Not Finding 1st/2nd Shift Gate With Shifter

Howdy All,

It's been a while since I posted on the forum. I've read a bit, but haven't really felt that I had any knowledge to contribute at a level that would be useful to anyone.

I had an issue crop up over the weekend that the experts here might find at least interesting if nothing else.

I changed the clutch on my 73 mustang last week and was rewarded with smooth firm, solid shifts into all gears without a hint of driveline vibration.

Unfortunately, after a couple 100 miles with the new clutch I'm having a problem getting my transmission to shift into 1st and 2nd.

It's like I can't reach the 1st and 2nd shift gates. The transmission shifts easily into all gears including 1st and 2nd, if, I can find them.

When I try to push the tranny a little harder into 1st or 2nd I can feel the shifter slip off the notch between the gates as it falls into 3rd or 4th which makes me think it's just the shifter not reaching quite far enough to get into 1st and 2nd. I thought maybe the shifter might have been out of adjustment so I took it apart.

I've got one of those Pro 5.0 shifters and was surprised by the actual mechanism inside it. Basically the handle floats on a ball bearing (plastic/nylon bearing?) and there are springs that keep it centered and provide maybe the positive and smooth feel.

Maybe, the springs are weaker now and I'm not getting quite enough throw out of the shifter. I figure I can add washers under the springs to increase the pressure on the main shaft (handle).

More than likely the problem with the shifter not quite reaching the 1st and 2nd shift gate is the missing bushing that should be under the shifter ball, taking up the slack between it and the socket on the transmission shift/gear selector shaft.

I rebuilt my tremec 3550 approximately 6000 miles or so ago. It could be that something inside (the fingers on the gear selector shaft) have shifted position slightly. There are pins in the tranny that hold everything in place, but you know how it is. If it can go wrong it will. Makes life fun

I am going to try adding a nylon busing to the socket on the transmission to see if that takes care of things. Still the fact that it's shifting smoothly into the other gears including 5th and reverse makes me nervous that something might actually be amiss in the transmission.

What do you guys think?

If the nylon top hat is missing/broken the thing just won't work right. Just go buy a baggy of them from Ford (it was 5 for $10 last time I bought them for my T5) and slap a new one in there. Mine would do the same thing, no 1st/2nd because there was too much clearance between the shifter's ball and the fork, so it wouldn't move far enough over to select 1st/2nd.

Just get a new bushing from Ford? Of course, I should have thought of that.

I guess I don't think of them for parts anymore because they seem to never have anything for my old car. I'll go by on the way home today. I'm sure I can get one for a 90 something mustang and it'll work.

Do you happen to know what they call the bushing? Course the guy at the parts counter can look it up, I hope.

Gee, had to make it hard for me, didn't you? IIRC, it was called a "lower shifter bushing", but the parts counter guy knew it by top hat bushing (because it looks like an upside down top hat) and they had them in stock. It was the same part # for all T5's and I'd imagine the Tremec is the same. Hard shifting messes them up pretty bad so I made sure to have spares.

a tremec in a '73 mustang? is this car in the readers rides section?