VCCA Home Forums Thread Like Summary - Difficulty shifting 1950

My ‘50 Fleetline Special4dr sedan has developed a problem with the shifting. When driving it the shifter doesn’t want to drop down through the neutral position into second and third easily. Instead I am likely to grind a bit of reverse. The same is true to bring the shift lever back up to first and reverse level. Is this more likely to be a problem in the shift box on the column or an internal problem? Or even a motor mount or transmission mount issue? The shift box has never been disassembled or lubed.

Gene’s recommendation is a good place to start. His experience will save you time.

One other simple step is to check the fluid level in the transmission. If the seal at the front of the drive shaft fails the transmission fluid will transfer to the rear axle over time. So your transmission will be low on fluid which causes shifting problems. And your rear axle is over full which could cause leakage at the axle seals.

The next step would be to get a helper to sit in the car and move the shifter while you watch the various connections and pivot points on the total linkage system. That will help you determine if the looseness is at the transmission arms, in the box on the column, or at the shifter itself.

Update, I opened the shift box and found it packed with grease as thick as black strap molasses on a cold January day! Oh wait a minute, it is January! I believe that the grease was too thick and was not allowing the spring in the shift box to function properly. It was a cold day when I went for a ride, possibly the coldest I’ve had the car out in. Also the screws had worked loose on the upper support collar. I’ve not had an opportunity to go for a test ride yet, but just working the lever through the shift pattern seems to be doing as it is supposed to. Shift pivot is lubed , too.