As most of you know, I trashed my original toploader and recently installed a new David Kee toploader with upgrade guts. It has a Hurst Competition Plus shifter with the reverse moved to the topside. We adjusted the shifter correctly, I think, but having a few little issues.

The tranny is really working out well, but when we first installed it, it would pop out of gear. I loosened the stops which in hind site were a little aggressive and it cured the problem for every gear but 3rd. For some reason, the car pops out of gear in 3rd when the tranny syncs up just right. With my foot on the gas, you cannot pull it out of gear, but when you feather the throttle or wined it up in 3rd and then let off to allow it to wined down it will pop out. When you get on and off the gas you can see the shifter move forward then back towards neutral. I took the boot loose and looked and the sheet metal is not hitting. With the boot loose but not off, it is a little better but will still pop out.

I am kinda scratching my head as to what to try next. My next step is to totally take the boot off to see if it is pulling the lever back some. I can also try pulling the stop out more, but it should be out plenty. Any ideas?

Is there an adjustment to tighten the shifter up? It is basically brand new. Could I have adjusted it wrong? Any how to on that would be nice. I know how to adjust the shifter, to fit, but how do you know when the tranny shift lugs are in the right place for neutral? My only thought at this point is maybe I need to adjust it so that neutral is more towards third...or take the stops off completely. The issue is not really that it is not going in gear, but rather the shifter level is moving while in gear under the right conditions and allowing the tranny to fall out of gear...

Very strange.

 

You know how to do the neutral alignment rod adjustment, right?

I know that this isnt the exact shifter that you have, but the adjustment on lines 7,8, and 9 is the same between all of their shifters...

http://static.summitracing.com/globa...uu-3738611.pdf

As a side note, i went from a comp plus to their super shifter, wow. Alot shorter throw, reverse lockout and it relocates closer to you. If you make it to the mid america shelby meet (in tulsa) look me up at the drag race and I will let you try out mine.

 

Jason, thanks for the info on adjusting. That is basically what I did, but I guess I can start over and see if something is not right. As for the super shifter, I have never driven one...I will ask around and see if I can get my hands on one to drive around.

 

Try pushing the lug on the transmission all the way to engage third gear with the shifter rod not connected. Then see if the rod will go into the lug. If not then you need a longer rod or your shift stop needs to be adjusted some more. I had a top loader that would jump out of gear. My mechanic found the syncros to be at fault. I'd also try the manufaturer of the trans to see if they have any suggestions.

 

Thanks for the ideas. My engine builder buddy talked with David, the tranny builder, last week and he was pretty dang confident that either the boot or the adjustment was off. It is very close to correct, so maybe it just needs a little more movement in the third gear linkage. It may go 20 miles in gear before popping out or it may go 200 yards. It really depends on how often and how long the driveline stays in that syncronized/neutral state where you can just tap the shifter and it falls into neutral. If I am accelerating or keep some pressure on the driveline with the gas, it will not fall out and you can almost not pull it out of gear because of the helical gears, but when it hits that sweet spot it just does not take much to disconnect those gears.

 

I took the boot off for a week or so and still had the 3rd gear pop out issue. This weekend I was under the car, so I backed the 1-3 set screw out another two turns and still have a pop out issue. I think the next step to eliminate the shifter is to take the stop completely off. After that, I will try what TheRebel suggested and take the 3-4 rod off, move the selector all the way and see where that is in relation to the linkage...Strange that the only gear giving me issues is 3rd. The slider feels much looser than the the other gears and does not take much effort to knock it out of gear when I do not have the hammer down. If I keep pressure on the shifter, it never falls out of gear, so that is good at least.

 

Urban_cowboy,
Did you ever get your 3rd gear issue fixed? My situation is 100% identical to yours but in my Fairlane. I have a 31 spline in/out.

Thanks,

 

Hello from France I've exactly the same problem on my mustang mach1 69 428 with a RUG AE2 trans big input shaft and 31 splines out.
Did you found any solution?
Thank you