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1st and reverse lever.

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Old Jul 22, 2014 | 05:06 PM
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1st and reverse lever.

lately ive been having trouble with my 73 ford, 360 3 speed on the tree. it was giving me problems staying in gear and now it wont even go into first and reverse but second and third it will. Im wanting to know what i need to do to those levers on the tranny or if i adjust the linkage a certain amount to allow it to go back into first and reverse. need help ASAP. Greatly appreciate any input.
 
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Old Jul 22, 2014 | 07:10 PM
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There isn't a whole lot you can do with the shift arms. All they do is bolt to the threaded shaft that sticks out of the side of the trans. The shifter rod does have a slot in it for adjustment.
To adjust, at the base of the steering column, where the shift arms stick out, there is a ¼" hole in each arm. Line the two holes up and insert a ¼" drill bit or rod. Then loosen the shift rods. Make sure both the R-1 and 2-3 levers are in neutral then tighten the shift rods.
But I don't think that's your problem. The first thing I would check is the clutch adjustment. Second thing to check is the shift socket (Ford's term) that's the collar on the steering column that the shifter sticks in. It's very common for them to break internally and make shifting basically impossible.
But I think your trans itself is worn and in need of repair or replacement.

BTW, welcome to FTE. Lots of good people here.
 
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Old Jul 22, 2014 | 08:59 PM
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Yes sounds like you have some worn items in the column, and or an issue internally in the trans?

Insp it all for loose worn hdwr or bushings and then do the adjustment trick with the drill bit. And then ck the clutch adjustment.

Any chance the front cab mounts are rusted out and letting the cab settle? That can cause issues on a 3 spd column shift.

If the column is the culprit and not the trans, you could get a aftermarket 3 spd floor shifter?
 
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Old Feb 13, 2016 | 11:31 AM
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Ok, so sorry for late response, lost my login credentials. I ended up replacing the trans and then converted to a Hurst Indy 3 speed floor shifter. No more issues.

Thank you so much!
 
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Old Feb 13, 2016 | 11:47 AM
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Thanks for closing out the thread. So, what was wrong ? You said you replaced the trans, what was wrong worn out, broken gears? Pops
 
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