3 on the tree problems

[Chrisnewing1]

1969 f100 302 3 on the tree. I've bought all new pieces to rebuild my steering column. I've got it all together but for some reason when I go threw the gears one of the levers on the end of the column moves by itself but when I try to move the other the two move together?

[sargentrs]

Do you mean when you shift or are you doing it by hand at the bottom of the column? As installed, the spring on the bottom of the tube keeps the shift tube engaged in the short lever (2nd/3rd gear). In this position, the long lever (1st/Rev) can be freely rotated. You have to pull up on the shift handle which pushes the shift tube down into the long lever for shifting into 1st/reverse. Neutral is the only position where you can move both levers independently. Even then, it's a finicky position.

[Chrisnewing1]

I have the column out of truck in a vise moving the shift handle at the top of the column. I can get the 1/rev lever to move correctly but when I try to shift 2/3 lever both levers are moving. As if the shift tube isn't moving up far enough. Correct me if I'm wrong but if both levers move it would be trying to shift into two gears at once?

[sargentrs]

Have you tried holding the long lever while you shift? By default, the tab on the shift tube sits in the top lever and the and the top thrust washer. Shifting into 1st/rev pushes the tab all the way thruough the top lever and the center spacer, engaging the bottom lever. When you shift back up to neutral, the spring pushes the tube back up to the center spacer and top lever. Sounds like the spring is not pushing the tube far enough back up. It might have compressed over the years. Pull the tube back out and try stretching the spring back out some.

[Chrisnewing1]

Yes I've tried holding the long lever and it still moves. Shift tube is new. Only old parts reused was turn signal housing and the actual steering column. All the thrust washers and spacer and levers are new

[MAK]

Last year my buddy went through the same issue when rebuilding his column. I also ran in to the problem further back when converting mine to power steering. May not be the same specific problem or solution but I’ll tell you what we ran into.
You say you replaced all the parts aside from the column and signal housing. Have you measured and compared the specs on your new shift tube with the original shift tube? An 1/8” difference is enough to prevent the necessary engagement/movement. What I ran into was the upper shift tube hole being slightly wallowed-out where the shift lever contacted it to pull backward or push forward. It would sometimes work but often would not. Welding in some additional metal to get back to tighter tolerances between the parts fixed it. My buddy had the same issue. The shift arm could not pull the shift tube back far enough for the forward tab on the shift tube to clear the notches in the shift arm. When that happened, the tab on the shift tube would engage both the 1-R and 2-3 shift arms at the same time and so both would turn. In his case replacing the shift tube resolved the issue. If I remember correctly, getting the turn signal housing secured all the way forward also affected the correct shift.

[Chrisnewing1]

The end of my old shift tube is pretty bad off so I'm no a hundred percent on measurements but I do remember the new tube being slightly longer when I set the two on level surface. I thought the old one was possibly worn down some. But really the measurements from hole at the top where shift handle goes in to the tab on the bottom that engages levers would be the important measurement. If I leave the turn signal housing a little loose it works but when I snug it down so the housing is tight it doesn't work.

[MAK]

That sort of makes sense if the length from hole to tab is longer than the original. Once you are clear on exactly how it works and what needs to engage at which point, you might be able to grind off 1/16-1/8” off one end of the tab or the other to fix the issue.

[Chrisnewing1]

Will definitely try that. When you and your friend did the rebuild, do you remember the details of the plastic spacer? I keep seeing people say to rotate it 90 degrees? I don't see it possible cause when I rotate it before I put shift tube in its off by 1/16 inch. If I do put tube in first and try to rotate the spacer it hits the column housing? Cant see it possible. Do you remember?

[MAK]

I think Sargentrs can give you a better answer about the spacers. He really knows his stuff. I don’t remember exactly what I had to deal with regarding the spacers. I don’t remember having trouble though. Thought I had just stacked them with the arms and holding in place as I slid the tube through.
Also, after thinking back, I recalled having to go after the shift tube with a grinder and file. I remember having to go through assembly/reassembly several times as he tried to sneak up on getting the tab trimmed down just enough but not too much... spoke with my friend and he said that’s what we had done to the original shift tube to try and get it working after he had re-welded the upper tab... he said once he installed the NOS shift tube that it worked correctly.
I’m afraid I’m sending you off in the wrong direction and remembering wrong. The lower shift tube tab isn’t very big so can’t be trimmed much and why I’m thinking that I initially gave bad advice. It does still sound though like something is too long or short and that your shift for 2-3 is moving both arms because the spring doesn’t have the tab pulled back to the correct position to just be grabbing the 2-3 shift arm.

[sargentrs]

I keep seeing people say to rotate it 90 degrees?

It's more like a "swooping" motion like a plane coming in for a landing. Start with the spacer vertical and push it in till you bump the housing. Then rotate it down while pushing in until it's all the way horizontal and the center hole lines up with the hole in the levers. I didn't do that with mine. I just stacked the levers, spacers and thrust washers together in position and slid the whole "pack" in together. I stuck a finger in from the bottom and guided the tube down through them all.

[Chrisnewing1]

So it will function without rotating the spacer?

[sargentrs]

Let's see if I can explain this and get my point across. The reason they say to rotate the spacer when installing or removing is because it's such a tight squeeze in between the two levers you can't get anything in there to pull it out. See this photo and you'll get what I mean.

3spd_04.jpg

This photo shows the correct position and orientation of all of the pieces. The slot in the center plastic spacer, once installed should be pointed to the inside of the column.

3spd_05.jpg

This photo shows the center plastic spacer as it was removed, rotated 90*. Once installed, it must be rotated back down so the slot is to the inside of the column housing. Look closely at this photo to see how it all functions. You can see the end of the shift tube, above the nylon sleeve, has a steel collar with a fat tab and a short tapered tab. The short tapered tab lines up with the small slot in the top lever. The fat tab lines up with the big slot at the rear of the top lever.

3spd_09.jpg

Once fully installed, the top lever's slots are engaged in the tabs on that collar and the spring holds it there when in neutral or in 2nd/3rd gear. Unless you are in 1st/Rev, you cannot move this lever by hand without your shift collar rotating. The plastic spacer in the photo is shown rotated 90* for installation/removal. Once installed, the long slot in the rear of the spacer will line up with the fat tab on the shift tube. The slot is elongated so that the fat tab on the shift tube can rotate up and down with the shifting of the column levers. It doesn't actually hold anything in place or perform any other function other than to separate the 2 levers. In neutral and 2nd/3rd gears, the fat tab is sitting in that slot. You can move the bottom lever freely at this point. The only thing keeping it from flopping around is the fact that your transmission linkage is holding it. When you shift to 1st/Rev by pulling the column shifter toward you, you push the shift tube and the fat tab all the way down through the spacer and into the slot on the bottom lever. Now you're transmission linkage is keeping the top lever from flopping around and the bottom lever is doing the work. If both levers are moving all the time, the fat tab is sitting half in/half out of the center plastic spacer and catching both levers simultaneously. This could be due to the spring or maybe, as mentioned above, the length of the shift tube. Don't overlook the possibility that the top of the shift tube is not fully seated in the shift collar which would have an extra hair of length at the bottom.

When I installed mine, I just stacked all the pieces like in the 2nd photo and slid it all into the column housing at once.