Technical 39 flathead three speed problems

I removed my trans, a 39 ford top loader, to replace the ring gear and fix my oil pan. The trans wasn’t opened up but now my shifter moves a whole lot. It will go into gear but it’s like finding a needle in a hay stack. For lack of better terms whatever used to limit shifter movement is no longer there. I can literally spin it 360 degrees. Any ideas on what could have caused this? It’s a rebuilt trans with only a 1000 or so miles on it.

 

some transmissions have a little pin in the tower that keeps the shifter from spinning. did you unscrew the big nut that holds the stick into the shifter? if so the pin may have fallen out.

 

What he said

 

Hopefully the pin is on the ground and not in the botttom of the trans!!

 

I pulled the shifter housing and the cap and it’s definitely the pin....which is also in the bottom of the trans. Hopefully it’s made of a metal that can be pulled with a magnet.

 

Yes it is hardened steel. It's magnetic like most everything else in there.

 

Pull the shift housing off , and take your magnetic fishing pole out and spend some quality time fishing.
It may or may not get picked up by the gears , unlikely , but if you can fish it out easily its not worth the sleepless nights .
Perhaps a person could make a new pin out of a drill bit?

 

If you cannot fish it out from the top, you may be able to wash it out the drain plug and/or fish it out from there. ( if it has one)



Bones

 

If all else fails, find a magnetic drain plug..

 

Try to find the pin for your piece of mind. Fishing with a magnet will be an exercise in frustration......the magnet will stick to everything it gets near before ever getting to the bottom of the transmission. You’ll do better to open up the drain plug and then flush it out.....assuming it’s in there and not on your shop floor.

BTW, we don’t recommend making a replacement out of anything hardened like a drill bit. You want the pin to be the softer metal since it’s a much cheaper (and easier) piece to replace than the shifter tower or the shifter lever. We use a carbon steel pin. It measures .240” diameter X .050” long. A hardened pin will wear out the expensive parts first so stay clear of that.

 

Drain the oil, refill to top of trans with diesel fuel and pull the drain, should wash out, might take
more than one try but at least you can re-use the diesel.

 

I've got a friend who wants to replace the trans in his 39. How did you get your trans out?

 

I got the pin out with a magnet I made a new pin out of a drill bit but I welded a head on it so it can’t fall in the trans again but I can easily remove it if I need to. flatjack it was simply un bolting the drive shaft two bolts on the top of the trans,, and bolts to the engine. It’s is custom frame and full steel floor pans with an access panel for the ujoint and two bolts on the rear of the trans. So o don’t have the common hassle that a stock 28 would have

 

On a mother note I magnetized the drain plug, and lifted the rear of the truck. I then stuck an air chuck in and agitated the hell out of the gear oil. I then pulled the plug and the pin was stuck nicely to the drain plug. It took a total of 15 minutes including magnatizing the plug.