The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 54 Chevy pickup hydramatic question

Hi guys...I installed a rebuilt steering gear and mast in my 54 truck this week. I have it all back together (finally), but my shift handle won't allow me to go into all of the gears on my hydramatic. I did remove the linkage attached to the mast, and think I have it all properly back together. Any ideas on what is wrong? Or does anyone have a reference picture in a manual or from their truck that I might see how their linkage is configured on the column near the gear? Thanks, Ted

The Chevrolet & GMC Hydra-Matic transmissions on 1/2 ton trucks were quite similar in 1954. Here is a GMC manual (thank you, again, Keith Hardy):

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/gmc/54hdtmm/index.htm

Here are links to other 1954 Chevrolet Hydra-Matic service manuals on Keith's web site (6 parts/pamphlets - look at the links at the bottom of the contents page to the other parts/pamphlets):

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/booklets/5430smindex.html

The GMC and Chev use different linkage. I would isolate the problem by pulling linkage apart piece at a time. Unhook it at the shift lever at the transmission and make sure that the trans shift lever moves into all positions. Bolted to the steering column under the hood is the retainer that the neutral safety switch bolts to. It also has detents for each gear position. The shift handle inside the cab has the standard action where the lever pulls towards you as you shift gears. That is what releases the stop lever from the detent positions on the bracket under the hood. My guess is that is where your bind will be in that it is not fully clearing the detent positions.

If you follow the links that Tim posted, you will find 7 booklets that deal with the Chevy truck hydra-matic transmission and linkage for 54. Keith Hardy has done a great service in scanning and posting a wealth of information available to all.

Thanks for the information, and the guidance. This should help. Prior to installing the steering gear, everything was shifting properly. So, it must be something I have done not allowing the stop lever to move as far as it should. As I move from reverse and up through the gears it stops at 1-3. The detent is then hitting the stop on the retainer. So Greg, you are correct when you say it isn't clearing the detent positions. Now I have to figure out why it isn't. I am almost positive that I have installed the bracket properly. There is a pin on the bottom of the bracket, and I have it in the elongated slot on the column. It can be adjusted up or down in this slot, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'll start loosening and playing with things to see if I can make a difference.

If you look at the shift lever inside the cab, it is removed by pushing in two lock pins. As I recall, the pivot that it snaps into is threaded from top to bottom. It looks to me thjat you could thread it in or out and gain some throw to clear the detent pins.