First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

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Greg Harris
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:31 pm
Location: Mason, MI

First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by Greg Harris »

I was not prepared for the level of corrosion and damage to my shifter assembly. The car had been bottomed out at some point, with the rear tunnel pan ripped away. The shifter tubes were so severely corroded, kinked and bent that I can't believe I could drive the car at all. Even the shift lever housing had one of the studs snapped off with a crack in the mounting flange.

I tried reconditioning the tubes but they were too far gone. I made new ones and TIG welded the knuckle and brazed the factory brackets to them and rebuilt the whole assembly with the parts from Clark's. The stabilizer bar was heavily pitted but I decided to re-use it, as it appeared to be structurally sound. The knuckle and shifter tube look like they've been painted but they are bare. All bare surfaces of metal have been treated with BoeShield T-9. I primed/painted everything else with Eastwood Chassis Black Gloss. Pretty happy with how things turned out:
Attachments
Pitted tube and bracket.jpg
Rusted shifter tube and knuckle.jpg
Original Linkage - Damaged.jpg
Sifter linkage Assembled.jpg
Shifter Knuckle assembled.jpg
Cheers,

Greg

1965 Monza Convertible 4-spd
Zenith STOL CH750 Airplane w/Corvair 110 flight conversion
https://www.youtube.com/c/GregsZenithSTOLCH750
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doug6423
Posts: 393
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:57 am

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by doug6423 »

Mine was similar but not as bad. The pans were missing and had to source them. I keep in touch with the previous owner and send updates about once a year on what I've done to his dad's car. This year I asked if he'd like to confess who went hill hopping in their dad's Corvair. He just replied with LOL.

I enjoyed the response, thought it was very appropriate. :rolling:
65 Monza
Cincinnati, OH
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doug6423
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Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:57 am

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by doug6423 »

I did upgrades while I was doing it. Roger Parent linkage and a short shifter. Love the short shifter!!
IMG_0366.JPG
Shift Coupler.jpg
Shift Coupler.jpg (59.71 KiB) Viewed 1034 times
65 Monza
Cincinnati, OH
Greg Harris
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:31 pm
Location: Mason, MI

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by Greg Harris »

doug6423 wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 5:36 pm I did upgrades while I was doing it. Roger Parent linkage and a short shifter. Love the short shifter!!
That's all MUCH cleaner than mine! I have to do floor pans at some point. All the channel metal that the pans, bushings and various other bits attach to is twisted up in a lot of areas. Not sure how I'm gonna address all that. I bought it without being able to get underneath and inspect closely. I still would have purchased it but I paid on the high side of what I thought the car was worth even before I knew about the belly damage.

That shifter setup looks fantastic.
Cheers,

Greg

1965 Monza Convertible 4-spd
Zenith STOL CH750 Airplane w/Corvair 110 flight conversion
https://www.youtube.com/c/GregsZenithSTOLCH750
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doug6423
Posts: 393
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 10:57 am

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by doug6423 »

Yep same here. Never got a real good look underneath. Plus it didn't run. I was new to Corvairs and knew most of it was solid. The underneath now looks good because this spring the clutch cable broke. So I scrubbed the floors, sanded, and POR-15 the floors. I can't just replace a part... I have to do everything else while I'm in fixing something. Mine I'm trying to use as a daily driver minus salt weather. So I want to make it as reliable as I can.
65 Monza
Cincinnati, OH
66vairguy
Posts: 4528
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by 66vairguy »

Nice job. When I was a young man I remember working on rusted cars in the Midwest. Your efforts are to be commended.

I moved West and enjoyed working on relatively rust free old cars.

That said the three shifters I've rebuilt ALL had bent or oblong inner shift tubes that required work to make the fit the brass bushings.
Greg Harris
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:31 pm
Location: Mason, MI

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by Greg Harris »

66vairguy wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:21 pm Nice job. When I was a young man I remember working on rusted cars in the Midwest. Your efforts are to be commended.

I moved West and enjoyed working on relatively rust free old cars.

That said the three shifters I've rebuilt ALL had bent or oblong inner shift tubes that required work to make the fit the brass bushings.
I am lucky to be able to TIG weld and braze (though, whether I have any skill at that is another topic... :rolling: ). I fabricated new tubes out of 1.00" x .049 seamless for the outer tube and 0.75" x .040 seamless for the shifter tube. I mic'd the tubes to get the approximate wall thickness needed but there was still a little gap in the bushings in the 1.00" tube. Took a little 400-grit to ream the bushings for a nice fit to the 0.75" tube but it's all slicker than I could have hoped now.

I am jealous of rust-free cars. I've spent almost my entire life in Michigan, where rust is just a way of life on even "young' cars.
Cheers,

Greg

1965 Monza Convertible 4-spd
Zenith STOL CH750 Airplane w/Corvair 110 flight conversion
https://www.youtube.com/c/GregsZenithSTOLCH750
66vairguy
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Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by 66vairguy »

I had a brand new 69 Camaro when I lived in Michigan and Ohio - rusted to junk in four years. I still remember snapping off those wimpy rusted down Chevy exhaust manifold studs when I had to install a new exhaust system. It was in the Fall and COLD!!!

Regarding the shifter tube - I drill the outer tube and brass bushing and tap them to install a zerk grease fitting. Holds the bushing in place and makes greasing the bushing in the future easy. Note there is little spare material so use a small zerk fitting and check to make sure the inner tube does not bind.

Next you can rebuild the shifter itself. There are side pins that wear out. They are slightly smaller than diameter of standard rod material so you have to remove a LITTLE material from the diameter when making new pins. Don't use a hard steel for the pins or the shifter cup slots will wear and THAT PART IS NOT REPAIRABLE! Use standard soft metal rod to make new pins. They last for years with normal use.

Many pics on CCF showing how to dismantle the shifter. I use a nickel alloy rod to braze the lower cup (sometimes badly worn) to repair them.
Greg Harris
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:31 pm
Location: Mason, MI

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by Greg Harris »

66vairguy wrote: Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:00 pmNext you can rebuild the shifter itself. There are side pins that wear out. They are slightly smaller than diameter of standard rod material so you have to remove a LITTLE material from the diameter when making new pins. Don't use a hard steel for the pins or the shifter cup slots will wear and THAT PART IS NOT REPAIRABLE! Use standard soft metal rod to make new pins.
Thank you for that tip. Mine definitely needs new pins. At a casual glance, I thought they were supposed to have flat sides. I had to order a used shifter housing from California Corvairs because mine was cracked where the mounting stud had broken off. It also had very worn pins.
Cheers,

Greg

1965 Monza Convertible 4-spd
Zenith STOL CH750 Airplane w/Corvair 110 flight conversion
https://www.youtube.com/c/GregsZenithSTOLCH750
66vairguy
Posts: 4528
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by 66vairguy »

The shop manual (and I think Clark's diagrams) has a picture of the shifter parts. As you may know there is a strong spring inside. I make a tool to turn the retaining plate to rev move or install it. You can just use a screw driver to turn and remove the retaining plate, but you need a tool to push the plate down even against the spring and ALSO turn it to lock it in place. It takes some force to push the plate down against that spring. I use a soft jaw vise to hold the assembly while pushing the locking plate down.

Oh - the diagrams show a plastic washer the spring sits on - Clark's has it if broken. Good luck.
Greg Harris
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:31 pm
Location: Mason, MI

Re: First reconditioned parts (shifter linkage) on my '65 Convertible

Post by Greg Harris »

66vairguy wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:45 am The shop manual (and I think Clark's diagrams) has a picture of the shifter parts. As you may know there is a strong spring inside. I make a tool to turn the retaining plate to rev move or install it. You can just use a screw driver to turn and remove the retaining plate, but you need a tool to push the plate down even against the spring and ALSO turn it to lock it in place. It takes some force to push the plate down against that spring. I use a soft jaw vise to hold the assembly while pushing the locking plate down.

Oh - the diagrams show a plastic washer the spring sits on - Clark's has it if broken. Good luck.
I already had it apart to clean it and re-lubricate it. That's when I discovered the broken stud had cracked the housing. Just didn't know those pins weren't supposed to be flat-sided at first. :rolling:

The used one I got from California Corvairs was just the stripped housing but also contains the worn pins. I'll rebuild it with new pins and put the springs and retaining plates from my original into the newer one. The nylon bushing and spring and whatnot are all cleaned, serviceable and still attached to my shifter.
Cheers,

Greg

1965 Monza Convertible 4-spd
Zenith STOL CH750 Airplane w/Corvair 110 flight conversion
https://www.youtube.com/c/GregsZenithSTOLCH750
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