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Out of nowhere, sifting my 3-speed got very stiff. R to 1st was free and smooth, but 1st to 2nd was a little stiff at first, then got progressively stiffer until I couldn't even move the gearshift to the right side of the "H" at all. I read some of the forum topics about removing the entire shifter shaft along with the steering column, but wanted to try a simpler approach first. That approach involved disconnecting the connecting linkages to levers 3.328 and 3.329 on one end, then removing the clips holding the levers in place. The bottom lever (3.328) easily slid down the shaft, exposing the selector (3.316), but the upper lever would not budge. I had thought the reason I couldn't shift from 1st to 2nd was because the selector was stuck in between, ie locking the upper and lower levers together because of dirt and old grease preventing the tab on the selector from settling into one slot or the other of the levers. But when the lower lever slid down, exposing the selector, it was clear the selector wasn't the problem. The problem was the upper lever being stuck to the shaft housing (3.325). I went to work on it with repeated doses of penetrating oil applied at the top rim of the upper lever - as well as tapping up on the bottom of the upper lever with a wooden dowel rod. So far I have been able to get any movement between the upper lever and the shaft housing, whatsoever. If the answer is to remove the entire assembly after all, how should I go about freeing the lever from the shaft housing, once I remove the assembly?

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The problem is the upper lever has no oiling provision and there is nothing in the literature about lube requirements. Without any oil it has probably run dry for years. In addition to no oil, any condition that produces condensation on a cold piece of metal will allow that moisture to run down the tube and collect in the space between the shift tube and lever causing rust and corrosion and eventual sticking as yours has now done. By all means do not try to free or move anything with the operator lever or the leverage provided by the long arm can cause the pot metal casting to break.

The way the levers are positioned with the select tongue in the middle you may be able to remove the upper C clip and as long as the shift tube is polished, lubed and corrosion free a few inches above the lever slide the 2-3 lever and washer up to expose the corroded surface it normally rides on. That is about the best option while keeping everything in the car. If the lever has stuck so badly that two or three inch upward movement is not possible then about the only thing left is to remove the column and shift assy to drive the pin out of the tongue so it can slide toward the bottom and let you free and clean things on the bench.

If it has stuck as badly as the one in the photo it may take some brute force. As I recall, after the lower lever and tongue and the upper clip were removed I used a large crescent wrench with jaws adjusted to just slide over the tube. The jaws were able to rest on the top of the lever and with the bottom of the tube resting on a block of wood to prevent damage to the threads, I was able to use a hammer on the wrench body and jaws to force the lever down and off.

Once free put a light coat of grease on the affected parts and put things back together. In the future do a periodic few drops of oil in the hole on the side of the shift tube to take care of the internal rod and lower lever. A few more drops above the lever so you can get some to flow down and into the space between the lever and tube. Sometimes there is enough play you can insert a small thin screwdriver between the lever and washer at the upper end to pry them apart to provide a tiny space oil can more easily run behind the lever instead of hanging on the clip and washer.

Here are a few photos showing a casting break from trying to force things free, a thoroughly corroded tube probably very similar to how yours looks and the assy as it comes apart showing the shift tube clean and somewhat polished ready to go back together.

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Could a person drill a small hole in the upper shift arm to oil it??

You probably could. Several years since I had mine apart but I don't remember any thing inside that would prevent oil from distributing around the shaft evenly. The hole would need to be fairly near the top end and with the angle of the column I don't know if the oil would wick up to catch the area above the hole where corrosion could still occur.

Polish up the area above the upper shift lever with some sandpaper. Then gently heat the lever with a propane torch to expand it a bit and drive it up the shaft with your dowel and hammer. Clean the shaft, grease it all up, and reassemble.

Thanks one and all.

Does it seem logical that corrosion can move that quickly, ie within a couple of weeks go from shifting just fine to shifting from 1st to 2nd with difficulty (2nd to 3rd was fine) to no shifting to 2nd or 3rd at all? My concern is there might be something more going on there.

I'll polish the shaft above to top lever and keep working on trying to move the lever up with more penetrating oil and some more "gentle taps." But as solid as the two pieces seem to be mated together, I'll also read up on removing the entire assembly from the car. BTW, just how much abuse can the shaft take? I'm assuming I should stay away from vice grips and pipe wrenches.

If I have to remove the shifter shaft assembly, is it possible to pull out only the shifter shaft or does the steering column have to come out, as well?

Apologies for putting my question in the Sr category instead of the Jr. I've since added it to Jr. as well, but didn't want to delete the original Sr entry for fear of losing the responses.

Would the little selector rod guides (3.319) block oil from running down the inner shaft walls, or are they a pretty loose fit?

Those are rubber sleeves or cushions and fairly loose. Placed on the rod to keep the unsupported length from vibrating against the shift tube. A few drops of oil placed in the small hole on the side of the shaft will dribble down. Most will just drip out the end but some will make it out the slot where the pin for the tongue resides and dribble around the bottom lever keeping it lubed. That is why there are few problems with that lever. Absolutely nothing ever gets to the top lever unless oil is deliberately placed on the shaft above the clip and allowed to seep down between the lever and shaft.

dons50pack, As far as pulling it out I would have to say I don't think you can just pull out the Shift Shaft. If it's like my 47 you have to remove the whole steering column with the shift shaft. Steering wheel comes off so you can disconnect the steering shaft and horn button.
Just curios why it came on like it did.
Wes

HH56 and Ross for sure know far more than I, but I don't think it's logical that it would freeze up from sitting just 2 weeks.

I think you need to get under and check the arms and rods attached to the transmission to see if one is hung up somehow. If the arms are not hung up at the attaching points, it could be the manual transmission interlock that's stuck.

Disconnect the pins from the transmission levers. You can access the lid of the transmission from the center section of floor pan that's removable. Then remove the cap screws holding the lid (note where the breather screw is positioned, passenger rear), remove the lid and arms as one piece and examine the condition of the interlock, the ball bearings should be round and springs inside their tunnels.

If you want pictures of how bad it Can look, let me know and I can find and post.