VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc shifter slop

My 35 4 speed stick has a lot of slop when it is shifted, the trans is out now,and I'm redoing the whole truck,but before I took the trans out when I shift, my hand would hit the dash is there a repair kit for this problem. Everything in the trans is good.Has anyone had this problem

I solved this problem on my '33 with a new gear shift lever retainer from Vintage Auto Parts. They only list '37-'39 on the website, but if you give them a call, they might have the part for your '35. They are at www.vapinc.com, phone number 800) 426-5511.

Thanks MRC ANBODY ELSE HAVE SOME THOUGHTS

Glen,
The truck 4 speed is a different deal. I don't believe there are any kits available to tighten them up.
I would take the stick out of the top and look to see if there is an obvious area that needs some building up and re-shaping. If that doesn't work, look for a complete top assembly that is not as worn. I might have one. Good luck.

Mike

Thanks Mike/ the only thing I can see is that the pins that hold the shifter/spring and twist cover on have flat spots on them.I tried to get them out of the cover but they are in so hard that I didnt want to crack the cover getting them out.

Hi, I'm working on a '29 1.5 ton truck and would like to remove the gear shift lever assembly but am having trouble. I made a tool to press down on the gear shift lever cap, while simultaneously engaging its 'flats' so that it can be turned counter-clockwise. Though the cap seems loose within the transmission case cover, I have not been able to turn it without fear of damaging its flats. Any tips?

After those parts have been together so long they tend to move closer to each other and and any grease hardened therefore are hard to move. Liberal application if light lubricant is warranted. It might take some light tapping if there is a buildup of hard grease holding the cap from moving down. The cap only turns about 15 deg. It has slots in the sides that look like a fat "J". It is necessary to push it down far enough so the tips of the "J" will slide below the pins.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Essentially you have to wiggle and push down the sheet metal shifting lever retainer about 1/8". Then while it is still held down turn the retainer counterclockwise about 5/8". After that just grab the shifter and give it a solid tug straight up. Should pop right out. To get it less sloppy you might have to build up the tang on the shifting lever, or look at replacing the retainer pins in the top of the transmission tower. Keep us posted as to how you are progressing. Art

If the shifter tower is like my 29 there are two round guide pins on either side. Mine had flats as well. They are actually rivets installed from the inside and peened over on the outside. You will have to grind off the outer peened button and drive them in toward the center to remove. I did that but then found a NOS tower to install. I am still going to replace the guide pins for my second car. also I found the slots at the base of the shifter worn so they were built up and ground back to shape. Lastly the end of the shifter that engages in the shift plates in the tower were also worn. Again built up and ground back to shape. Hoping all slop will be gone. I too also had a devil of a time pressing down the retainer and turning it the 15 degrees to get it all apart but lube and persistence got it out.

Thanks to everyone. All good info. I've not been depressing the retainer 1/8". I will re-attack with more lube.

Success! Hardened grease was the problem. After several treatments of Pb-Buster with no appreciable improvement in being able to depress the retainer, I began probing the barely visible slots in the retainer with a dental pick. (BTW...I inherited this truck from my dentist father-in-law. He acquired it in the late 80's but never got around to restoring it.) With the pick I scraped and loosened the hardened grease and was soon able to depress and turn the retainer by hand! Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

Now its time to fix the issues.
1. The guide pins/rivets in the top of the tower are worn flat on two sides each. See pic. Are these pins available? If not, any suggestions on what to replace them with?
2. The slots in the shift lever are worn. See pic. I plan on having them built up and ground back.
3. The end of the shift lever that engages the shift plate(s) does not appear to be worn, but I see some wear on a plate. See pic. Is this surface wear acceptable? Is the notch intentional, or excessive wear?
4. The 1st & 2nd speeds fork (pn 590372) is worn on both sides. See pic.
4a. Is it normal for this fork to be worn so much more than the others? I assume this wear is excessive. Correct?
4b. Is this fork available? I searched TFS and Gary Wallace's online catalogs with no success, but have called neither.
4c. If the fork is not available, can it be built up and ground? (It appears to be cast, which can be problematic. Correct?)
4d. How are the forks removed? I removed the shafts retainer bolted to the outside of the cover, but this was as far as I got.

Thanks for the help.

worn pins, https://www.dropbox.com/s/r3a10iipgt9ndbw/20200518_163748.jpg?dl=0
worn slots, https://www.dropbox.com/s/tr6qnqhfnzbw5mt/shifter%20rivet%20slot%20worn.jpg?dl=0
worn plate? https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5khgo6q1398i5e/worn%20shift%20plate.jpeg?dl=0
worn fork https://www.dropbox.com/s/qi8f5sc7xudw5be/20200519_075557.jpg?dl=0

Try Robert Graves he has early parts listed in the G&D parts for sale section

Will do. Thanks.

I see this post was a while ago, haha, but it follows what I'm searching for.
Could you tell me if you had success fixing the issue? I've got a '34 with a very sloppy shifter.

I have a 4 speed in a 49-3100 and shifter was sloppy. Here is what I did. I removed the shift lever and ground off the guide pins. On the new pins I threaded half the pin and put nylon lock nuts to lock them in. I installed new cup and spring. I also installed a new shift lever because there was wear on the ball slots. You can heat and bend the new
shift lever so it does not hit the dash. After I did this there was no slop and the shift is tight.