4th and 5th Gear

Is your shift lever positioned properly in the gate?

If you are talking about that metal plate that directs your shifter into each gear...mine does not have that. The only gate is for reverse.

But the lever could still be maladjusted via the shift shaft going into the box attached to the transmission. There are two opposing nuts that are loosened to adjust the lever side to side.

Have you prior to the drive changed any shift linkage components? I would check the following #1.) the rubber boot that surrounds the shifting shaft as it passes into the passenger compartment, this boot can get sticky and make the shifting of the car hard (like stiff or even pulling into 4th and 5th) and something like you are describing. It is easy to check from under the car, pull the bellows stile rubber back spray with W-D forty and retry the shift, the shaft should slide freely through the rubber boot. Water and or mud can cause this rubber boot to stick to the shifting shaft.

Hey Chris,

Nope...didn't change any linkage components. I will try checking this boot. Thanks.
Just hoping I didn't do any damage when I bottomed out. I thought that if I did any damage it would have effected the alignment for all the gears.
Thanks again....I will check it out.
Cheers

Rick, if your odd shifting happened after bottoming out, check the gearshift rod support below the left header. It is threaded in a welded bracket and sometimes a sharp blow can cause it to move or loosen in it's hole. If it does, hard shifting can result. There's not a lot of clearance between the rod and a cut-away portion of the aluminum left motor mount; rotted rubber motor-mount isolaters on either/both sides can also cause this by allowing the entire engine to shift around slightly. The steel-on-steel sliding rod support could also use some lube, too; a high-temp lube is best due to the heat coming off the headers.

Awesome!
Thanks for the direction. I didn't notice the hard shifting after bumping the ground but the next day I did. Maybe all the adrenalin from the spirited ride kept me from noticing at the time. Gotta get the shifting thing fixed before I order more stuff for the body mod.

By the way...I used to live in Carson City and met some people with Panteras. I have to wonder if you and I met. I used to run Kustom Kreations.

Regards,

Rick

Rick - There's also a detent in the console. While I don't think you bottoming out would affect this, it can get gummy in there.

It's another thing to check. It's also pretty easy to remove, and easy to but back if you don't like it.

Good Luck

Thanks...will check this out too. Maybe with all the advice and adjustmenst and lube I will be shifting easy in no time.

Rick, I'm a fugitive from Silicon Valley since 2001 when I could no longer take the inmates running the asylum in CA...

WOO! HOO! Got it figured out...lubed up and it shifts like a hot knife through butter.
Thank you everyone for your input and help.

Cheers,

Rick