continuing with a shifter question. when shifter is center of 2/3 and fixing to wedge down to tighten jam nuts. How much side to side free play is expected or too much? I am going about 1/3 to the 4/5 slot back to the 2/3 slot.
Joe, FWIW, my stick in neutral is ever so slightly left of center of the 2/3 slot. Last time I had to do the jam nut thing it took several tries even with 2 people, but I never wedged the stick. Just tightening the nuts tends to "change things" from what you intended, but wedging should help considerably. And we both have fresh rebuilds by Ron McCall, so I assume should be similar, and I'm pretty well adjusted within the shift gate at the moment. If I need to come down to help, I don't mind, just can't tomorrow/Wed. That said, I assume a lot of that could depend on all the linkage geometry and orientation. You have my cell in the NC thread if needed. By the way, your car looks amazing, I should have come to the Cotton Festival, but the Norfolk event showed me I need to address a couple of things, which I started today. (Hint: Keep an eye on your header bolts with your new rebuild, they will need some tightening pretty soon, also snug up intake bolts).
I been thinking, I wish someone with "OK" or good shifting could let shop try. Even let me try, maybe I have lost a lost of desterity
Do you know if the detent in your cabin shifter box is intact?
It centers the shifter in the 2-3 gate.
If the turnbuckle is loosened, you should be able to feel it settle in. If you use wedges to center the shifter, try and be sure you're in the detent.
The transmission also has detents. Again, with the turnbuckle loosened, you should be able to manually get it to settle into its 2-3 detent.
Now tighten the turnbuckle. Both the cabin shifter box and the transmission should now settled into the same detent position and not resisting each other.
To center the shifter fore and aft, loosen the shift shaft U-joint pinch bolt at the transmission. It must be loose enough to slide back and forth on the splines.
Manually position the stub sticking out of the transmission to its center position. You'll feel where it wants to settle in. Slide the u-joint on the splines to center the shifter and tighten the pinch bolt.
In fact, tighten all the shift shaft u-joint pinch bolts as tight as you can. Every problem I've had with shifter adjustment has been the u-joints slipping on the splines.
Good advice - makes sense…. It might be fun to use the detent I removed, and readjust my linkage!
Thanks!
Also make sure none of the u-joints are coming in contact with body as you shift through all the gears.
MAJOR UPDATE
hearing how i was not happy, the Owner and Main Tech flew over this AM.
the master tech and I discussed all the instructions on how to adjust. as found trans detent was up in 2nd. ajusting to bring two detents together, holding in 2/3 center to loosely jam nuts. To me it was such a GREAT improvent. as I sat going through 1 thru 5 smoothly. Tech and owner had to agree it was better. the tedius came setting jam nuts. first try 1 thru 5, but no revered, second try reverse but no 4 & 5. sever trys got a good compromise to get all gears (not perfection, but very drivable.
ALL linkage was new bought assembled. (I might even have a new shifter)
So I can now drive 5177. It just makes me nervous (and scared), after driving pick up, this thing is QUICK.
