Pinto Car Club of America
Shiny is Good! => Your Project => Topic started by: FlyerPinto on January 06, 2013, 08:25:31 AM
I'm having a friend swap the automatic from my old 77 Bobcat hatchback, which is no longer part of the fleet, into my Cruising Wagon. The wagon currently has a four-speed manual and it will go down to the guy who bought the donor Bobcat. The only problem I have with the manual tranny is that it seems to need what I've heard called a rag joint. I can't differentiate by feel first gear from reverse or third. It works fine, just have to test what gear I'm in before I get going. Any thoughts on this one? Is this rag joint hard to come by? I've been told it is essentially a piece of leather with the shift pattern cut into it, but I've never seen one.
I.m not sure what it is they are talking about.A rag joint is part of the steering,joining the column and the rack together. A quadrant is used to tell what gear or gate your in.This is more commonly used in auto trans apps when using a duel gate shifter.It sounds like the trans shifter rail has gone bad.
FlyerPinto,
I am currently changing over to a manual on my street 71 and have run into the same issues as you but here is what I think are your two problems. 1. good chance your plastic shift bushing is toast (see pics below) and 2. the large rubber gromit that keeps the shifter from sinking down so that it thinks it is clear to move over to reverse (you should have to push down on the shift lever to get to reverse) is rotten like the one on the right (see below). I hope that helps.
71HANTO
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Pinto/DSC08366_zps8c64e53d.jpg)
PLASTIC GONE
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Pinto/DSC08367_zpsfd1b3026.jpg)
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Pinto/DSC08370_zps87815860.jpg)
(http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj72/71hanto/Pinto/DSC08369_zpsaec27f5d.jpg)
Go to burtonpower they still have parts, they are in the U.K. however so it's pricey....
Forgot about that been runnin the t5 for too long.
I've never had to push down to go to reverse. On my original Bobcat many many (many) years ago the transmission was that way, requiring pressing down on the shifter to go left and then up into reverse. But I will look into those parts and what not. At this point I've committed to going with the automatic, but it would still be good info to have. And if this takes much longer, I might just try to do it myself and stay manual. Thanks.