The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Newbie Question About SM420?

This is for the 195? Chevy mutt. (My wife has named it Dumpy because we couldn't figure out how to keep the bed from going up when we loaded it.)

I'm not really sure that it has an SM 420 in it. It seems like it has a lot of gears, but the shift pattern is a big circle. Pushing the shift lever up only stops when your knuckles have impacted the dashboard, and pulling toward me the lever is stopped by the seat. I got it into reverse once (enough to back over a 4x4 chck anyway, but it seems like it was to the left and down. In my truck with the SM465 reverse is to the right and down.

Seriously, the shift pattern reminds me of a time when an airport crash crew left one of their water pumpers parked across our driveway so we could fix the radio. When it was time to go home I had to figure out which one of the four engines wasn't a pump engine, (Turned out that the drive engine was a Diesel and the other three were Chrysler 392 Hemis.) The gear shift moved around in a circle about 2 feet in diameter. I finally found a gear by pushing outwards, hard, while making the circle.

Is it possible that an SM 420 top cover could get into this condition?

Sounds like years of shifting has taken it's toll on the shift rails and lever.Take the lever out at least and take a look inside.The covers are not too hard to rebuild if you can get the parts or replace the cover with a good used one.

probably the Little pins in the top of the cover that fits the now worn out groves in the shifter.
I replace the pins and weld up and re machine the groves.

Grigg

Thanks, gtow69. Frankly, its so d***ed hot here that I'm stuck with looking at it longingly through the back door.