Jamming 3 spd solution??

[dubie]

Is there any way to keep my 3 speed from jamming up on me? I know it's a common problem with these. Just wondering if you guys have a solution for me whether there is a bushing kit out there that would make it shift better or ??? I am also thinking of going to a floor shift kit for the 3 spd. I have the kit already, but I have also heard that the linkage will still jam on you. Any input is always welcome

[slam33]

I've had the same problem, that why I'm going auto. The floor shifter has one flaw. When your tranny is jamming the mounting plate that attaches to the driver side of the trans starts to move around and the tabs soon break which makes the problem even worst.

[dubie]

I can't afford to swap out the tranny just yet, but I thought there was some kind of kit for this problem. Anyone else have a solution for this?

[Dutch]

When I was a kid (jr high in the mid-70s) my dad had a rusty ol orange (with white roof) c10 with a 250/3spd.

The way he made his tranny work was teach my brother and me what to wiggle on the shift linkage under the hood and then he always made one of us ride with him so WE'D have to jump out in the rain/snow and pop the hood and free the linkage. :p

Actually we eventually put in a floor shifter from K-mart and got along ok for the year or so that we had i after the fix.

I don't know that I'd hack up a nice 67-72 to do that now, tho. There's gotta be a bushing kit to fix that.....

[racedvl]

I think if you replace the bushings it should improve things greatly. Also, if you convert to a floor shift, don't get the cheap shifter! Get the best one you can. My 68 had a cheap one, and crawling under the truck in the snow just plain sucks!!

[Palf70Step]

Hey dubie...
MIne was doing the lockup/jamming also...unfortunately my son is only 3, so I had to jump out in the rain to unjam it. I have the Hurst Indy Floor shifter for our trucks and so far I love it compared to the column. No problems or hints og..so far..

[vfrdude]

I have a Hurst 3 speed floor shift that I would be willing to let go of cheap... pretty sure I have the arms and everything... If your interested let me know... The previous owner installed a floor shifter (probably for the reasons mentioned), and I have long since converted to an automatic...

[okietruck]

I have an Indy floor shifter in my 72 and still have some jamming problems. I have found that careful shifting by following the 'H' pattern works to avoid jams. If I try to 'slide' across to 2nd, it will jam almost every time. The guy I got the truck from put the floor shifter in because the column was jamming. He said he got by with the column shift by doing the same thing, follow the 'H' carefully.

[dubie]

I always follow the H carefully but still have the occasional jam. I know that if I park the truck with it engaged in Reverse, it will jam up for sure. There must be a remedy for this plagueing problem.

Also, have any of you had the thing stick when you shift from 1st to 2nd and have to shift back down into 1st to get it going again?

[okietruck]

Mine only jammed when going from 1st to 2nd. I could never get it free without crawling under and working the levers on the tranny by hand.

[dubie]

Yeah, whenever mine jams, I just pop the hood and grab the linkage rod and give it a yank. Comes free right away, just don't do it on an incline without the e-brake on. personal experience

[Yukon Jack]

Lately when mine jams it is when I go from 1st to 2nd. If I just take it down to 1st again then upshift it has been correcting itself. I think it knows its days are number. I make sure to park my truck where it can see the SM465 that is going in very shortly.

[tom hand]

I had this problem on a truck I had about 18 years ago. Like most everyone else I installed a floor shifter. As the last step to installing the floor shifter, I knocked out the pin to remove the shift arm and there was what I believe to be the problem staring me in the face. The shift arm had a bushing on the end of it that was in pieces. I never got to test my theory, but I to this day I believe that replaceing that one little bushing would have solved the problem. Does anyone have a factory manual that shows a breakdown on a three speed colume so I can show you which part I am talking about?

[Sammy]

Hopefully I can shed some light on this..you have bushings/grommets on your linkage on the tranny, bushings/grommets on your control arms under the hood and bearings at the top and lower of your column and the most forgotten and probally worn out tube inside your column. After years of re-adjustment the tube usually wears to the point of adjustments don't help anymore. If you adjust everything in the neutral postion, check insure no rods are bent (the tranny will access all your gears smoothly) and all your bushings/grommets are serviceable and you continue to have the jamming problem that leaves you with the last two options replace the upper & lower bearings in the column probally unlikely..Or remove steering column to replace the shift tube itself.

.Thats why it's quicker to go to a floor shifter..guessing I'd say a shift tube would be about a 100 dollar and 4 hr. job...someone maybe able to shed some light on a cost.

[Knoxville71shortbed]

I had pretty good luck by replacing the bushings where the shift rods connect to the steering column. I'm not sure if the original steel bushings had worn to a smaller outside diameter, or the hole in the shift arm had grown (probably the latter), but I thought there was too much "slop" to properly adjust the linkage and get it shifting smoothly. I determined that I needed a bushing that was about 1/16" larger in outside diameter. Wasn't sure where to get one, so like usual, I made another trip to Lowes. They had a hard nylon bushing, which had the outside and inside diameter that I needed, but was too long. No problem, I bought them and took them home, and cut them to the length I needed with my dremel. After installing my new "oversized" bushings, doing a proper linkage adjustment, and greasing the heck out of everything, it shifts pretty good. Actually, the nylon bushings really improved the "feel" of the shift. It never jams any more. (I got tired of jumping out, raising the hood, and jerking the linkage myself. However I had gotten pretty fast at it!) You still have to remember that it's an "H" pattern, and you really can't shift fast, but with a little patience you can get it to stop jamming. You could jam them when they were new, if you tried to "powershift". Hope this helps. Good luck!

[Durwood]

Mine used to jam on me all the time, also. I replaced the bushing and spring on the lower part of the column, and realigned the shift levers while in neutral about a year ago. I started shifting real methodically, too. I haven't had a bind since.

[yellowgmc]

mine's jammed in 3rd right now. all the wigglin' and yankin' hasn't helped. i've got an idy floor shifter to put in once i get it back in neutral. i want to tass this tranny asap for a five speed, but i don't have the buck or time. ah well.

[bad 71 chevy]

Hey guys there is a bushing kit form hurst you can buy it in all most any checker it is called a pit pack and if you can get it it helps a lot but it will jamb some times but not as much
i guss we just have to deal with it

[bad 71 chevy]

Hey guys there is a bushing kit form hurst you can buy it in all most any checker it is called a pit pack and if you can get it it helps a lot but it will jamb some times but not as much
i guss we just have to deal with it
Mine does it in the 1 to 2 shift as well but what i say is if they cant shift it they cant stell it

[Stano]

I had the hurst indy in the 67 for a while and had a jamming prob. One day my buddy and I were tinkering underneath and I noticed some slack in the rods. Did some careful adjusting and it shifted great would even slide into 2nd without a hitch. I think it is mostly adjustment with the hurst shifter for them to work good. As for stock on the tree I wouldn't have it myself unless a total original resto. Thats my 2 pennies.