1954 Aero Ace with shifter problems

[bcarrothers]

I posted this in the main new members thread, but I thought I would put it here too...
I have come into possession of a 1954 Willys Aero Ace. Barn find. 55K original miles. Hurricane motor. 3 on the tree, with overdrive. Original paint and interior. It has a few issues, but is pretty solid overall. I'm trying to put it back into fighting trim. Specifically, it no longer shifts out of 1st gear because the shifter lever won't move. Linkage is wonky? Is rebuilding the clutch/linkage possible with available parts? Is there any interchangeability with other willys vehicles?

 

[DzlFC]

Nice find! What transmission do they have?

 

[diggerG]

Pretty sure a Warner T96 with od just like the 2wd wagons.
Why wouldn't it be?
Take the shifter arms off the transmission and see if it will shift directly off the trans. You will learn something at least. There should be an interlock inside the trans to keep it from going into 2 gears at the same time.
Your problem might be simple.
Parts will be mostly like the same as Willys 2wd wagon or the early CJ2A, but find out what's wrong first.
diggerG

 

[MarkH]

Don't know how your test went moving the transmission ears directly but my T96 did the same thing except it was 3rd. The 3rd gear sychronizer snap ring had broken which allowed the little "dogs" to pop up keeping the 3rd gear fron sliding back to neutral. I did not have any issues finding all parts needed for a recent restoration. Many cross over to Willys Jeep parts and are available on Willys Jeep parts websites, walcks, kaiserwillys, willysjeepparts, jeepsterman, etc.

 

[bcarrothers]

Pretty sure a Warner T96 with od just like the 2wd wagons.
Why wouldn't it be?
Take the shifter arms off the transmission and see if it will shift directly off the trans. You will learn something at least. There should be an interlock inside the trans to keep it from going into 2 gears at the same time.
Your problem might be simple.
Parts will be mostly like the same as Willys 2wd wagon or the early CJ2A, but find out what's wrong first.
diggerG

Thanks for the tips!

 

[bcarrothers]

Don't know how your test went moving the transmission ears directly but my T96 did the same thing except it was 3rd. The 3rd gear sychronizer snap ring had broken which allowed the little "dogs" to pop up keeping the 3rd gear fron sliding back to neutral. I did not have any issues finding all parts needed for a recent restoration. Many cross over to Willys Jeep parts and are available on Willys Jeep parts websites, walcks, kaiserwillys, willysjeepparts, jeepsterman, etc.

Thanks for the info!

 

[diggerG]

Mark's problem wouldn't be yours, as there is no synchronizer in 1st gear, if in fact it is stuck in 1st. How do you know it's stuck in 1st? Does the car run and drive?
diggerG

 

[bcarrothers]

Mark's problem wouldn't be yours, as there is no synchronizer in 1st gear, if in fact it is stuck in 1st. How do you know it's stuck in 1st? Does the car run and drive?
diggerG

Yes, it runs and drives in first gear. The clutch engages and disengages, but the column shifter won't move. It ran OK for the first week or so and then became stuck in first gear.

 

[diggerG]

Now I know it's a shifter problem. Your shifter box slipped into neutral and the trans stayed in 1st.
diggerG

 

[pav1]

Crawl underneath and make sure that it is a linkage problem and not the tranny.

disconnect the cotter pin between the shift linkage and the shifter arm on the transmission for the 1st/reverse gear

at his point you should be able to easily shift between 1st and neutral with the transmission shift lever underneath the car.

if not could be a tranny problem

if you can move it underneath the car, then I would try resetting the shifter linkage adjustment.

 

[MarkH]

There's two small "ears" with a 1/4in hole on the shift actuator under the hood (technically the remote control) and both shift arms also have 1/4in holes. Slide a 1/4in drill bit or round stock through all 3 holes & adjust shift rods till both trans shift ears are in neutral. A common issue is the shifter snagging going from first to second, even when adjusted as above. I've found if the first/reverse ear is adjusted to hit neutral a bit early (lower as in in pic attached), it will cure that issue. If your shift ear grommets are worn/sloppy, they can be found on "Chevs of the forties" website.

 

[bcarrothers]

There's two small "ears" with a 1/4in hole on the shift actuator under the hood (technically the remote control) and both shift arms also have 1/4in holes. Slide a 1/4in drill bit or round stock through all 3 holes & adjust shift rods till both trans shift ears are in neutral. A common issue is the shifter snagging going from first to second, even when adjusted as above. I've found if the first/reverse ear is adjusted to hit neutral a bit early (lower as in in pic attached), it will cure that issue. If your shift ear grommets are worn/sloppy, they can be found on "Chevs of the forties" website.

My column shift linkage doesn’t look like yours. Yours all looks brand new. If I were to replace all of it, due to it being loose and wobbly, is that possible? My column shift linkage has discs that’s around the column and they are all a little bit loose. Maybe they’re supposed to be? And the ears come out from that and attach to the linkage that goes to the transmission. Those are also loose and wobbly. Should I simply try adjusting that linkage first? Or solve the wobbly part first before I try to adjust it? I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m wondering how big a problem I have?

 

[MarkH]

You lost me with "discs around the column", a photo would be helpful. It sort of sounds like you're describing a different remote control, but I'm not aware of one different than mine for any year except for hydramatic equipped cars. Mine looks new due to the car being restored.
There's no replacement parts except for take-offs from parts cars and any you find will likely have the same slop as yours, I don't think they ever were tight. Guessing you have a factory remote control, the best option is check the condition of the rubber grommets, then adjust it as described above.

 

[bcarrothers]

You lost me with "discs around the column", a photo would be helpful. It sort of sounds like you're describing a different remote control, but I'm not aware of one different than mine for any year except for hydramatic equipped cars. Mine looks new due to the car being restored.
There's no replacement parts except for take-offs from parts cars and any you find will likely have the same slop as yours, I don't think they ever were tight. Guessing you have a factory remote control, the best option is check the condition of the rubber grommets, then adjust it as described above.

I’m on the road working right now, but when I get back in a week, I’ll take some pictures and put them up here. Thank you for your help thus far!