Finding reverse gear and floppy gear shift

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
Jeff Brown
Posts: 123
Joined: May 26th, 2016, 9:57 am
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Tucson AZ

Re: Finding reverse gear and floppy gear shift

Post by Jeff Brown »

Just an update to my lack of reverse problem. Finally got some time back on the truck and took the top off the transmission. Everything was good in the gearbox so attention turned to the shift tower. Discovered that the reverse slider shaft would jam up and refuse to budge. Thought it may have been too much spring pressure on the locating ball, but on taking that out it still jammed up. Then by chance I was flicking through the Service Bulletins and there on page 420 was the answer. There were two lengths of interlock pins with corresponding different depths of notches in the shaft. I measured my interlock pin and sure enough it was the later longer one. My transmission was made out of two, one rusty but not very worn, the other clean but very worn so I guess my mismatch of parts caused the mix up. I chucked the pin in the lathe and with the lathe spinning, used a grinding wheel in a Dremel tool to take the extra 1/32" off. Put it all together and works like a dream. What puzzles me is that I know I had the shifter working well on the bench when I rebuilt it a couple of years ago. I do have a vague recollection of replacing the center slide shaft with a better one that I got and am guessing that was after I had tested it. Old one may have had enough wear in it not to jam up the interlock pin, or I put in a different pin. Who knows! Hope to get the shift tower back on next weekend and then try her out.

Jeff
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