Shifter Removal

Does anyone know if you have to remove the entire top cover on a 9 direct to pull the shifter?Need to take the shift lever to work so I can attempt to grind the booger welded on dog leg extention.I hope the threads are still under there.I didn't see any way to remove the shifter unless that is what the nut and threaded rod is on the passenger side of the tower but I think that is something else.



This is in a 1980 GMC General with Lo in bottom left 1st is middle up(also labeled 5th but is really 6ths if you count lo as 1st).

Freight rain
Gudday M8

no need to remove the complete lid on cogbox
the 4 capscrews th@ hold down the gear shift housing should leave u with a cog box in one hand n the gear lever stir stik in the other
cya
[ch9787]

Thanks swish.But why are you always the first one that answers post.Are you like me and NEVER sleep?

As for the shifter,I hope it is that easy.I want to dump that ugly dog leg.Might have looked good if half the chrome wasn't flaked off and have welds like look like globs of tooth paste.....that big black knob that is turning an ashy grey color and forming cracks ain't the best looking think either.THe truck originally had a thin long knob and I am going back to that style but with a definate American flare.What are one of the things we are best known for?Weapons and lots of them..




Originally set up as a beer tap handle but I think it will make a good shifter knob.

When you undo the 4 bolts that hold the tower on, you will see 3 springs sticking up, if any of them are broken, and from memory it will more than likly be the one on the right if any looking from the back of the box, replace them. They hold the detents what hold the gearstick in gear. There is different colours as well, for diferent tensions.

You could do what most of us do, and just bend it where you want it in place with a bit of heat off the oxy, then put a bit of pigs tail around the gearstick and airlines which tidies it all up.

Factory it feels pretty good to me if I grab it down at teh weld.I do need to blast the stick and paint it while it is out of the truck.(I love working in a machine shop!).Here is a picture of the knob.I wish I had a picture that shows the ugly dog leg but you can get a picture of the angle of dangle this thing has.Not the most comfortable of setups.BTW,what is the stock weight/color of the springs?Being I work in a machine shop I know all about the color coded spring weights.Just never memorized what each color is.

Mate, all you need to do is get another one of those 90 degree extension hoo jars, and bung it on top. Maybe give the IH knob the flick and get a Caterpillar grader knob as well.

Funny you should mention that.I used to have a side shift knob off a Splatterpillar forklift on my M35A2 military truck.Heated up the shifter with a torch and pressed the knob on till the melted plastic cooled to hold.Was the most comfortable shift knob I ever used.Had a great angle on the top of it when mounted backwards from the way it was on the lift.Ended up pulling it off...well beating and cutting it off and welded a Pineapple grenade on there.

Got the shifter off.What a PITA in 25 degree weather outside on dirt.Got the back 2 by feeling for them,3rd I managed to wiggle my head and arm up between the rail and drive shaft enough to get the ratchet on,4th I cheated and came in from the top.What I should have done to start with.Wonder who came up with that Rube Goldberg clutch setup.Pedal to down bar,to crank at base of the firewall,to LONG rod,to another crank at the back of the cab forward to the bellhousing to the clutch fork.Then on the other side the PTO controls and Hydro motor linkage deal was in the way.Here are the new pictures showing the assembly.Didn't see any springs down in there.But was so cold I didn't really spend a lot of time looking down the hole in the floor.

Freighttrain, Mate, I can understand your problem. Working in a machineshop, if some of your Mates saw that welding, or metal attaching, you would never live it down. They'd hang crap on you all day long. I think your new gearlever knob will be grabbing a lot of attention . Good luck Mate. Cya Tim

Thank God that weld wasn't run by me.I have only attempted to weld one time(and that was with a lil 90amp hobby class Mig) but if I did that bad of a job I would have ground it out and tried again.I can see having a little ugly in a weld but good God that things a a huge pile of ALL UGLY>