The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 54 chevy 3 speed shifter box on collum

I am have an issue with my shifting. sometimes when i take off and go to shift into 2nd it hangs up and wont let me shift. i have to shut down and pop the hood and move the linkage back and forth between 1 and reverse and leave it in neutral and shift the 2nd and 3rd gears also then get back in and go. it is like it hangs up in 1st gear. Do I need a rebuilt shifter box?? talked with one guy and he thought i did.

Not necessarily. It may need shifter arm bushings at the end of the arms replaced or a good adjustment of the shift rods between the trans and shift box.GM 3 speeds are notoriuos for popping out of gear or locking up over time.That said, I did have to rebuild the shift box on my '50 3100 when the internal spring on the shift dog popped off. Not much to it ,but myself and others did it by trial and error as we never found a factory description of what was needed.

supposedly the tranny has been rebuilt. also when i have to go very far in 2nd it will pop out of gear. it is a pain when it does that. what would i need to do to adjust the shift rods? or replace the bushings. If I can do it I will as i don't want to spend the money.

The bushings may be purchased locally although I ordered mine from Jim Carter. See my link below for additional info.The second pic clearly shows the rubber-metal bushing I am referring to. You will need 2 of them. The shifter rods should have minimal play when the trans is in neutral. There are adjusting locks on the rod ends at the shifter box.Hope this helps.


https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=602322#Post602322

i just went out and looked at mine. the 2nd and 3rd gear arm has a slight twist to it. 1st and reverse looks ok. on the uphill side there is what appears to be a rubber bellows that is cracked badly in spots so that all there is is rubber washers under that i can see what looks like a fine wire spring type thing. the adjusting locks are there. looks like part of them are made out of copper.

I just went through this same problem and resolved it. First, take out the shifting box, and clean it out and put new grease in it, making sure it is well lubricated. Refer to the Chevy manual to make all necessary adjustments from the column shifter on down through the system. I took my shifter apart, and rebuilt that. The spring that held the two small locking pins was broken, allowing slop there. There's another adjusting point where the shifter rod meets the shifting box rod down by the clutch in the cab. A sleeve with two bolts will allow you to slide the shift box up and down on the steering column to fine tune it, and get the proper clearance from the hand shift rod to the steering column. The shift rod holder (the one on the steering column just below the steering wheel with the two screws) is threaded and you screw and adjust the collar for the shift handle there. There's a gap of, I think, 1/8th inch where the hand shifter moves around where it meets the column. Get these set properly. Next check to see that the "gates" line up inside the shifting box when it's in neutral. You'll have to play around with the linkage rod adjustments on the two arms. I found this adjustment to be critical. As little as 1/4" slide made a difference in that locking up problem you describe. New rubber grommets, and lubrication of all the moving shift points stopped the problem for me. It does take a lot of messing around with...but you'll get to know the system intimately! Best of luck, and hope it's fixed for 2010!

Here's the link to show that clearance on the hand shifter-go to the previous page in the manual for more info, too.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1954truck/54ctsm0703.html

Would this needing to be rebuilt have any thing to do with it jumping out of 2 nd gear? If I drive in 2nd for any length of time I have to hold it in gear. A pain in the rear.

I want to buy a rebuilt shifter box assembly for
1954 chevy 3100 1/2 ton.

I have looked everywhere. Anyone know who has one?

Not to be pointing a finger at anyone but we have cured many shifting problems by teaching the owner how to shift. You ABSOLUTELY CANNOT push the shifter at an ANGLE from 1st to 2nd. The best way to help remember this is to put the palm of you hand on the underside of the shifter knob and curl your fingers back toward you over the top of the knob. This will help move the lever straight up toward reverse, drop forward(down) in the neutral gate and then straight up into second. This does not solve any wear problems but has solved a lot of shifting problems

I cured my shifter problem. It is spelled T-5!
Carl

Second what coilover said. Lift, don't push, the shifter from first to neutral, let it drop into the middle, then push it up into second. I had the exact same locking up problem on mine until I learned to shift correctly.

Popping out of second sounds like a worn shift fork. Pull the side cover and check the interior surface of the fork for a deep wear groove. If it is, then replace. If you continue to drive it with it popping out of gear constantly the square ends of the gear teeth will wear on an angle and eventually you won't be able to hold it in gear no matter what. This is the same problem that killed my first transmission.

Does anyone know where I can buy the shifter rods? I have a 54 Chevy 3100 truck with 3 speed shifter on the column.

Best place I have found is our local auto swap meet, or you can check with a guy named Flacosautorestyling on "offer up" out of Riverside CA.

You can try posting in the “Trucks Parts Wanted” forum. I’ve had good results posting there.