4 speed transmission help please (UPDATE it's alive!)

[tb3cuda]

 Ok so I recently completed my 4 speed swap in my 73 cuda.  Put in a rebuilt 4 speed and all new linkage, clutch etc.   Tried to drive the car and it would get stuck in 2nd gear.  Put the car on jack stands with the car running and would shift like a champ!   I adjusted the linkage to death and didn't make a difference one bit. 

  2 weeks ago I took the car to a transmission shop,  they dropped the transmission,  took it apart,  said it looked decent and put it back together.  After putting the transmission into the car it shifted beautifully on the car lift.   Put the car on the ground and drove it around and it got stuck in 1st!   

 Replaced the shifter mechanism with a spare that a buddy had and produced the exact same symptoms.  Anytime the car is sitting if shifts great.............put the car under a load and it gets stuck in gear every time.   Any suggestions or ideas would be great we are baffled and frustrated.  Thanks guys

[73Chally]

Have you looked to see if the 1-2 rod is hitting on the floor board?  I had a problem similar to what you are having, and it was because the transmission mount rubber had compressed too much.  We put in a poly mount, and even with that had to shim the crossmember to keep it from hitting.

[the Wizard]

Come'on tb3cuda.....I'm holding my breath to see if 73Chally hit it on the head!

[Road_Runner]

Ok so I recently completed my 4 speed swap in my 73 cuda.  Put in a rebuilt 4 speed and all new linkage, clutch etc.   Tried to drive the car and it would get stuck in 2nd gear.  Put the car on jack stands with the car running and would shift like a champ!   I adjusted the linkage to death and didn't make a difference one bit. 

  2 weeks ago I took the car to a transmission shop,  they dropped the transmission,  took it apart,  said it looked decent and put it back together.  After putting the transmission into the car it shifted beautifully on the car lift.   Put the car on the ground and drove it around and it got stuck in 1st!   

 Replaced the shifter mechanism with a spare that a buddy had and produced the exact same symptoms.  Anytime the car is sitting if shifts great.............put the car under a load and it gets stuck in gear every time.   Any suggestions or ideas would be great we are baffled and frustrated.  Thanks guys

Sorry, I don't have any advice for you but I do have a request.  If you haven't already outlined what you had to do to make this swap I for one would like to encourage you to do so,  You can obviously wait until after you get it working right, but this is something a lot of us might consider doing someday and it would be really helpful to hear how the conversion went for someone who just did it.  Hope you fix your problem quickly. 

Later, Jim

[tb3cuda]

He (trans guy) thought that there appeared to be plenty of clearance for the 1-2 rod,  but who knows if it just looks that way or there really is enough room. 

[brads70]

had this on a stock car once, did you indicate the bellhousing to see if it's centered to the crank? they make offset dowels to correct this if it's out more than .003"-.004"

[dodj]

Along the same lines as 73chally's suggestion, check to make sure the 1-2 shifter lever (outermost) has lots of clearance around it. If you get the car going in 3rd, does it get stuck in gear? Or can you switch between 3rd and fourth? Maybe the swivel adjusters contacting each other? Just throwing out anything I could think of.

[72rtchallenger]

are the levers installed correctly ? When I did my conversion I had the levers installed wrong and when trying to drive it the lever pushed to far forward which lowered the rod to low and caused it to bind,,it was easier to shift when sitting still

[tb3cuda]

Wow after a month in the transmission shop and lots of phonecalls, visits, suggestions to my trans guy the car is done!  Looks like the hub or slider or something? was the wrong size and had too much play in it causing the shifter to get stuck.  (that's what we get for combining parts from three transmissions.  Anyway I finally drove my car for about an hour yesterday and it's the most fun I've had with it in the 9 years I've owned it.  4 speeds are so awesome!  Thanks for all of the encouragement,  I'm so glad it's finally going. 

[72bluNblu]

Awesome! Congrats. Can't wait to drive mine when I get the 4 speed in!