The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Transmission / gear shift questions 54 1/2T

First off let me say that I have very little mechanical skill and don't know the names of the parts so if this sounds confusing, imagine how I feel.

My 54 continues to grind when shifting (3 on tree) and it sometimes gets stuck in a gear forcing me to open the hood and move the linkage. I have replaced rubber bushings which helped for a while, and maybe they need to be tightened. Should they be replaced with brass? Also I am getting a clunking sound in reverse that suggests something ain't right. Finally, for now, since there's no way I am going to work on the trans, who does? Are regular trans. shops familiar with this vintage truck or have they changed so much I need to find a specialist?

ps-this is an awesome site and I really appreciate the expertiese of the members!

I would expect any competent shop to be able to work on the transmission, though I would look for a shop with a tech with gray hair and maybe avoid the ones that only have kids born after most these trucks were parked the first time.

Part of your problem may be the little shifter box on the column just the other side of the firewall from the dash. If it is allowing both levers to move at the same time it may be trying to shift into two gears at once.

Since the bushings helped for a while I'd chase possible shifter issues before assuming the problem is internal to the trans.

I think you might be right about the shifter box. The rod from the shifter that runs down the steering column was loose when I got it and when I looked at it it seemed like it had been screwed in to a different position on the column as there were an extra set of holes on the column - so it may not be in the right position.

The wrong/changed mounting location on the steering column might be due to having a wrong year steering column or wrong year shifting rods. The 1954 Chevrolet truck 3-speed shifting rods are different from those used in earlier Advance-Design years.

This has been covered at length before in this forum, and I've had the problem on my '55 1st 1/2 ton. That shifter box is a real bugaboo. Pull the cover, clean out the old grease, and adjust the shifter arms so that the openings match up when you are in neutral. The linkage adjustments are very critical to prevent the lockup you describe. You go all through the shifting system, adjusting all the way up to the hand shifter in the cab. This is well covered in the shop manual, which you can reference elsewhere in the forum...pics and all. When you're done, lubricate the heck out of everything and pack the box with grease.