Forgive me guys I am new and trying to learn on these old trucks. I have been having fun but it just seems like my luck dosent last long. I think one of my problems is I dont have enough knowledge to diagnose things well enough. here is my latest problem. I replaced my clutch, and because of how many times I had to redue it I wore out the joint that secure the shifter to the trany. those little prongs. but it still sat in and was workable for the time being. I took it out and test drove it, and used the 4 wheel dive to test it as well. all was good. as I was leaving the shifter jump out on me and for some reason it got stuck in second gear. i tride to put it back in but it dosent fit in the same anymore. and I cant get it out of second. any tips as to what I can do to try and fix this situation. thanks for any help. it is a 77 with np435 4 speed.

 

Most likely, this is an easy fix. It sounds to me as though the transmission has double shifted. That is to say, while one shift rail was shifted into 2nd gear, the other side moved as well, which locked the first one into position.
There are 2 shift rails. 1st and 2nd gear are controlled by the RIGHT shift rail and 3rd and 4th are controlled by the LEFT shift rail.
Note: LEFT and RIGHT as though you are in the driver's seat. LEFT is the driver's side, and RIGHT is the passenger side.

Keep in mind that the shift handle is pivoting inside the shift tower, so that when you push the shifter to the left (for 1st and 2nd), the other end is pivoting to the right.

The solution is to be found when you pull the shift handle out and look inside. Both shift rails will have 3 positions: Front, Middle and Rear. When both are in the middle, their center sections will line up to allow the shifter to move left or right. This is Neutral gear. When one shift rail is moved, the other should stay in the Middle position. But, it looks like neither is in the center position.

Since it is 2nd gear that won't move, I am betting it is the RIGHT one that is stuck. Therefore, if you can move the LEFT one back to the center position, you will free up your transmission.

You might be able to do this through the top tower by re-inserting the shift lever to the postion of 3rd gear, and then trying to move that shift rail into the Middle or Neutral position.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

Last time I pulled a standard out, that happened to me trying to put it back together. I took a big flat screw driver and got everything back in the neutral position, and the gear shift slid right in to place. You will need to put some firm pressure to it. the sgifting rails that Banjo is talking about won't move easy, but they will move.
Banjo, That was a good way to put what you had to say. These trucks can be pretty confusing to a new guy. I tried to give you some reputation points for a most informative post, but the system won't let me.
At any rate, pat your self on the back. Your an asset to the site.
Doc