AA Four Speed

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Thanks for the Kudo
Nothing wrong with rusty or crusty for that matter...........and it's a heck of a lot less work.
As long as it works.
Me, well, I hate getting dirtier than the machine that I am trying to fix while trying to fix it.

A fellow was admiring my Dads P/u parked next to my coupe. He say's "Well now this guy takes care of his truck, you can see the grease on all the fittings.......Where as this coupe doesn't look like its ever seen grease" (not knowing it was my car) I pointed out that the grease on the outside does nothing but attract dirt, so I wipe it off when servicing the car.

Everyboy does it different...................so long as it works.

[pyrodork]

yeah. priorities! for me, i'm on such a limited income that i have to do things one step at a time. engine running is the first step, then transmission/brakes, wheels, then body/lighting. i get in a conundrum sometimes because i really want to paint something... but if i do, it'll lose the look i'm going for. trying to go with galvanized or stainless screws and bolts... which is going to be weird enough clashing against the rust. hopefully it'll be weird in a good way.

edit:
i'm hoping the clean, shiny bolts and screws will give it that vintage aircraft feel!

[vtwinsideways]

Pretty work Farrell!

[pyrodork]

my tower is ready to re-install after disassembly, de-rusting, reassembly, and greasing.

HOWEVER...
i can't figure out how to get the forks in the right position on the gears to bolt the assembly on. i know each rod needs to be in a certain spot before it will let the other rods move, but i don't know where those positions are. haven't found anything in my books about it, either. i also have not completely installed the shift lever because i'm having a hard time getting those pins in by myself without the base being secured. i figured i could loosely install the lever when i bolt it in, then get those pins installed.

so yes, the best i've gotten so far is the right spacing between the forks, but both forks need to move about an inch toward the firewall still to fit in the slots on the gears.

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Pyro, you'll need to get both the tower and the transmission in the neutral position. Clamp the tower in a vise and pull the lever to the center position where the shifter will rock side to side, this should be neutral.
Set the slider gears in the middle so they make no contact with the other gears, this should be neutral and you can prove it by rolling the truck. Then you should be able to drop the tower on with little trouble.

[pyrodork]

i'll see if i can play with the tower, but i'm not aware of how the gears shift. what's a good way to go about moving them away from the other gears without damaging anything? i figured it was already in neutral because i didn't mess with moving gears (except for spinning them) after taking the tower off.

is there a handy trick for installing those pins for the lever?

[tiredtruckrestorer]

The seal you found at the top of your shifter housing is (was) probably a BB-7228 gear shift lever spring seat. It had a steel washer next to the spring and a rubbery type washer on top. I have one somewhere. If I can find it I'll post a picture.

Keith

[pyrodork]

i found part of my issue with getting the tower on. i didn't know the middle gears in the case slid (my first time opening a transmission). they were kinda stuck, but i got them moving freely now just fine.

i got the tower on and the pins in (went without the gasket). but i can't freaking move the darn lever for the life of me. i didn't think of it while i was doing it, but i think the grease might be a little thick still... so perhaps if i heat it up, things will start to move. i probably used the wrong kind of grease; which may be why the reverse lockout rod i made isn't moving fluidly. any input appreciated.

my other concern is whether or not i put the tower together right... as far as the spring and the clip thingy on the bottom. i believe it's right because that clip has a notch for the reverse rod and i positioned it that way when i installed it. it was really a pain to get those pins in (although i had success with a vise grips and a hammer to compress the spring), so i hope i don't have to do that again... and that it is positioned correctly and once i heat up the grease, things will start moving without straining myself.

i have not put oil in the case yet. i was waiting until i got it all figured out and the PTO gasket replaced (which wasn't in my kit for some reason).

[Bob C]

The Service Bulletins, you do have the Service Bulletins don't you , says" the distance from the top of
the gear shift lever ball to the bottom of the lip on the latch must measure between 4" and 4 1/16". This will
insure approximately 1/8" clearance between shifter forks and latch."

Bob

[pyrodork]

The Service Bulletins, you do have the Service Bulletins don't you , says" the distance from the top of
the gear shift lever ball to the bottom of the lip on the latch must measure between 4" and 4 1/16". This will
insure approximately 1/8" clearance between shifter forks and latch."

Bob

unless they're in the les andrews books, i don't (and i'm not studying them anyway... just specific things).

if the latch is the same as that c-shaped clip thingy, there shouldn't be any issue because i didn't mess with that. just off to de-rust/new springs, then on again. i'm just wondering if i positioned it in the right direction. if the latch means something else, i'm clueless.

i made my reverse rod to the specs of the old one (trunnion nut broke off, but i had a good sample of the lower end). it may be a tad long on top, i'm not sure. not sure what the right adjustment is for it, either. oh, and isn't there supposed to be a wave spring on the pin that holds the thumb handle, too... or is that not necessary?

[rollingsculpture]

pictures of what youve got and what your doing to reassemble it would be good . it really should not be much problem ive had mine off and on several times and never had an issue .you must have something out of alignment for it not to move . i would jack up the back of the truck , take the shifter top off than have someone hand crank the engine and see if it is in gear , tire will turn if in gear than play with the gears a bit sliding them around so you can see how the unit works and if it works than slide the gears together so the forks line up and slip the top back on than see if you can run through the gears while someone cranks / good luck

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Pyro, Like Rolling sculpter said make sure it's in neutral before plopping the tower on and it must be in neutral as well. With the tower off you should be able to run ever gear, 1,2,3,4, and reverse. This will tell you everything is dicketyboo. Then set it up in neutral so any movement of the input result in no movement of the output shaft. (put your hand on it to test for movement) If you can clamp the tower in a vise and try shifting it through its positions. If its stiff to move fine, but if it too stiff and can't move at all, something is amiss with how its assembled. Is it possible you mixed up the shift rails? The reverse lock out tab should be orientated to the left of the stick when complete. Yes there should be a walffle spring washer between the nut and thumb lift but I am not too sure that's gonna be an issue right now. When installing the rod, you must but that latch on first, then once its locked on and pointing left you can install the thumb lift and check it for proper operation, You may have to remove the thumb lift and screw the nut down to increase lift or up to decrease the amount of lift to engage reverse. If you need, I have photos of the shift rails and can send them to you via e-mail.

[pyrodork]

i know my rails and forks are in the right position. i made good note of that and reinstalled the forks to the rails when i took them out. they all rock back and forth just fine, it's just shifting them forward and backward is where it's tough. they will move when i hammer on them, but i think the grease may be too thick yet for the two pins for the notches on the rails to slide well yet. as i said, i should've used a lighter grease. i just used whatever was in my grease gun.

i also found a diagram of the gear positions for each gear (except neutral!), so that may come in handy. i believe it was in the jim schild AA book.

can't get pictures at the moment, but will see what i can do over the weekend.

[rollingsculpture]

there is no grease that thick you are binding on something physical

[spectria]

there is no grease that thick you are binding on something physical

yes