Bad synchros or driver error?

[302coupe 10]

Hey all,just bought a 69 and got it thursday night.Well fist thing i notice is that i cant shift down when i get past second,it simply wont go down.I can only shift after coming to a complete stop.Now i havent been driving manual for too long and im still absorbing all the info on mustangs i can so i thought i would ask.I am just not shifting at the right rpm's or what?Ive asked around at the local napa store and one guy said it could be thick oil?does that make any sense,doesnt seem to ,to me.thanks

[cphsonic 11]

Never had such a thing except on big rig trucks. But I'm only into street & road racing, apparently drag trannys can be without synchros? What tranny is it? Any racing history for the car?

[jerry69 10]

Is the transmission jumping out of any gear?

How is the clutch.

[302coupe 10]

my bad,its 4 speed toploader,no racing history that i know of and the clutch feels fine to me.Bare in mind ive only really started driving manual lately.

[jerry69 10]

Well my 65 GTO has a Muncie 4 speed.... you should never shift from 2nd to 1st on a normal road.... when I stop in 2nd sometimes I have to lets the clutch out in neutral just a tad to so I can get the transmission in 1st.... I think if your snychros were out in any gear and driving at high rpm's the transmission would be popping out of gear.... You might be ok and that's the way the toploader is.

[302coupe 10]

well i just got done with the appraiser and he thinks its the linkage,bushings or something?So im gonna check out the hurst site and see if they can help and maybe pick up some new bushings.Im just waiting on a haynes book to start actually doing any kind of work on the car.Anyone think linkage could be the problem?

[SELLERSRODSHOP 13]

could be, have a buddy with a t-10 that had fits with the shifter . wouldn't go into any gear other than second. he ended up buying a new shifter. after reworking the old one & straightening the linkage, he still had trouble.

[Pakrat 1,043]

well i just got done with the appraiser and he thinks its the linkage,bushings or something?So im gonna check out the hurst site and see if they can help and maybe pick up some new bushings.Im just waiting on a haynes book to start actually doing any kind of work on the car.Anyone think linkage could be the problem?

 

Chilton or Haynes is OK for a quick reference but if you intend to work on this car yourself and have little starting knowledge you really should invest in a nice set of Ford manuals, they are worth their weight in gold.

 

Do you have this issue on all down shifts? 4th to 3rd? 3rd to 2nd?

[302coupe 10]

no,only from 3 down.I have to come to a complete stop to shift down.hey pakrat are these what you mean?Doesnt seem to say much about them

 

http://www.fordmanuals.com/estore/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=187

[Grabber70Mach 107]

no,only from 3 down.I have to come to a complete stop to shift down.hey pakrat are these what you mean?Doesnt seem to say much about them

 

http://www.fordmanuals.com/estore/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=187

 

I'm pretty sure that is what he is talking about. I have a set of the 69 and the 70 Ford ship manuals in hardcopy. They look to be the same as what they are picturing that is on the CD.

[302coupe 10]

well i bought the downloadable version and took a quick look at it.Its pretty decent IF your a mechanic and are already familiar with the parts.I think this manual and the haynes book together will paint a decent enough picture for me to work with.The solution to my problem tho is still a mystery.Im gonna try changing the bushings on the linkage soon and hopefully that solve it.Is this a tough job?

[Pakrat 1,043]

Yes, that should be the same. I still have the old school paperback version but it should be the same on CD. They also make assembly manuals for all the different areas of the car like body, chasis, electrical, engine, etc, those were very helpful with eploded views when doing a full tear down and reassembly, I don't know if those are on CD yet or not though.

[302coupe 10]

do you have a link for those books Pakrat?

[Pakrat 1,043]

If you go to the Virginia Classic Mustang website and look under the literature section you will see them on the last few pages as I remember, that's where I got them anyway.