The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline '50 3100 3-speed Shift Linkage

I've got a '50 3100 with the 3-on-the-tree. I did a frame off on this thing and have never been able to completely solve this problem.

Frequently the column shifter will "freeze" or lock up. I then must raise the hood and pull up slightly on the shift linkage closest to the firewall. This linkage is always the problem. It does not quite go up high enough to disengage and the result is a jammed shifter.

I've reset the shift linkage several times. The column shifter is set horizontal and is the correct distance from the steering wheel. Under the hood, the linkage in the control box is aligned correctly. I've played with the distance of the retainers on the rods several times but no luck. I know others have probably had this problem. Any ideas? Here is a pic of the cover off and locked up. http://s157.photobucket.com/user/jss1956/media/Truck%20Parts/DSCN1569.jpg.html?o=37

Pull up slightly on the link closest to the firewall and problem solved, for now.

Thanks

The two forks are not aligned properly. You need to loosen the nut on the rod closest to the firewall, which is your first and reverse gear, and slide the rod in the retainer until both the forks are in line with each other. Don't tighten the nut securing the rod yet and test to make sure that when you pull up on the shifter to move it into the first or reverse gear it is easily going into the first/reverse fork and then back into the second/third fork. Once it is moving into both forks freely then tighten the nut securing the rod. The spring in the shift box applies pressure to mechanism so its normal position is in the second/third fork.
The other thing to look at is you may have to loosen the the two nuts on the bottom of the shift box and move it up in order to get more engagement of the first/reverse fork if it is hanging up between the two.
Mike

Huck, are you talking about the clamp that holds the shift box to the steering mast?
Carl

Check to see if the spring inside the box is missing or broken or installed wrong.
Check all of the shift rod ends for excessive wear.
Check the bell crank for excessive wear on the pivot pin. With the inconsistency of this problem occurring in your case, I would suspect the above mentioned wear items are causing your intermittent jamming. I TIG welded mine to replace the missing metal and ground them down to original shape.
Carl

Yes I was talking about the two nuts that secure the shift box to the steering column. Actually in looking at the picture more closely, you may need to adjust the second/third shift rod since it looks like you have just about used up the first/reverse rod adjustment and you have no further adjustment on it to get the two aligned and keep the rod in its holder. Moving the second/third rod adjustment though will affect your horizontal adjustment of the column shift lever.
Mike

The reason I asked was because I thought that adjusting the steering box up or down on the mast was to set the clearance between the shift knob and the steering wheel.
Carl

It will change that clearance. But what I found in adjusting mine was that by shifting the position of the box up and down the column also affected how much engagement I had in the first/reverse fork in the box as well. The shift box was NOS.
Mike

Why does the top rod have no more adjustment left?

If you look at the picture closely you will see that to align the two forks, either the top lever has to move to the right or the bottom lever to the left. In order to move the top lever to the right you would have to loosen the nut and slide the holder up the rod and it is now nearly as far up the rod as it can go and still remain in its holder the way it was designed.

I should have known better than to question you, Mike (based on your words of wisdom in prior posts).
Thanks,
Carl

The notches need aligned as suggested and here's a tip: shift with your fingers curled back toward your face so you will move the lever straight up towards reverse before letting it drop in the neutral gate to the 2nd gear shift. You absolutely cannot push the lever at an angle from 1st to second.