3 on the floor shifting.
 

Hey guy, I just picked up my first chevy ever... '69 C10 long bed with a 350. Couple quick questions for all of you experts. This truck was a 3 on the column originally. One of the previous owners switched it over with a Mr. Gasket floor shift conversion kit.. Now. I have another truck that is a 3 on the column, and I have owned 4,5, and 6 speed cars/trucks. But this thing is a nightmare to drive! Are there any tips or tricks to this messed up floor shift? I can't seem to find 3rd to save my life, and sometimes neutral is just as tough! Second and first are simple enough, but 3rd is nowhere to be found 8/10 attempts. (At speed, parked I seem to be able to find it.) Ideally I would like to switch this over to a 4 on the floor, but I'll need to round up a transmission to do that first. In the mean time, I need to be able to get this out of the driveway and not be a burden to everyone else on the road!
Thanks,
Pancho

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Welcome!

1st thing to check out would be if the linkage is binding. Another, more serious issue could be the synchronizer for 3rd could be shot.

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

I will check into seeing if the linkage is binding. I'm hoping the syncro isn't shot as I would still like to have the truck semi-drivable until I can track down the 4 speed and the components necessary to swap them.

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Probably worn and/or misaligned linkage. Check the bushings where the levers from the shifter itself attach to the rods on the transmission, and the rods to the levers on the side of the trans. If they are nylon/missing, that can be a cause. If they look OK, find a source that will show you how to align the shift gate so that it's easier to get through neutral to the rest of the rears. Summit sells Mr Gasket products, so you might talk to their tech guys about it. I'm willing to bet that this will take care of most of the problem. HTH!

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Look here for some tips.
In post #14 there another link to the cure I found 40 years ago with my first 3 speed shifter.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=512345

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Unhook the linkage and put the shifter and trans in neutral then hook everything back up.

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Thanks for then info guys, I crawled under the truck and took a look and turns out the bolt that holds the linkage together was so loose I could have undid it with my fingers! I tightened it up and checked everything else out, put some lubricant on everything and went for a test drive. Shifts like a dream now, no issues. Thank you for the help! Now I can reliably get it around.

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

Do these three speed manuals have a synchro low? Just curious. As for the shifting problem, it might be neat to switch back to column linkage.

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

LongBox, I am not sure if they have a syncro low. I just bought this truck yesterday and am not an expert mechanic. I know just enough to get myself into trouble lol. I usually just work on old honda motorcycles.. I have another truck that is a 3 speed on the column, and while fun to drive, it is more of a show truck than a daily driver and sometimes the column shifting gets a bit tiresome. I almost wonder if it would be a big pain to switch back to column linkage?

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

1st gear synchro is probably true on this truck. Simple way to check is to try a shift into 1st while rolling. He'll know, if it doesn't grind. :) I THINK synchronized 1st gear is a thing from the late '50s. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. My dad's '68 1/2T had a synchronized 1st gear, IIRC. But that was sold about 45 YA, so who knows?

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

way back in high school I had a 72 with a three spd and the hurst floor shifter...it worked fine,if I remember right it had a synchro first gear..I like the floor shift better than column shift......unless you really need the granny low, I wouldnt bother changing to a four spd...I'm assuming you meant a sm465 truck trans and not a car trans...

Re: 3 on the floor shifting.
 

I was only able to take her out around the neighborhood for a few laps and see if everything was working well. If it keeps up shifting and not giving me any trouble then I'm just going to stick with it for a while. Hopefully it keeps functioning properly. I'm not sure what the 4 speed tranny was going to be... Guy I bought the truck from is giving it to me along with an extra tank and a whole lot of other parts.