Linkage replacement

[Donw]

Help!!

I am replacing the linkage on my 1969 four speed and I am having problems getting the last butterfly clip on the reverse rod that hooks to the linkage arm on the shifter. It is original Muncie. I have had no problems replacing all new arma and pices on transmission just cannot get the last clip on the arm for reverse.

No room anywhere. I was wondering if you can take the plate off holding shifter kit without having to drop the whole shifter?

I have tried everything I know of, long pliers. tweezers etc.

Any help you can give me I would certainly appreciate it

Thanks

 

[lucky76]

Work backwards

You might try working backwards, remove some of the levers from the transmission and drop them and the rods down so you can get up to the clip. Then bolt the levers back to the case and your through. At least that's what I would try. I just put some washers on my rods to shim them up. OEM shifter now shifts a lot better.
dk

 

[tomtom72]

Hi, If I remember correctly from my 72 GM shop manuals' transmission section it says to align shifter arms using the hole and a pin, then connect the linkage rods starting with the reverse linkage rod and working back to 3rd/4th rod then to the 1st/2nd linkage rod. However if the shifter head was removed from the car then there is an alignment process for centering the shifter head in the tunnel opening. Did you remove the shifter head from the car? If not then just disconnect all the shift linkage rods from the forks and align the head levers with a 1/8" allen wrench,(chevy's tool looked like an allen wrench), with the linkage rods disconnected from the forks, leaving the pin in place do reverse, 3-4, 1-2. When all the linkage rods are connected the pin should come out easily( linkage aligned properly), if the pin fights you then the lenght adjustment on the linkage rods is wrong. If the shifter head was removed and not re-centered in the tunnel hole the shift lever will hit the corners of the console and you may not get a good linkage rod alingment, the centering of the shifter makes the linkage rods parallel to the transmission for proper linkage rod alignment. Hope this helps, Tom.

 

[Tsker79]

Shifter linkage

I too am starting to do some work on my 79 shifter and linkage. Tomtom72 brings up a concern that I hadn't thought about. I bought a shifter rebuild kit and I assume I will have to remove the shifter to get these parts replaced, but I didn't think that this would cause an alignment problem with the shifter. It appears that the shifter handle can only be placed in one location on my 79. How would it cause a potential alignment problem with the console trim plate? Also, the reason I want to do a rebuild is because the shifter rattles and is very loose side to side. It almost appears that there should be a spring to keep tension on the handle, but I do not have one and neither doesthe rebuild kit. Any additional help would be appreciated.

 

[tomtom72]

Hi Tsker79, I wish I could give some input on your question. I answered originally because the 69 & 72 vette tranny & shifters & tranny mts were the same. I'm not sure about anything past 73. I don't even still have my 72 shop manuals. The input I gave was from memory, cause I took the tranny out to rebuild it. So I had to take out the shifter. I remember cause it was a hard re-install for me even with the shop manuals because I am not a mechanic(no experience with vettes at all untill I tore mine apart) so I was apprehensive about doing it. I remember that the rear tranny mount and the bracket that held the shifter had slotted bolt holes, and that (if I remember right) both had more than one component. The gist was that you had to get the tranny straight first, tighten the mount. Then with the shifter brackett( two or three inter-locking pices I think) loosely installed you put the console back and centered the shifter in the opening so it didn't hit in any gear( linkage rods off) then back under to tighten the mounting bolts. Then you could do the linkage rod adjustment. I would think that if the shifter hdl rattled then the mount was loose. Sorry, that's all I got. Tom

 

[Tsker79]

Thanks, Tom. I too am not a mechanic. I use the manuals and hope to get everything back together correctly. I was just trying to save spending a couple hundred plus to buy a new shifter. Tom

 

[tomtom72]

Hi Tsker79, Tom again, I think I miss spoke about the shifter loose problem. I should have said if all the mounting plates and their bolts are tight the shifter shouldn't rattle around. If it does then I would suspect that the nylon bushings in the control head might be the problem. I'm trying to visualize it in my mind, I think the shop manual referred to them as " shift levers". You know the arms that the linkage rods attach to under the shift handle. I remember that you used to be able to buy a re-building kit from chevy(I did this work 77-79) if the shifter was loose and no other reason could be found. I did not have a "loose" condition with mine, although it did rattle a bit @ 6,000 & up to almost 7,000 rpm. Upon reflection my bushings probably were on their way out. It only happened under full throttle accleration, driving normally it was quiet. I'm sure someone will come along with more knowledge and contribute. Tom