3 on teh Tree Rebuild Help Needed

[1966fordf250]

I am rebuilding my steering column on my 1966 F250. does anybody know how to set the shift levers in place with respect to that thick center spacer piece? When i get the inner shifting tube to lock in with the short shifting arm, i cannot rotate the center plaster spacer back the 90 degrees needed to lock that piece in the tube. when i pull the inner shifting tube out just a tiny bit so that its no longer locked into the shorter shift arm, i can then easily rotate the plastic center spacer piece 90 degrees. problem is, when i do this, the shift arm housing does not fully cover the wires and it looks very much to me like this piece (the shift lever housing and inner tube) are not set all the way down as i think they should be.

see attached pictures.

does anybody know the right way to do this?

thanks!!

craig.

[sargentrs]

Been a long time since i rebuilt my 3 spd so I'm a little foggy on exactly how it went together. I do remember it was a royal pain to get everything lined up and installed by myself. Have you read this? http://www.fordification.com/tech/3spd-column_01.htm. Do you have the spring in place on the bottom of the shift tube? Doesn't look like your shift collar is seated all the way down on the shift tube. IIRC, I had to take some sandpaper and clean the end of the shift tube and inside the shift collar to get mine to go all the way down. I also had to stretch the spring on the bottom of the tube because it had compressed over the years. I first assembled it without the levers and spacers, just the collar and tube in the housing. I kept cleaning, greasing and working it until it slid freely up and down with a bounce of the spring when you let go and the shift collar would cover the hole. Holding it between my knees upside down, sitting in a chair, with the shift collar on the floor, I eased up the housing until I could see the end of the tube through the slot. Then I installed the first spacer and the top lever and let the tube ease up until they stayed. Then slid the center spacer on and rotated it in position. Then the bottom lever and spacer and slid the housing until they were all in position. Then I stuck my finger in the end and guided the tube into the bracket. Once it was all in I pushed down on the housing and duct taped the collar to the housing. After that I could install the tube flange and snug the nuts and remove the duct tape.

[1966fordf250]

So Randy you are saying that I should be rotating that middle plastic spacer first before I try to sleeve the shifter tube through the last lever. am I putting a lot of pressure on the tube to compress the spring in order to get the tube to go through the last lever? I will try it in that sequence to see if I can get it to work. are you saying that the signal housing is what holds the shifter collar in place because of the pressure that the compressed tube spring is exerting upward on the tube/shift collar piece?

[sargentrs]

A little long winded but I wanted to try to describe it in the best detail I could.

The shift tube, shift collar, shift handle and tube flange should be viewed as an assembly unit. Except for the steering wheel, bearing retainers and turn signal wiring harness, you can pull it in and out or totally remove it while your column is still bolted in the truck. The wiring harness make it difficult to preassemble the tube flange to the shift collar otherwise that could be done too.

Let’s start with preliminary inspection and prep. First you should make sure that your shift tube slides freely inside the shift collar. You should be able to slide it up and down around ¼” or so which will make your shift handle move accordingly. If it’s stiff or binding, remove the shift tube, clean the top 6” with some sandpaper and also the inside of the shift collar all the way through, then lubricate with a thin layer of light grease, like lithium grease or equivalent.

Next, move to the bottom end of the shift tube. Slide the levers and spacers over the nylon sleeve and line up all the tabs and slots. See if you can push them freely through the whole upper and lower range compressing the spring as you go. This is the action that happens when your shifter is in neutral and push and pull it through the gates. In full neutral position, the tabs on the shift tube should rest in that center spacer and you should be able to pivot both the top and bottom levers freely.

Now remove the levers and spacers and insert the shift tube down into the column housing, inserting the bottom nylon sleeve into the bracket into the bottom. You should be able to push the tube in and out freely and your shift collar should slide up and down the column housing with no binding or stiffness. If so, clean and lubricate.

Once you feel good that all pieces are in acceptable working order, start assembly in the manner I outlined above. Once you have it all together, and the shift collar duct taped or tied to the column, install the tube flange (signal housing). Slide the steering shaft in from the bottom, install the bearing retainer and put the top spring, washer and steering wheel nut on. On the bottom of the column, push the steering shaft up to compress the top spring, slide the bearing retainer into the column bearing firmly and install the washer and clamp to hold it all together. Once you have everything tightened up you can remove the duct tape. Now you should be able to bench test the column through the shifter range and the levers should operate in sync with the shifter.

This was the first time I had ever touched a column and what I had to go through to get it put together. Hopefully some other members will chime in with things they did that might have been a little easier. Hope this helps!

[1966fordf250]

randy, thanks for that long and helpful explanation. unfortunately, I am more confused than before now. I am really upside down on the shift levers or arms and how they relate with the tube and how they work with the tube. I cannot get past the basic install of how to get the tube to be correctly installed as it relates to the f@#$%# middle plastic spacer. every time I f@##%$ do this install, my short arm locks in place with the notch on tube and then I can't spin back that f@#$% plastic middle spacer. I never get the tube assembly to interact with the longer shift arm in any way at all. I recall how easily my column used to shift before I screwed this all up and took the f@#$%% steering column apart. now, I can't envision at all how I can get the shifting to work in any way whatsoever. I am obviously missing something very fundamental about how this is supposed to be done and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what the hell I am doing wrong. I have been staring at this blasted column now for months and each and every time I try to tackle this, I get to the same dead end. you have shed some light on this and gotten me to a better place but I feel like I am still a hundred miles away from figuring this out. would it be possible to talk with you on the phone? email me if you can so we can set something up if you are willing. I think if we talk for 5 minutes, I can tell you what is holding me back and I am thinking you would better understand what I am missing. it seems like you really know how this works. I also believe that this is not a complicated thing to get right. I am just f@#$$% blind right now about how to get past this. my email is SEE PROFILE TO E-Mail.. your help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!!

[1966fordf250]

Randy, thanks for your help. unfortunately, I am more confused than before. I can't get past the part where I get the tube, the arms, and the middle spacer to all cooperate with one another. In your last response, I still don't follow how to get past this part. every time I do this on my column, the shorter arm locks in with the notch on the tube and then I can't rotate the middle plastic spacer back 90 degrees like I am supposed to do it. this is the part of this bloody install that is killing me right now. I am upside down on this and am obviously missing something simple but very fundamental to the proper operation of my column. before I took this all apart, my shifter and column worked perfectly. now, I can't get the larger shift arm to engage with the tube. how much compression am I supposed to push into this?? I think what is hurting me the most is that I just don't understand how this movement is supposed to work when its all said and done. like how does the shifter actually move from the short arm to the long arm? when I get my tube inserted into the 2 arms and the plaster middle spacer, I can't get my shifter to do anything except move the shorter arm because its engaged only with that arm. can you call me so we can talk through this. I think there are some things that you are not understanding about my situation that would unlock the mystery for me. clearly you have this down and if I could just trouble you for a short phone call, I think I could get through this. my email address is SEE PROFILE TO E-Mail. email me and we can set up a time to talk on the phone. thanks!!

[sargentrs]

Email sent.

[sargentrs]

It's actually a very simple design. Refer to this picture.

3spd_09.jpg

The slots in the levers and notch in the center spacer all have to be in line for it to work. I have drawn lines to show the path of the tabs through the slots. The pointed tab acts as a guide pin to center the square tab in the adjacent slot. If you look at the notch in the center spacer it is shaped so that both tabs on the tube will slide through the slot. The pin on the end of the shift handle sits in the hole in the boss on top of the tube. When you pull the shift handle toward you, the handle pivots, pushing the tube downward. When you push down,the tube moves upward.

From Keith's article:
The spring holds the tube engaged with the short shifter arm, which is the 2-3 (2nd-gear/3rd-gear) arm. When the shifter handle is pulled toward the driver, it pivots in the shift collar and pushes down on the shifter tube, over-riding the spring. The tab will disengage from the 2-3 arm and engage the longer R-1 (Reverse/1st-gear) arm. You can also see the plastic sleeve on the end of the tube.

The metal tab on the shifter arm engages the arm. When a driver pulls the shift lever towards himself to shift into Reverse or 1st gears, the column is pushed down through this 2-3 arm (and the thick plastic spacer) enough that the metal tab no longer engages it, but instead engages into the longer R-1 arm beneath it. At this point the spring is almost fully compressed.

Lay the shift tube on your workbench and slide the levers and spacers as a pack onto the end of the shift tube. Line everything up so that you can slide it all up and down the shift tube so that the tabs go all the way through everything. That's the action the shifter makes happen when your handle is in neutral and you push and pull on the shifter. It all just slides in one and through the other. Call me tomorrow and we can talk some more.

[sargentrs]

.... then I can't spin back that f@#$% plastic middle spacer.

Went back and re-read the article, looked at your photo, and I think I see the confusion. When Keith says insert it and rotate it, he has the shift tube out. The spacer is longer than it is wide and sits back up in the housing so you can't lift it straight out. You would have to rotate it up to clear the housing. Why he didn't just say pull it straight out horizontally I'm not sure. Try sliding your tube back a little and slide the spacer in horizontally between the 2 levers. That's the position you're targeting anyway. It's a tight fit so lube it up and you might have to tap it in with a hammer and punch or screwdriver. Honestly, I don't even remember doing that. I didn't even read the article back then but don't remember it being difficult just awkward handling it all.