Transmission / Overdrive: 3 Speed Manual transmission locked in low gear

[Waydon]

We had to have our 63 Lark towed the other day, because transmission linkage was locked in low. Where do I get the bushing kit for the linkage, or is this some sort of Auto store,common item?

[StudeRich]

The Shift Lever Grommets are Studebaker specific, and there are no "Kits".

Yes the shift Levers ON the Trans. both get a 197565 Grommet.
I can't find a replacement for the 2 shift lever Grommets on the column under the hood though. The '63's may not use any.

They need to come from a Studebaker Vendor at: http://studebakervendors.com

However, most of your shifting difficulty may be in the Rod adjustments. You disconnect them from the Trans. put the shifter in Neutral and make their length match the Trans. Levers by adjusting the Rod length before re-connecting them.
It is usually that Low to 2nd. shift that hangs up.

What is the condition of your Front and Rear Engine mounts?
When these deteriorate and the Engine drops, your shift linkage will get out of adjustment until those are also replaced.

[JoeHall]

Locked in low gear suggest something other than a bushing problem. It sounds more like mechanical interference somewhere in the linkage. New bushings may help smooth the feel out, but it is not a cure-all for locked linkage. Did you crawl underneath the car and have a look-see while someone sat in the car and jiggled the linkage? Odds are, you coulda figured out the problem at got is going at least well enough to make it home under its own power.

[Waydon]

Thank you for your helpful advice. I will get some grommets ordered and see about getting it adjusted.

[gordr]

I just tore down a long-tail non-overdrive T96 that was locked in both second and reverse. How it came to be that way, I don't know. Gears, bearings, and cluster shaft all good; went into a box. It will make some overdrive T96 whole again, in future.

[jpepper]

Driving cars regularly got locked in first. The column shifter drops into the 2nd/3rd lever before 1st is disengaged. At that point you cannot move the shift lever and the trans is still in 1st. All you had to do was go under the hood and pull up the 1st/reverse lever to the neutral position and all worked again. This occurs because of wear in the bushings, motor mounts, and/or the shift tube and levers in the column. It could be all of the above. A little service work and accurate adjustment cures the problem. I fixed a number of these at Franklin Motors (Franklin, WI) in the 60's when I was in high school.

[Mrs K Corbin]

I had it happen regularly on my '57/6 until I installed new bushings and adjusted the linkage. It happens just like Jpepper says. Temporary fix was to go underneath jiggle it around till it came loose, and I developed a particular shift pattern until I got the new bushings in. I sold the car (Stupid) not long after.

[Skip Lackie]

Thank you for your helpful advice. I will get some grommets ordered and see about getting it adjusted.

As Gordr notes, it could be something serious -- but it also could be something simple. To add to Rich's post above: before you spend a lot of money having a professional get the trans unlocked, it might be worth an hour of your time to try to unlock it yourself. There are two short levers sticking out of the side of the trans. They are attached to the round shift rods (that attach at their other ends to levers at the base of the steering column) with simple round clevis pins and cotter pins. If you disconnect them (keep track of which rod goes with which lever!), you may be able to manually move the trans levers with your hand, thus unlocking the trans. Each lever has three positions, each detectable by a detent. The middle position of each puts the trans in neutral. The rubber grommets go between the holes in the levers and the shift rods.

Have someone hold the shift lever in the neutral position of the H pattern, and check to see if the rods line up with the levers in neutral. The length of each rod can be adjusted by turning the Y-shaped clevis screwed onto its end.

Don't go under the car if it's only being held up by a bumper jack!

[JoeHall]

The above is just one more reason why I prefer a T85/89. Such problems are unheard of with those transmissions. Of course some folks can mess up a steel ball with a rubber hammer...

[thunderations]

Others don't know which end of the screwdriver to hammer with..............

The above is just one more reason why I prefer a T85/89. Such problems are unheard of with those transmissions. Of course some folks can mess up a steel ball with a rubber hammer...

[RadioRoy]

Others don't know which end of the screwdriver to hammer with..............

Or which end of a hot soldering iron to grab.

[thunderations]

Roy, did you burn your hand again?..................lol

Or which end of a hot soldering iron to grab.

[sals54]

I've told this before, but again may not hurt at this point. But when I had my 60 Lark convert, we would have to shift from first, almost all the way to reverse, then go back around to get into second gear, then down to third. If not, it would get locked up. As long as you followed directions in the above manner, it would shift well and smoothly. Fun car to drive.

[RadioRoy]

Roy, did you burn your hand again?..................lol

Ouch! Hey, wait a minute...

[Mrs K Corbin]

Hey Sals54, same method I used.....LOL