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1941 Coupe
Wii not disengage from 1st gear. shifting lever will not move. Clutch action seems ok
Any suggestions on freeing up ?
Thanks
Wayne Cain

There are a number of things that could cause that such as out of adjustment linkages but when my 1940 did it, it was caused by the shaft seizing where it pivots in the back of the column housing. The housing under the wheel is cast (pot metal) so with so may years of no lubrication, it probably needs to be taken apart, the shaft and hole sanded, greased and reassembled. On mine, I added a bronze bushing and it never needed service again.

In cold winter months if the car sits for long periods, under the right conditions water can actually condense on cold metal clutch parts and that water can cause the clutch disc to seize or become "glued" to the pressure plate or flywheel. That situation results in no clutch disengagement even though pedal linkage action appears normal. Symptoms usually include a lot of gear clashing and sometimes failure to move in or out of a gear if other gears in the transmission can't move so are sort of locked together but not necessarily a failure for the gearshift lever to move at all. While a stuck clutch is a low possibility it is still worth keeping in mind.

There are a few service bulletins regarding causes for the locked in gear condition so you might read thru and check any of the factory suggestions. Look thru the gear shift and linkage bulletins pertinent to 17-20th series in the 37-42 years Clipper and linkage thru 23rd series is somewhat different but a few items mentioned may also be applicable to conventional body linkage and shift issues.

A far more common issue is lack of lubrication at the two levers on the shift tube near the bottom of the steering column. The bottom lever controls reverse and first, the top lever second and third. Neither lever gets any real lubrication but the top lever gets none at all. That same cold metal condition that causes clutch plate issues will also let any dirt or moisture condensing on the shift tube to run down and get in the space between the lever and tube causing corrosion and rust. In worst cases it can actually seize the lever to the tube so tightly as to need disassembly. The situation can build up and then develop completely in a fairly short period of time.

For proper operation, both shift levers must be absolutely free to rotate independently on the tube. When the bottom lever is selected to go into first or reverse, if a seizing top lever sticks and tries to move at the same time the geometry of the linkage will make second or third gear selection in the transmission move an instant before first or reverse and the transmission safety interlock will come into play. In most cases the interlock will then prevent any movement or gear selection.

First check for wear and lost motion at any of the pivot points in the top photo. Wear and looseness at the rod joints seems to be a fairly common issue these days and a little bit can cause various issues. Some report with looseness the pieces can "get out of sync" and sometimes one needs to be moved slightly by hand. If all that checks good then do a good lube. In addition to a drop at pivot points, add a few drops of oil at the point indicated in the bottom photo. You may need to remove the upper retaining clip to slide the washer or shims up away from the lever so oil can run down and directly get in the lever rotation space. There may also be a small hole somewhat hidden on the side of the shift tube just above the levers. If you find one, add a few drops of oil in the hole so it can run down inside and catch the selector rod. A few drops will run out a slot in the tube and help lube the bottom lever. Excess oil will drip out the bottom of the tube so if you are a stickler for engine compt cleanliness watch for that.