65silververt

This is on a very early 1964 car, build date October 63, and the shifter linkage does not have the key way for adjusting the linkage. It also does not have the place to the top right to lock the levers in place with a piece of wood. Does anybody else have linkage like this? If so, suggestions for adjusting the shifter linkage? I have spent 3 hours bashing my knuckles messing with the linkage already and i just cant seem to get it right. I can get 1-2 and 3-4 to line up, but reverse is just impossible to find.

Thanks

JohnZ

Does it have the little half-round notch near the rear in the housing and in the three levers as shown in the photo below? That's what 64's used for alignment, with a 5/16" pin or drill bit.

65silververt

Yes John, it does have the slot in the housing, but not in the levers. I guess someone changed the levers out with the other design at some point. Thanks for the picture!

MikeM

I don't know what you have there but here's what I'd try:

Adjust reverse, first and set the adjustment about halfway (center it) on the rod threads. If you can't find reverse that way, maybe your reverse lockout rod has broken and has the shifter jammed. Check it!

Adjust 1-2 next where the shift handle just drops straight across from the reverese position. Do the same for 3-4.

Make sure the shift handle doesn't bottom on the console in either direction. If it does, re-adjust reverse to eliminate this.

You can sit in the driver"s seat and feel if you have it right. Don't really need the alignment pin.

vettsplit 63

If you look closely, the levers don't have notches, the way it adjusts is with the levers adjusted back against the pin in the rear.

65silververt

Thanks Mike!!!

Vettesplit-it sure looks like the levers in John Z's photo above have notches to me. The 1-2 lever in mine is notched, while reverse and 3-4 are not. If the levers do not have notches in the rear for this year model shifter, then there is no way to put a pin in place to align the levers, which is exactly the case with mine.

Jeffsvettes

65Silververt,
Vettesplit63 is correct. I am looking at a shifter im holding in my hand with both the slot and the half round notch. When the slots are all aligned the back of the levers will hit a drill bit or dowl and stop. There are no notches on the back of the levers only the two outside housing plates and the spacer between the 2 foward levers and the reverse lever.
Hope this helpes.
Jeff

vettsplit 63

Seems like I remember back in "the day" we used to intentionally misalign the 3-4 lever slightly to 'lead' the linkage when we would power shift. Not enough to make it impossible to get it into reverse, just one or two rounds. Mike's method will also work, but you need someone other than your wife helping you.

MikeM

That is exactly the way I used to adjust the shifters.

Before you recommend that thought, the owner has to know how to properly adjust a shifter to start with!

You're also correct about the "wife" part! You gotta' do it yourself so you know where you're at.

MikeM

That is exactly the way I used to adjust the shifters.

Before you recommend that though, the owner has to know how to properly adjust a shifter to start with!

dkleather

My 64 was built about Sept. 3, 1963 car #68. It has the same shifter as in John Z's picture with the notches in all the levers. Dave

65silververt

If there are not slots/notches in the back of the levers, then what is the point of the slot in the cage? I see what you are saying, but with my particular linkage, the levers do not even come close to traveling far enough forward to make this possible. And, the 1-2 lever has a notch in it that perfectly matches the notch in the sides of the cage, so.....
Still, it looks to me like the levers in John Z's photos have notches, but perhaps i am just seeing things.

66jack

Someone changed/altered your shifter...

Jeffsvettes

65 Silververt if you look very closely at the picture posted by JohnZ the levers do not go past the notched only the fixed plate between the foward levers and the reverse lever goes past. Unless you have different levers you should be able to move all the levers foward than put a bit in the notch and move all the levers back until they hit the bit than your shifter should have full movement left to right.
Jeff

66since71

you're just trying to get the neutral gates lined up.. And get each levers travel centered.

Harry

MikeM

Does this mean that one of your levers has a notch? Your post is somewhat confusing.

Any chance you have the levers on the transmission upside down or on the wrong shifter shaft?

65silververt

Gotcha, and that is not possible with mine. The reverse has a large hump on the rear. I have the 1-2 and 3-4 levers pulled as far forward as they will go, reverse somewhere around the middle of its adjustment, and that is where they are happy. The notch in the 1-2 lever lines up with the notch in the cage. Somebody clearly put in different levers in the car. If 3-4 is not adjusted all the way forward, it smacks into the trans tunnel. It was digging a nice hole in the fiberglass and that is why i decided to address the linkage in the first place.

MikeM

See post #16.

65silververt

I missed that one Mike, sorry. I don't think they are backwards as 1-2 and 3-4 line up when i look down on them from the top through the shifter cut out in the trans tunnel. It is shifting correctly now, so i think i will just leave it alone before i end up spending more money on something that doesnt necessary need to be replaced.
I appreciate all the help. Funny how something that should only take 20 minutes ends up consuming 3-4 hours of time. I didnt have a helper initially and trying to find reverse without one was near impossible.

MikeM

I was suggesting the levers on the transmission may be the wrong ones or they may be right but on the wrong shifter shaft on the side cover.

What you have there may be working but it isn't right. I was hoping someone would post a picture of a transmission with the linkage installed on it. I've seen it here before.