Hey guys! This is my first post on the forum. I recently bought a 67 F-100 from a friend and I'm trying to get it going. I've always been a Chevy guy - I daily drive a '55 BelAir, and I had a '66 C10 Pickup for several years. After I sold the pickup, I really missed having an old truck to beat around in, so I found out about this F-100 that had been sitting in a friend's yard for several years.

It's a bit rusty and dirty, the paint is almost gone, and there are several large dents that were slopped full of bondo and are falling out, but it has a charm all it's own.

Anyway, I finally got it running this past weekend! The brakes (sort of) work - almost no lights or gauges work (except one headlight), but it moves under it's own power. My main issue at the moment is that the 3 on the tree shifter only moves between 2nd and 3rd gear. I can't really shift it into neutral, but if I leave it in the middle, I can pop the hood and force it into 1st or reverse. That's helped to move it around the yard, but I'd really like to get this thing shifting properly.

I took off the steering wheel and the turn signal section of the column, and that seemed to free it up a bit. I can now physically move the column into all four location (it seems), but the other end of the column is still only shifting into 2nd or 3rd.

I filmed a quick video of how it looks, and I can't seem to see anything overtly wrong with it:
Where should I start in trying to diagnose this thing? Thanks!

 

Welcome to FTE. Be a good idea to look at the other end of the steering column. Check the bushings for wear. Lube the lower end of the column up real good. Adjust the shift linkage. If everything is all worn out you could add a floor shifter.

 

At the bottom of the steering column underneath the hood are the two manual control selector levers that the rods from the trans attach to. In each lever is a rubber bushing and insulator.

The rubber bushings age crack/disintegrate, the shift lever binds up between 1st & 2nd.

C5TZ-7343-A .. Bushing & Insulator Kit (kit does both levers) / Obsolete

1965/72 F100/250.

GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH has 5 = 800-543-4959.

CARPENTER NOS OBSOLETE PARTS in Concord NC has 3,442 = 800-476-9653.

 

Agree with all the above. There is a tab at the top of the column where the tip of the shift handle goes into. Mine was wallered out and brazed it with a brass rod. Like brand new. One has to disassemble the column of coarse.

Up until that point, if I would shift in a more perfect H pattern, it was less likely to jam up rather than "sliding" from 1st to 2nd. Hope that helps.

 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

Yep, I checked those. Here are a couple of shots, they seem to be OK?

I'm guessing I'll have to pull the column, but I was hoping to avoid that. When the truck was parked, it was shifting fine, but that was at least 6-7 years ago.

 

Thanks! I'll be asking lots of questions here as I get this thing going!

 

Thanks!

Bushings seem fine (see my pics above in response to NumberDummy), and I did spray some grease inside the bottom of the tube to try and free it up.

I was hoping to avoid a floor shifter. I've never had a good experience with those, and my understanding is that you have to spend $300+ on a Hurst one or it's not worth it. That's how much I paid for the whole truck!

Anyway, I guess I may be removing the column soon. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to replace any worn bushings, etc. since they seem hard to find.

 

More lube. Pour some motor oil on that, then work it in.

 

Steering column contains upper & lower bearings, that are the same (C3DZ-3517-A). EZ to find because, they're available from Ford.

 

Ah, didn't realize that, thanks! I guess I thought they were hard to find because I wasn't able to find a kit with all the bearings, etc. to rebuild it. With my '55 Chevy, I bought a kit that had every "wear" part included for rebuilding the entire column. I haven't found anything like that yet for this truck, but maybe I won't need them. I'm going to try Brian1971f100's suggestion of pouring some oil in the bottom section of the column and working it around a bit first.

 

Check the linkage bushings, and cab mounts. If the mount collapses, then the column ends up supporting the weight and it'll bind everything up.

 

UPDATE: I got it all fixed! Pouring oil down into the bottom of the column didn't free it up, so I bought some new bushings and misc column parts from LMC, and took the column out and rebuilt it.

The spring at the bottom of the column that allows the shift tube to go up and down had just frozen up. The column was full of rusty water, so that explains it. Some wire brushing, primer and paint, and new bits all put together, and I can use all 4 gears now!

Thanks for the help!

 

Glad to hear it.
BTW, click on Read First: Technical Info Hyperlink Compilation ( 1 2)
HIO Silver
and go to page two. I think it's posts #21 and #22 to get a VAST wealth of info on the hows, whens, and wheres. Including staying away from LMC. They are more expensive than others. Like www.dennis-carpenter.com. A lot of times LMC buys from the other vendors, marks them up, then sells them.

 

Dare I say it: on a Ford, only a few pieces go bad, so that is why you mostly find only individual pieces. On a Chimmy, everything goes bad so that is why they give you parts kits.