64 american 3sp column shift
Printed From: TheAMCForum.com
Category: The Garage
Forum Name: Transmission & Drivetrain
Forum Description: If it's between the engine and wheels, it goes here
URL: https://theamcforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=89517
Printed Date: Apr/19/2024 at 1:57am
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Topic: 64 american 3sp column shift
Posted By: tamvette68
Subject: 64 american 3sp column shift
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 6:56am
| Found only one thread so I ask: Need to rebuild shift linkage as it is stuck in first gear and will not shift. Transmission fine, linkage bushes, etc. bad. Do I convert to floor shift or rebuild linkage? On the one thread I found aftermarket kits apparently are no good. Anyone converted column to floor recently with any success? thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: mixed up
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 7:42am
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I put a v8 in my 65 and put a floor shifter in it no trouble there I think you would have more fun with car with a floor shifter ,the only think you have is the linkage going to the tran ------------- 69 amx 290 auto 65 220 290 4spd 80 ford fairmont |
Posted By: tyrodtom
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 8:04am
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I did it on my 64 and 69, but a long time ago. There were a lot more kits to chose from then, but the ones I did chose were universal kits, not specifically made for any transmission. The one I got for the 64 was a Sparkomatic, for the 69 a Fenton. in their day neither were top line shifters. The Fenton I drove for 18 years, somewhere along the line I had to rebuild it, I used bushings from a Hurst rebuild kit. I might have had to redrill a hole or two to fit some of the bushings, but the rebuild was a success. Most shifter problems come from bad installation IMO, but it will usually get blamed on the shifter. ------------- 66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va. |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 8:23am
forgot to mention....I do have a bench seat tho. Would like to put a v8 while changing to floor shift. |
mixed up wrote:Posted By: tyrodtom
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 8:38am
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If you're going to put in a V8, then you're surely not going to use the transmission in your car now ? ------------- 66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va. |
Posted By: rocklandrambler
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 9:20am
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Putting a V8 in a '64 American opens a whole other can of worms. You'll have to deal with engine and tranny cross members, wiring, driveshaft, rear differential, etc, etc. Might be easier to find a pair of bucket seats that fit and then do the floor shift conversion.
------------- Past AMC's 1974 Hornet X (new) 1975 Gremlin X (new) 1964 Classic 660 Cross Country 1965 American 440-H |
Posted By: tyrodtom
Date Posted: Sep/02/2017 at 9:37am
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My 64 had a bench seat, and OD, I had to do some creative bending on the shifter, and brackets to fit in a floorshift, but it worked fine. It was more trouble fitting it because of the OD than the bench seat. ------------- 66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va. |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/03/2017 at 9:25am
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I'm just going to fix my shift linkage and leave the rest alone. Keep it as original as I can I guess. I've never worked on transmissions so I'm wondering when I remove the steering column and shaft/rod is there anything inside the upper column at the shift lever that will possibly need to be replaced/repaired? |
Posted By: MARTINSR
Date Posted: Sep/03/2017 at 10:47am
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It is very likely simply an adjustment! Look at the piece that's on the lever of the tranny that the rod from the linkage goes into, it had nuts to adjust the length of the rod. As I remember you put the tranny in neutral and then adjust the rod length so that the shifter handle is "happy" in neutral as well. My 59 American would get stuff in a gear every once in a while. I found that I could open the hood and grabbing the arms on the column that pull and push the rods and could pull it out of the stuck gear and back into neutral. One of the arms would be pushing the rod down and the other pulling the rod up. I would wrap my fingers under the one pushing down with the palm of my hand on the one pulling up and simply apply pressure pulling my fingers up on the arm and pushing down with my palm and it would pop out of the locked position and into neutral. I did this many times over a few years driving it. Then one day had to pull the transmission back when the clutch linkage broke and the throwout bearing was disloged and while under there doing that I found that one of the adjustments on rod at the tranny was loose! The nuts were backed off so the rod could move a bit before pushing the lever on the trans. I did a quick check for neutral and tightened the nut up and wham, I never had the problem again with the shifter locking. And I drive this car every single day. Brian ------------- 1959 Rambler American daily driver. And I mean EVERY SINGLE day. |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/03/2017 at 12:01pm
| going to try that tomorrow to see if it will work but I really believe its the bushings, etc., at the bottom of the steering column that I'm going to have to rebuild/replace. |
Posted By: farna
Date Posted: Sep/04/2017 at 6:39am
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I don't think you can get that bushing at the bottom any more. It's just a plastic/nylon piece that holds the lower shaft bearing and holds the shift arms tight. There are 2-3 screws holding it in in angled slots. There isn't much adjustment, but loosen the screws and the end will rotate and tighten up a little. Probably not enough. I tried rotating the end and drilling new screw holes once, the old piece wouldn't take it though and just cracked up when tightening the screws. It's not a hard piece to make though. A piece of 1" thick wood will work. Not a 1/x4, as that is really only 3/4" thick, but something like a piece of deck board (1-1/8" to 1-1/4" thick). Or a piece of 2x4 cut down. I'd cut a plug with a hole saw about the right diameter then sand down to fit. Put a long bolt through the center hole, snug tight with a nut and washer, and chuck it in a drill. Run against a sanding block until it fits the end of the column. You will need to care out a place for the lower bearing, IIRC, then drill the center hole out so the shaft will fit. Of course the column needs to come out to do all this, but that's not too hard either. Put some axle grease on the face where the shift rods contact the wood and you will be good to go for quite a while. I tried making plastic washers to take up some slack but they didn't work well either, the wood plug did! I'd use pressure treated wood so it will last longer, but there should be enough grease on it to keep it from rotting. ------------- Frank Swygert |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/07/2017 at 3:16pm
| thanks farna...I will try that. I had read somewhere someone used a wood plug with success. thanks again |
Posted By: pacerman
Date Posted: Sep/07/2017 at 5:46pm
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Blaser's in Illinois probably has that bushing but be prepared to pay for it. Joe ------------- Happiness is making something out of nothing. |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/07/2017 at 9:47pm
| they do have it but he told me to take mine apart first to see exactly what I need to fix it. |
Posted By: tamvette68
Date Posted: Sep/14/2017 at 8:02am
well I did it with the forums help. I can now shift into all gears. Just a simple  linkage adjustment. The U shaped linkage had somehow slipped under the 2/3rd shift pin?. Disconnected the shifts rods and readjusted everything and greased really good. So far so good. But still have a slight grind in 2 and 3. I have to shift very slowly and it helps somewhat.
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Posted By: farna
Date Posted: Sep/14/2017 at 7:54pm
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A 64 American would have a T-96 as the stock three speed. There is only ONE synchronizer, and that's between 2 and 3. A slow shift from 1 to 2 is common. After you drive a bit you will figure out at what speed it "likes" to shift. Probably about 15-20 from 1 to 2, 30-35 from 2 to 3. Shifts between 2 and 3 (up and down) shouldn't be hard, but just sedately change the gears. Think about grandpa (when he was younger though!) just driving around. NO column shifter is fast, even if all gear were synchronized! When you hit the "sweet spot" speed it will just drop right into gear, maybe with a little "chunk", but shouldn't be a "grind". ------------- Frank Swygert |
Posted By: tyrodtom
Date Posted: Sep/14/2017 at 8:51pm
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The grind between 2nd and 3rd might be the clutch not completely disengaging. Are you putting the clutch all the way to the floor ? About where in the pedal travel does the clutch start engaging ? ------------- 66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va. |
Posted By: farna
Date Posted: Sep/15/2017 at 6:03am
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Good suggestion! On the earlier Americans there is a rubber link between the clutch pivot and engine block. Don't recall if the 64+ used that or not. That thing degrades and stretches over time. Bad design? No -- it takes some vibration out of the clutch and lasts 20 years or so. You can replace it with a solid piece or use some HD flexible material, like industrial belt material. Tire sidewall may work, but didn't for me. Tire was old, so it didn't last long. If you can find a rather new tire that was damaged and cut a piece from the sidewall that might last a while. The heavier duty the tire the better, just harder to cut and drill holes in.
------------- Frank Swygert |
Posted By: tyrodtom
Date Posted: Sep/15/2017 at 6:31am
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I think the earlier Americans had that flexible belt in there because the through the floor pedals were almost directly connected to the engine, you'd naturally have a lot of pedal movement with the engine running. With the remote linkage, under the dash, like the 64 and later have, you don't need that extra isolation. I don't know what kind of linkage the 61-63 had. But if there's grinding on the 2nd to 3rd upshift, and you're shifting slowly, that's almost surely clutch adjustment. Even on transmissions without any synchros, the 2nd to 3rd is the easiest to make without getting a grind. ------------- 66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va. |
Posted By: tomj
Date Posted: Sep/15/2017 at 5:02pm
lol, a slow shift from 2 to 3 is common! actually not really joking -- pretend it's 1948, not 2017. this was a very light duty, old transmission when AMC adopted it. it is a vey, very low performance transmission. it simply cannot be shifted quickly, by antthing like modern standards. you are better of shifting by how it feels inside the transmission -- even 2 to 3, with clutch fully depressed, pull from 2 to N, then into 3 feeling for the mainshaft teeth touching the countershaft teeth. even if you can't feel it, imagine it! the synchros are too small, even new. the factory spec is 0.090" of clearance from the brass cone to the gear -- plenty of room for it to take angular forces it wont' survive if shifted hard. pretend it's 1948, you're on an old crowned road with 80 hp, working up to the breakneck speed of 50 mph. that was the world when this transmission was merely adequate. i strongly recommend AGAINST downshifting. i dont know where that habit comes from. it's not helpful. brakes are for braking. road racers downshift going into a corner to be be in the right gear coming OUT of the corner. not to brake the car. that puts 'braking' force ont he rear wheels right when they're being un-loaded by the turn. it braking is inadequate, fix brakes :-) it might be fine in a T10 but in a T96 you are simply asking for trouble. and shifting 1 to 2 is ok, but as above, and slowly. shifting 2 to 1 is simply a bad idea. if you get *very* proficient with it, and after you've taken one apart so you know how it works! lol, im almost not kidding -- then you can double-clutch and borrow the synchro by playing a game with the countershaft and get it into 1st with no grinding under about 10mph but absolutely no load on it (eg. coming to a turn). ------------- 1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com |
Posted By: tomj
Date Posted: Sep/15/2017 at 5:11pm
AMC retained the fabric inner pivot mount/isolator all the way through to the end. i replaced mine with two pieces of 20 ga sheet metal cut to a guess of the original size. i later replacet it with a heim joint. it only flexes "much" if you let the motor mounts go rotten. the pre-64 Americans have a very short and soft clutch pedal. mine's all in in the last inch at the top (someone increased with my homemade pedal setup). the cover has only four springs in it! if the clutch IS fully releasing, and it grinds 2 to 3, then it's synchros. i have a pile of NEW and used T96 parts, including a tool to assemble the needles in the countershaft, if anyone want 'em. reasonable cost. i bought them new from NorthWest Trans. lol, i could go into the T-96 rebuild business at this point, only no one would want to pay for it. i might take this seriously if more than one person asked for it. parts are gettign scarce though. i even have OD parts. ------------- 1960 Rambler Super two-door wagon, OHV auto 1961 Roadster American, 195.6 OHV, T5 http://www.ramblerLore.com |