IowaboyPC

Folks, I've got a 58 with a late model 350 chevy in it with a manual 4 speed. Been driving the car for about a month now and transmission working fine. Yesterday the car would not go into reverse. The hurst shifter moves to the left over the detent but will not go forward into the reverse position no matter how hard i try or after shifting into other gears with engine on/off and clutch in/out and then try to put it into reverse.

I disconnected the reverse shifter linkage on the tranny and now the gear shifter works just fine. I tried to manually move the reverse shift arm on the side of the transmission into reverse but it is stuck, smacked it with a ball peen hammer a few times as well and no luck.

Question:

1) should i be able to manually move the reverse shift arm on the tranny into reverse gear and back into neutral?

2) any other thougths?

car48nut

You have to have the other two arms in neutral, then you should be able to move rev. lever

IowaboyPC

The two other arms are still connected and the gear shifter is in nuetral. In this case I still can not move the reverse shift arm. other thoughts/input?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

66since71

If the problem is intermittent, it's probably just the gear teeth for reverse that aren't lining up. The Owners Manual suggests depressing the clutch, moving the lever to 2nd gear, and the to reverse, to line up the gear teeth.

But it sounds like you have bigger problems?

Harry

00fxd

Ha says that he has removed the shift linkage and is trying to manually shift the tab into reverse. DO NOT HIT IT WITH A HAMMER AS STATED!
This occurred to me a millennium or two ago in my '68 Firebird with a Muncie.. It was fixed easily by an experienced trans guy. He figured that there was "a burr on the shaft". We put the car on stands, and he but a box end wrench on the shifter tab nut and patiently worked the wrench/nut back and forth while patiently rotating the driveshaft back and forth with his hand. It eventually slipped into reverse. Fixed. Make sure that the foreword gears are in neutral.

IowaboyPC

Group;

I think I may have the burr on the shaft issue that 00fxd is talking about. The 1/2 and 3/4 gears move easily by hand and are definately in neutral. When i disconnect the shifter linkage from the transmission shift arem tab I can not move the reverse shift arm on the side of the transmission. The hurst shifter then works fine and goes into the reverse gate with no binding. The shift arm tab on tranny don't budge either way. So, are you saying that if I wiggle the drive shaft a bit with a wrench on that reverse shifter tab it may unbind?

One thing to note. Today I started the car and when I move the hurst shifter lever all the way to the left as if I'm going to put the car into reverse it does slightly engange the transmission into reverse just enough that I can back it out of the garage. The hurst shifter will not go forward into reverse though and when I let go of the hurst shifter and it springs back into the neutral position is disengauges the transmission and slips back into neutral. I presume it is just putting enough pressure on the shift arm tranny tab to put the car into reversre. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

66jack

Do you have the reverse shift, 'tab/lever' in the correct orientation?

Sounds like you need to 'flip/turn' the tab/lever around...

IowaboyPC

Yes, i believe it is in the correct postion. Regardless I should be able to move it by hand with the linkage disconnected from the shift arm tab correct?