Assistance with identifying shifter?

[Witchboard]

I inherited this V8 Z from my father.  I've been working on getting it back on the road.  I finally got it back into a driving condition, but I've lost both first and second gear.  Second gear went first, then first gear just started grinding.  Good thing this has a low gear ratio.  Hit every stop light and had to start in 3rd, but I digress.

 

I'm not sure if it's a shifter issue, transmission issue or clutch issue, so I'm working through the components.  It's got a 4 speed Saginaw torque tube tailshaft transmission.  I'm not sure what this shifter is.  It does not appear to be a Hurst and it did not come on the transmission.

 

I've been looking online and think it's a Mr. Gasket shifter.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Witchboard
New info.

[NewZed]

You can disconnect the shifter and just move the levers to try the gears.  There's really not much to how the external shifters work.  Move one lever in to gear and the other one to neutral.  Neutral is the middle spot, of three positions, for the 1-2 and 3-4 levers and reverse is just two positions, in or not.  I pilled that from 40 year old brain files so it could be wrong.  But that's what I remember.  

 

Looks like you are trying to set it with a screwdriver in the "adjustment" hole.  That's how I remember doing my old Hurst shifter.  It had a stripped thread so I had to reset it occasionally.  

 

Your description sounds more like an internal issue than a shifter problem.

[Witchboard]

Thanks.  I presume I need to pull the transmission out to get it off the clutch to test.  Looks like it needs a new rear seal anyway.  I'll clean up and grease the shifter while it's out as well.

[NewZed]

You could just put it up on jack stands, under the control arms, remove the shifter, start the engine, then move the levers by hand, and listen.  With no load the synchros shouldn't have a problem moving the wheels.  Or you could reach through the hole while using the clutch.  Or just put it in gear with the engine off and rotate it by hand, or start it.

 

Lots of things you can do before dropping the transmission.

 

Here's a picture, they even painted the levers red.  1-2, 3-4, and R pretty clear.  It might be something as simple as the bushings in the levers.  I probably got ahead of myself when I suggested it was internal.  Can't really tell when you heard the grinding.

 

Check the bushings first.  Move the levers by hand and see what you can learn.  It's super simple.  They stick straight up in neutral and forward or backward will put it into t a gear.  I don't know if the Saginaw will let you put it in two gears at the same time or not so be careful of that.

 

When you move the shift lever left or right what you're doing is choosing just one of the levers.  You can't get to the other lever unless you pass through neutral, so that keeps you out of two gears at the same time.  Notice that diagram also shows you which is 1-2 and 3-4.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/saginaw-four-speeds

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by NewZed

[Witchboard]

I may be able to slide under the car on Sunday.  Supposed to rain tomorrow and will get pretty cold next week.  Thanks.

[Witchboard]

Just thought I'd update this for posterity.  I found that it's a Mr. Gasket 4 Speed Pro Shifter.  It was out of adjustment, but after attempting to bleed the clutch I figured out the master cylinder wasn't working and the slave was basically full of sludge.  Tried cleaning them, but they were pretty pitted to I ended up replacing both and it's working again.  There's still something mechanically wrong with the shifter.  It binds while trying to go into first, but that's something to look forward to fixing in the future, likely with a replacement.