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2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '25
Shifter linkage problem
We're off on a road trip and pulled over for gas and when I started the car back up, I can't get into first gear. It goes into reverse. I've tried several times, but I've given up and am just starting off in 2nd. We're headed to a friend's house where there is a lift. Would this be a problem in the console area or under the car? What should I be looking for to fix it?
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '25
Originally Posted by dcamick
Go get, em, Buddy!
Thanks Doug. We're back home. We put 206 miles on the 65 up and back to our friends place. My buddies were pretty impressed how folks stepped up so quickly to analyze and post the info I needed to get back on the road - without limping. We had a lot of extended freeway driving at 70mph, that's 3200RPM in our 65. It seemed to like it, but it's a bit noisy between the exhaust and the wind. It's been a long haul for me to get this car reliable enough to trust it on a long trip, and other than the reverse lockout pin slipping, it performed flawlessly. We even made it to an informal car show. That's my friend's 66 GTO convertible next to the 65.
Seems easiest and most obvious. Might just be a bit out of place and binding. Hopefully it's as easy as putting it back, replacing the clip, and going on your way
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '25
Here's the linkage from the bottom. Looks ok. I think the issue is with the reverse lockout not locking out reverse. I can get in all the gears, but it's nearly impossible to distinguish between 1st and reverse.
I unscrewed the **** and I'm wondering if this rod has slipped?
Not sure but you might have a related issue with lever alignment causing your first gear issue.
Mine happened all of a sudden without warning.......Good luck!
67 SHIFTER PROBLEM GETTING OUT OF REVERSE INTO NEUTRAL
If the alignment is off, the shifter handle won't move freely left to right through the gates in the levers. It won't cause the t handle to stay in the up position unless the lock out rod on the bottom of the t handle itself is rubbing on something it shouldn't be due to being bent. IF your shifter is binding left to right when in the neutral position, or trying to move in and out of reverse, then you need an alignment. BUT....that's not what our symptom is. It's a very simple lockout, it lifts up to clear the reverse gate and then drops back down (with the help of the spring) when you release it. I think you'll find the problem in the t handle portion, not in the shift lever alignment. Be sure to post back what you find in case it's something else, I don't want to offer bad advice. Shifter Alignment Procedure: (with shift rods disconnected from transmission)
1. Put Transmission in Neutral
2. Put shifter in Neutral
3. Align shifter alignment marks using appropriate alignment tool (in this case the round rod / drill bit / whatever that fits the small cut outs on the back of the shifter levers inside the shifter).
4. Attach each shift rod individually such that it attaches the the transmission WITHOUT moving the shifter lever at all. Adjust each rod by screwing it in or out as needed.
5. Once all three shifter rods are attached to the transmission, test the shifting by running through all gears, and then back to neutral.
6. Now confirm that the shifter alignment marks are properly aligned. A slight variation may be present, but you should be able to re-align the marks by SLIGHTLY moving the shifter while still in neutral.
Note: One twist of the adjustment the wrong way will keep things from working properly.
MORE INFORMATION First of all ALL Muncie linkage installs are the same. ALL M20 / M21 and M22 are the same. With all the Hubbub about the M22 and all the talk about differences between the 20 21 and 22 versions it seems odd but they are externally the same when installing the linkage. Install the shifter and mounting plate onto the tail housing. If it is a Muncie shifter there is no plate between the tail shaft and the shifter. Hurst uses a plate, first attach the plate to the trans then attach the "shifter" to the adapter.
You need a picture of the final install to determine what parts are what. Describing what is what and which is which would take forever in a text message format. Look up Hurst shifters on the web. Likely there are pictures there. If you have a Muncie shifter, get a Service manual.Set the transmission in neutral. Click the side cover levers to the center position (Center of three possible locations) and set the reverse linkage to the neutral position. Reverse has only two positions engaged or disengages. I can't recall which is forward and which is reward. Verify that you have neutral by turning the trans output shaft while the input shaft is not moving. The trans should spin freely in either direction. If it is a Hurst be sure to back out the stop bolts on the front and rear of the shifter. There is a 1/3 stop and a 2/4 stop. Muncie shifters don’t have stops.
Get the shifter into neutral. Hurst uses a pin thru the "guts " of the shifter body. I think a 1/4 perhaps it is 5/16 inch drill can be used. Muncie linkage uses a special GM tool for this. It really is nothing special and it can be fabricated with some metal stock and a bench grinder. This step is important: you MUST have the shifter in neutral ..real neutral ...and the only way to be sure is thru the use of the "tool" . If you are experienced with the process, you can get away w/o the tool when working on a Hurst. The Muncie is a little tougher even with experience you need the tool. The Muncie tool is described in detail in the Chevy service manuals get one t will help a lot. Since you are new to this get that tool which ever shifter you have.
Install the arms onto the transmission at the reverse and the 1/2 and 3/4 positions. You are going to need a picture of the installation to do this. Install the rods onto the arms and onto the shifter: adjust arm lengths as required. Remember you MUST keep the shifter and the transmission in the neutral position while adjusting the length of the rods. You might have to take the shifter out of neutral to get the rod end into the shifter arm but the shifter and the lever on the side cover MUST be in neutral when you adjust the rod length. Too many people try adjusting the rod length while the trans is in a given gear. This is a fruitless effort. Leave the trans arms levers and the shifter arms in neutral and adjust the rod length to accommodate the neutral position of the shifter.
Adjust the stops (if you have a Hurst) by shifting the trans into 1st gear and tightening the stop bolt until it just touches the 1st gear arm inside the Hurst. To do this engage 1st or 3rd in the trans and then tighten the 1 / 3 stop until it just kisses the 1st or 3rd gear arm inside the Hurst. Repeat the process for the 2nd and 4th stop. The stops ARE NOT A TOOL / METHOD TO SHORTEN THE THROW OF THE LEVER IN THE CAR. Thinking they are is a critical mistake. The stops are there ONLY to assure that the shifter does NOT push the arms too far forward or pull them too far rearward. Going too far forward or rearward can break parts inside the trans. On the other hand if the stops are set with the intent of trying to shorten the throw all you accomplish is limit the ability of the trans to fully engage a given gear. This can be bad news for the syncros. None of this stop adjustment stuff applies to the GM made Muncie shifters. On the Hurst one stop is used to set 1st and 3rd gear and another is used to set 2nd and 4th. There is no reverse stop pn the Hurst.
MORE INFORMATION
Sounds like the 1-2 gate is out of alignment and is stopping the shifter from returning to the forward gears. It may be that you snatched reverse and the 1-2 lever hooked up with it not allowing the shifter to return. Check the 1-2 lever on the box to see if it is fully in the neutral position. The shifter rod may have bent and while 1-2 is in neutral on the box the shifter gate is a little off stopping the shifter returning to the 1-2 gate.
The reverse lock out just stops the lever moving into the reverse gate. When you return to the 1-2 gate it drops back to it's normal position.
When i zoom in on your picture, your 1-2 'lever' is on wrong...the 'offset/bend' ...should be flipped opposite of the 3-4 lever...this causes the linkage to bind...touch each other...
EDIT:
I had the levers mixed up...its the 3-4 lever on wrong...
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
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St. Jude Donor '25
Ok, went to the hardware store, picked some a new set screw and Allen wrench, put the small rod in the proper position and we're off and running.
Many thanks to everyone. What an amazing group of people that make up this C1/C2 forum
Ok, went to the hardware store, picked some a new set screw and Allen wrench, put the small rod in the proper position and we're off and running.
Many thanks to everyone. What an amazing group of people that make up this C1/C2 forum
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '25
Originally Posted by dcamick
Go get, em, Buddy!
Thanks Doug. We're back home. We put 206 miles on the 65 up and back to our friends place. My buddies were pretty impressed how folks stepped up so quickly to analyze and post the info I needed to get back on the road - without limping. We had a lot of extended freeway driving at 70mph, that's 3200RPM in our 65. It seemed to like it, but it's a bit noisy between the exhaust and the wind. It's been a long haul for me to get this car reliable enough to trust it on a long trip, and other than the reverse lockout pin slipping, it performed flawlessly. We even made it to an informal car show. That's my friend's 66 GTO convertible next to the 65.
Shifter linkage problem
