Everyone,
Need some help. I have a 1968 RS with a 427BB. I knew that the throwout bearing needed to be replaced from the previous owner and with that in mind I decided to replace the entire clutch. However, this weekend I took the car out for its weekly run down the block and back and now the shifter is stuck in 3rd gear. I mean this thing is stuck. The car still runs forward and will idle with the clutch in, but I cant get the shifter out of third. Is this the clutch or is my whole transmission shot (or is it something else?) Anyone else experienced this? Any ideas on how to get the shifter out of third? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Doesn't sound like it could be the clutch. May be the transmission, but could also be that the linkage is jammed. My Hurst shifter used to get stuck before I had it rebuilt. I would get under the car and move the linkage and it would be OK again. Also, could be that the linkage needs to be adjusted. Of course, it could be that the tranny is toast...

How could I tell if the tranny is actually toast? What are the tell tale factors that I can use or would I have to take somewhere and have them evaluate?

As was pointed out, The linkage is most likely stuck. First thing you need to do is get it unstuck. Crawl under the car, and whichever lever is not in line with the other two, flip it so they all line up. That should put everything into nuetral.

Most likely, the shifter is in third, and the trans is in second. This happens sometimes with these, especially when you rush a 2-3 shift, or if the linkage is a lil out of adjustment,

Sounds like its going too far? Are you using bolt stops?

Sounds like its going too far? Are you using bolt stops?

What's happened to mine in the past is... the hurst slips to the 3-4 side of the gate before the trans is completely out of second. When this happens, the shifter is locked solid, it will not move a bit. The car will still go, and the clutch still works. Once you pop the 1-2 lever back into nuetral, all is normal again.

Everyone,
Thanks for the help. I got under the car last night and slid everything back into netrual and the shifter popped right out of third. I cycled through the gears just to make sure and everything seems fine. The linkage is pretty loose( about what you would expect on a car that old), any tips on tightening it up or should I get some replacement parts?

Is it the factory Muncie linkage (attaches to big metal thing that rubber mounts to the crossmember)? or a Hurst linkage (attached only to transmission)?

If itsa Hurst, you can get replacement linkage bushings cheap, don't know about muncie, but probably same same.

I believe its a Hurst Linkage and not the original factory linkage. I have been doing some homework on the linkages and have found that I can rebuilt it for around a hundred bucks.

It's been many years ago but I sent my 69 Hurst llinkage off to Mr. Gasket/Hurst and had them rebuild it. Seems like it was only 35-40 bucks but as I said, it's been years ago. I thought that I had the original box in the garage for the address but couldn't find it. I had seen their addresss/phone mentioned in a magazine article. Could probably find them with an internet search. J.R.

It's been many years ago but I sent my 69 Hurst llinkage off to Mr. Gasket/Hurst and had them rebuild it.

If your shifter is sloppy, you can send it back as JR said. I sent mine in April. It cost $90 plus $9.25 shipping. Once it was there, the tech called to see if I wanted the handle rechromed for $25. I haven't driven the car, but did install the shifter and it feels great.

You can call Hurst at 216-688-8300 for instructions on sending it back.

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