The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Removing the SM420 shift lever???

I’m making a lever removal and replacer tool for the SM420 transmission, and I’ve got a question on the pressed tin cover in the picture. This doesn’t get pushed down along with the shift lever does it? http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117615420
The manual mentions engaging the lugs of the K353 in the retainer and twisting left. is the tin part in the picture the retainer that they are talking about??? And I don’t see any open slot on the retainer that is mentioned either. The picture in the shop manual is not completely clear.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,

I am not going to venture a guess what the lugs (plural) or the K353 (a Kent-Moore tool number?) are, or what the retainer is. However, in case you have not seen a 4-speed shift-lever remover tool by Kent Moore, there are a few photos here.

Tim

no tool is needed to remove the shifter on my SM420, just push down slightly on the "tin cover" and rotate it about 1/2" counter clock wise, it just pops right up then.

to reinstall it, just line up the pins with the slot, push it down slightly & rotate it clock wise.

it works for me.

Denny on my SM420 the tin IS what gets pushed down and rotated to release the lugs. Mine has a pretty good spring still so it takes a bit to get it moving. ralph 59 1/2 Ton

Denny, the whole idea is to push the metal piece with the elongated hole that the stick goes into down a little and then twist counter clockwise a little. It has a spring under it. Then you twist a little. The 2 buttons on the side of the tower are pins that hold the metal piece. Anything that will push down and hook the elongated hole will work.

Thanks Tim, the picture of the business side showed me what I needed to know. The opening in the retainer is a 1.25” circle with a 1” flat and the lugs key into that so you can turn it. Gonna spin one up on the lathe tonight so I’ll have it, never can have enough tools, right?
Well you know me guys, I just gotta put the machine tools to work and make up a copy of the original tool. I knew how it came out, I could see the spring in the shop manual, I just didn't know how the tool worked and the tin retainer didn't look heavy enough to keep everything in place.
Tim's picture showed me what I needed to know.
No tool needed is the reason the nicks are in the corners of the retainer, someone probably tried removing or installing it with a couple of screwdrivers. And Grigg, you fingers must be a lot stronger than mine or your spring is a lot weaker than mine, cuz I can't push it down with my bare hands, can't even get it to depress at all so I can't imagine trying to turn it while it's depressed.
Thanks
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I'm all for making special tools...
But when all you need are your fingers to do the job what's the point.
Your two hands are very important tools and are quite special...

I've had no problems or need for a tool to remove or replace the chevy shifters in the transmissions I have.

Grigg

i tried to make one of those tools that are pictured in the shop manual before i removed one years ago. it didn't work right because i didn't know what it really needed to do. i agree you can't have too many tools and i have had some i def couldn't have removed with my hands partly because the tin part is smooth and usually greasey. when i remove one with pliars it can nick it a little so if you can make the tool go for it. don't forget to show us like your grease cap installer. hr

you can make one out of 1.25" pvc pipe. make it long enough to slip over the bend of the shifter. push squarely down on it and at the same time turn it C.C. it helps if you shoot some wd or something around the outter edge where the tin touches the tranny neck .

Ok, a happy ending to this thread, and with out sounding like a smart ars, all I have to say about this experience is, if you’ve removed these SM420 shift lever retainers (while the trans is still in the truck mind you) with a pair of screw drivers, a board with nails in it, a PVC pipe or any other make shift set up then I commend you, you are truly one heck of a back yard mechanic. You can push down with a lot of thing but you have to lock into the opening at the same time, which means the inner half shell has to be compressed a little before the retainer is. Then both have to be compressed and twisted. Just simply pressing down on the retainer is not enough because you have to grab the flats in the opening of the retainer enough to unlock it.
This is the retainer in mine as I found it. Someone not using the correct tool at sometime in the past had already buggered it up.
Although it took a lot of time to re-engineer a “Shift Lever Remover Tool” it was worth it in the end. Now it’s simply a matter of going to the toolbox and in a few seconds removing or install the lever in the truck.
With the transmission in the truck it’s a lot different then having the transmission out of truck on the floor in front of you. The shift tower is around 6” further forward of the face of the dash. In the truck one has to wedge his body under the dash to get any down force at all on the spring and remember the lever is still sticking up in the way in the neutral position. Even with the proper tool and wedging myself under the dash, I still couldn’t get enough down force on it to compress the spring. So after many tries I ended up using some leverage. It’s another story with the transmission out of the truck, it would be much easier because you can stand over it and put your body weight down on the tool. Quite often when doing some of this work without a helper, I have to go through a lot of extra steps such as using levers and special jigs, which make it possible for one man to do the job.

I found this handle at a garage sale one day and thought it might be of some use one day. That day was today!
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117827958/large

Here is what my pressure foot and drive dogs for my Shift Lever Remover & Installer ended up looking like. As you might have noticed, mine is slid over the lever so you have to remove the knob, where the original K353 tool is slotted so you do not have to remove the knob. I figured its not a problem for me to unscrew the knob whenever I would do this.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117827971/large

Here’s my lever with the retainer unlocked. I simply lean my body on the closest end to compress the spring and gave the tool a twist. Installation will be just as simple now.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117827961

What the book doesn’t clearly show.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117827974

Now at last, I can drop that big old SM420 out the bottom for it’s rebuild and finish pulling the short block for it’s operation.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, that certainly is a nice looking tool!

But for those of you that think you need the tool without even trying the retainer by hand first... try it by hand first.

All this talk about how difficult it is to remove this little retainer didn't sit right with me. It has been some time now that I messed with them but I don't remember it being so hard..
So just a few minutes ago I made a trip out to the shed and the back yard with flashlight in hand.
First stop was the SM420 I originaly ran in the 1 ton, found it sitting on the floor in the shed easy to get to, and very easy to remove the shifter, the retainer turned easily with only a thumb and index finger, and yes the spring is still in there.
Next stop was another SM420 still in the 1 ton, through the passenger door with flashlight in right hand it was again a simple thumb and index finger push and turn, shifter comes free.

I'm sure there are stubborn ones out there and sounds like Denny found one, but not all of these transmissions need the tool to remove the shifter.

Making special tools is fun, but using your hand is OK too (when it works that easy), always worth trying the easy way first..

Grigg

I agree Grigg, I have had a couple stubborn ones but for the most part it's a one hand easy job. They are kinda like a taillight bulb, you just have to hold your face right to get them out sometimes.

I remember the first time I had to take mine out. I had no clue how, but others said how easy it was. Now it takes only a few seconds.

I have pulled a few shifters out.I just pushed down on the retainer and turn it.I never had any trouble removing them by hand.I guess some could be troublesome.

Well guys, trying to see your side of it, I’m not so bull headed that I’m not willing to listen to other opinions, so I was out in the garage at 04:19 trying to prove your point. And after about 15minutes, I’ll say it again, you dudes must have strong arms and hands, cus I got two more SM420’s out on the floor. One I can’t compress at all with my hands and the other I can compress some but can’t turn it. Both of these I’m able to stand over to press down. Here’s the pictures to prove it.

Try on transmission no.2
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117851912
This one I cannot push down with my bare fingers. Definitely would not be able to do it if it were in the truck under the dash.

Try on transmission no.3
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117851913
This one I could push down some with my fingers, but can’t get enough grip to turn it.

Were any of these rusty or bent up you might ask? Nope, here’s a picture of no.1 after a light wire brushing to get the stain off. You can see from the other two pics that it just appears to be grease and dirt piled up on them.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117851895

So in the end, once again, each to his own, I grabbed the tool from the box and in two seconds they’re out and back in again, that’s just my way of doin’ it. So I’m done with the project and movin’ on to the next challenge.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I know I am reviving an old thread but I just had to let Denny know that I too was unable to remove my shift lever by my bare hands.

I soaked it with PB blaster and tapped on it with a soft faced mallet. I was able to push it down a little. This required me to put as much of my weight as possible on my hands. But it would not budge.

So I re-read the thread and saw were someone listed using PVC. Well I am a contractor and I always have some pvc laying around. So a 2 inch piece of PVC and a 1 x 3 with a 3/4 inch hold drilled in it and the shift lever was off faster then the time if took to drill the hole.

Thanks to everyone that posted this has been a great help!

Brian Moore

Congratulations on reinventing the Channellock plier. I've removed dozens of those shifters by grabbing the little raised lip with channellocks, pushing down a bit, and rotating. It takes about 15 seconds, max.
Jerry

And here I've been able to do mine by hand all this time. Spoiled brat, I tell ya!!

I also use Channellocks.

Ed