Any tips for removing the shift lever cap on my T18?

[robroy]

Good day!

I've now moved on to trying to remove the shift lever from my T18. According to the Ford shop manual I should remove that bell-shaped cap that's the first thing you hit at the bottom of the shift lever, as it goes in to the top of the transmission.

I've been standing out there trying to get that cap pried loose, but it's really stuck on there! Are there any insider techniques I could know about here? Or should I continue my brute force tactics? I don't want to mess the cap up.

I've been trying putting a putty knife at the edge of the cap, right where it meets the cast iron body of the shift assembly cover, then tapping on the end of the knife with a hammer. But it's really not budging and I don't want to hurt it.

Thanks for any advice!
-Robroy

[robroy]

I just noticed that the cap has four flats around its base, so I'm going to try a huge pair of pliers on a pair of those flats to see if I can twist it off.

So far putty knifes, chisels and hammers aren't getting me far.

Thanks!
-Robroy

[averagef250]

Your right, it is threaded on. Large channel locks usually work good.

[robroy]

Hey Dustin, thanks! I felt extremely smart for trying all that prying and hammering when it finally gave in to the twisting action. I put a pipe wrench on it, then hammered on the end of the handle of the wrench--that got it unstuck. But boy was it stuck on there!

The transmission is finally out!!! It landed on the ground with a giant, unceremonious thud. Thankfully I had a sheet of plywood under there so it didn't actually get in the dirt. The only challenge left is to lift it in to the back of my work truck. It's too heavy for me to lift by myself!

Thanks again Dustin,
-Robroy

[hotrod ford]

do you have a cherry pick?

[robroy]

Hey Hot Rod Ford,

Yes indeed I do, but it's not available at the moment since it's holding something that I can't place on the ground.

I put it in the back of the truck all by myself! I had a really low IQ scheme figured out that involved three wheels/tires, letting a bunch of air out of the back tires of my work truck, and using unwise amounts of physical force. I think I got it in there with Divine Intervention.

Thanks for the great advice!
-Robroy

[Alvin in AZ]

...put a pipe wrench on it,
then hammered on the end of the handle of the wrench--that got it unstuck.
But boy was it stuck on there!
-Robroy

You know.... when you have a threaded part that is that thin, the pipe wrench idea ain't so
good. The tool distorts the part and makes it next to impossible to move without brute force.
Can't see you doing it from here ;) of course... but that sounds like what happened. :/
It prob'ly would have came unscrewed real nice and easy like mine does, if you had used a
large monkey wrench like I do.

You tell me. :)
Was it rusted on?

Alvin in AZ

[robroy]

Hey Alvin!

You know, I don't think it was rust. I'm not sure exactly what was holding it on there so tightly!

I know what you mean about the pipe wrench. I wanted to use something more civil but I couldn't find any crescent wrench or anything that would go that large, so the pipe wrench it was. And I don't think it messed the cap up actually, although I'd kind of expect it to. Oh well!

I probably wouldn't have resorted to using the pipe wrench if I'd known in advance that it unscrews. I figured it was jammed on there and was ready to use whatever brute force tactic I had available to get it unjammed.

Here are some photos I took today:




Thanks Alvin!
-Robroy

[hotrod ford]

Hey Hot Rod Ford,

Yes indeed I do, but it's not available at the moment since it's holding something that I can't place on the ground.

I put it in the back of the truck all by myself! I had a really low IQ scheme figured out that involved three wheels/tires, letting a bunch of air out of the back tires of my work truck, and using unwise amounts of physical force. I think I got it in there with Divine Intervention.

Thanks for the great advice!
-Robroy

i'm glad i could help, and it sounds like you had all figured out after all .

[robroy]

do you have a cherry pick?

I actually got it lifted in to the back of my truck! But it was not easy to handle by myself with no cherry pick'.

Since I wasn't strong enough to lift it, I rolled it up on to a spare tire (mounted on a wheel). Then, I stacked two additional tires/wheels next to it, and rolled it up on to that. I could barely roll it, but there's no way I could pick it up completely. Then I let most of the air out of the back tires on my work truck to lower the tailgate as much as possible, and in one triumphant heave rolled the T18 on to the tailgate!

It made an interesting sound when it hit the plywood under the truck when I first got it out.

Here are some random photos I took of the process:






-Robroy

[robroy]

You know, I don't think it was rust. I'm not sure exactly what was holding it on there so tightly!

On second thought, I'll bet the dumb prying I did to the cap is what made it so tough to unscrew!

-Robroy

[Alvin in AZ]

On second thought, I'll bet the dumb prying I did to the cap is what made it so tough to unscrew!
-Robroy

On third thought. ;)
Why in the heck -didn't- you know it was threaded?
There's a picture of the threads in the Truck Shop Manual. ;)

Alvin in AZ
ps- T18's only 150 pounds with the tail piece on it.

[Alvin in AZ]

http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/yoketool.jpg
Bed frame (good spring steel like a wrench) and a couple exhaust
manifold "studs" from the wrecking yard I had picked up.
Pipe wrench will work too. ;)
The nut needs a 1+1/6" socket.

http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/bushing&remover.jpg
You can have my share of the axle grease (or wet sawdust) method. :)

Alvin in AZ

[robroy]

Why in the heck -didn't- you know it was threaded?
There's a picture of the threads in the Truck Shop Manual.

Hey Alvin! That's a good question, and you made me wonder the same thing, so I looked at the diagram again.

If you already know there are supposed to be threads there then you can see them, but since I didn't have that knowledge going in to it, I figured those were just "ridges" of some kind, or that the top of the transmission housing was just shaped that way. At least I know I won't make that same mistake ever again!

ps- T18's only 150 pounds with the tail piece on it.

Oh thanks I was wondering about that.

Thanks Alvin!
-Robroy

[Alvin in AZ]

The line drawing in my '75 Shop Manual is better than yours.
Besides, I figured they made the cap "square" on purpose. ;)
I also had access to my very own "SPTCo" monkey wrench, which helped a lot too I figure. ;)

This was in '79 when I lived in Sacramento, my pickup came with a bad clutch from the factory.
I believe the bell-housing doesn't line up with the engine, but will soon find out after 230+k miles.
Bought a magnetic base dial caliper when doing my rear axle. ;)
The band-aid I came up with worked pretty good tho... installed a 6303 sealed ball bearing instead
of a "bronze" bearing. Gonna do that from now on anyway... FT's had 'em, I heard. ;)

Alvin in AZ
ps- rub your fingers on foam and listen...
if it's high quality stuff it's quiet...
if it's junk it sounds closer to styro-foam
And everything in between is, in between ;)