Can someone explain why i can not shift into 3rd while in motion but it will at idle? i just replaced my 54' 235 engine with a 56' 235 engine. Everything went together (motor to tranny)easily, so im sorta not sure why it will not shift. Just get a terrible grind then wont let me into that gear.
Sounds Like : Tim's the winnah ! . But don't panic , these old trannies are dead simple to overhaul , just make a point of replacing everything that's worn out , shafts ,bearings , bronze synchro rings *and* the steel synchro hubs , this stuff is out there , fairly cheap on Flea-Bay if you don't mind buying it one piece at a time (sorta like Johnny Cash but faster) .
It's gonna be allright Nate, you'll see.... Didn't Johnny Cash "steel" it one piece at a time? Hears a pix of my mother standing in front of Johnny Cash's Cadillac about 30 years ago. you can see that some of the trim doesn't line up...Big Tim
There's a book out here someplace I got a book / phamplet from one of the vendors, maybe our host , that is how to overhaul the 3 speed. Its a reprint of a GM publication and references a few special tools that are probably not available anymore. I'll just use a bigger hammer!!! Flipped through a couple pages and learned something already. When installing the trans to the bellhousing you are supposed to shim (in thousands) the number stamped by each bolt hole. Amazing what you can learn if you RTFM!!!!!!!
retraction "oooopsy" My apology's Nate, after re reading your slang I thought you were calling me a whiner not a winner.....Bad Tim The Caddy was sitting in front of Cash's mansion back in the early 80's not sure what happen after that...
Try this to verify; push down clutch and shift to neutral, let clutch back out while in neutral and then push clutch back down and shift into high. When I was young nearly all trucks and many cars DIDN'T HAVE synchronizers so everyone had to know how to "double clutch". Shifting up is easy, you just let the engine rpm fall till the gears mesh. Shifting down you revved the engine when in neutral with the clutch out to match gear speed to engine speed. To this day big rigs just use the clutch for starting from a standstill and then shift up and down with never touching the clutch pedal again.
so it seems ive reattached some of my linkage wrong apparently. currently my shift diagram looks something like this.. (H shape)2 R 3 1 Doesnt seem to be the way it was before i disassembled it. at least it does shift now though.
Not sure if I understand what you are saying but 1St. and reverse are on the same linkage and second and 3Rd are on the same linkage. On a column shift reverse is at the top and 1St. is strait down from reverse. To go to second the shift lever will move over when it is in the neutral position and second is strait up then 3Rd is strait down from second. Also you can reverse the shift pattern if you have installed the shifting ears on the side of the transmission upside down. I might be wrong but I believe they should be pointed down....Big Tim
The way I read Ben's message, the 2-3 selection is with the shift lever nearest the steering wheel and the R-1 selection is farthest from the steering wheel. 2 and R are still nearest the windshield while 1 and 3 are still nearest the floor. If I'm right about my interpretation it sounds like Ben has somehow got the R-1 lever at the bottom of the steering column hooked to the 2-3 lever on the gearbox and vice-versa. How wrong am I???
That certainly sounds possible. Then all Ben would have to do is switch the linkages probably down at the trans. I didn't think they could be switched without some major adjusting though. Maybe they got switched up at the column, I guess only Ben can answer that...
Reversed Shift Pattern Ben ; You've accidentally stumbled upon a thing folks did way back when , this keeps the shift lever closer to the steering wheel when you're on the Highway in top gear , more leg room this way and it won't hurt a thing and helps theft proof your rig to boot . If it's now shifting O.K. , leave it .
Using that logic, Ben would have even more leg room if he flipped the shift arms on the trannie upside down as well. That would put 3rd gear on the column up and nearest the steering wheel. Of course gravity would be constantly trying to pop the transmission out of gear on the highway. Maybe he just needs a Hydra-Matic like mine.