
my reasons for doing this is because the key keeps getting bound up and
stuck in the ignition and i have to move the shift lever and wiggle the
steering wheel just to get the key to work....ALSO the floorshift is a
direct hook-up cable striate to the tranny...and the column shift is
long and winds around all the way from the column to the
trans............ i plan on putting a lot of miles on this van and i
want it to be trouble free and easy to work on... ..... can someone
please tell me the steps i need to take to convert this...or tell me
what steps are needed to just replace the stock cable . does this
involve messing with the air-bag?
Thank-you

As always, Sound advice from Jim.

I might also add that I used to own an Aerostar with a floor shift (89) and
it had NO INTERLOCK at all. on the shifter.

This may seem trivial, but my next-door neighbor left his van in drive one
day when he pulled into his garage. A short time after exiting the
vehicle, it began to roll backwards, and came to rest in the living room of
the neighbor across the street ! Fortunately nobody was hurt.

Luckily I never had such a mishap, however I *did* miss putting it in park
once while getting out in a haste. Leaving the unit in Reverse (and no
park brake) Fortunately it only rolled a few feet on semi-level ground.

At any rate, I don't know if Ford put interlocks on later vans or not, but
it's something to think about !

good luck!

"Jim Warman" <net> wrote in message
news:Gs1qb.13457$.. 
problems - 
for