[Guest]

I am working on a worn '66 4 speed manual transmission linkage. Putting the Mustang into 1st or 2nd was getting exceedingly difficult without pulling on the reverse lockout mechanism. Turns out that with the reverse lockout down, there is very little travel in the selector shaft and not nearly enough travel to put me in 1st or 2nd. It looks like I'm loosing a lot of motion between the gear shift selector and the trunnion. Even if I tighten the shift level assembly down, the trunnion (the part that connects the gear shift selector with the selector shaft) pivots on the selector shaft and I loose the full effect of the motion.

Is the trunnion supposed to pivot on the selector shaft?

The diagram in the Hayes book makes it look like the bolt tension from the gear selector to the trunnion attaches the assembly to the selector shaft. Mine seems like the trunnion is permanately attached to the
selector shaft. I'm wondering if some JB Weld between the trunnion and the selector shaft might solve the problem.

 

[kevinstang]

If you are talking about the U shaped piece the shifter handle bolts to, yes it should pivot on shaft.Most of the time what is wrong with these shift control boxes is that they are all gummed up and the main shaft won't slide etc..Best bet if this is the case is to remove the shifter box, dissasemble, soak in cleaner to remove the gummed up pieces, clean up either in sand blaster or with wire brush. Purchase a new 4 speed shift handle kit-new springs, cups, bushings etc. and install everything back togther with a white lithium grease. Shifter will usually work effortless then.