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I set the shifting levers according to the manual.
I set the transmission in neutral and placed the column shift rods in neutral with the pin in place to be sure to line up up the 2 shift and hold in neutral. With the gear shift at neutral position I can put it in 2nd gear and 3rd gear but cannot get into 1st or reverse. It seems to be stuck when I try.
Any suggestions?

This is a typical symptom when both shift levers on the column shaft are trying to move at once. This is usually due to the upper lever sticking on the shaft.

The selector that determines which shift lever to move is normally at rest positioned in the upper 2-3 lever. When you pull the operator lever toward you the selector moves down into the lower R-1 lever and then rotating the operator lever up or down rotates the shaft and only the selected lever.

For whatever reason Packard provided no lubrication for the upper 2-3 lever. Being on top it is subject to any dirt or condensed moisture that might be on the shaft running down into the space between the lever and shaft. That often causes the lever to stick or in a worst case corrode and even rust the lever to the shaft. With the rod and lever geometry, when the 2-3 lever also moves it is slightly faster in moving its corresponding transmission lever first. When that happens the interlock in the transmission prevents the other R-1 lever from being able to move its gear into R or 1 engagement even if that is what you are trying to do.

I would suggest you remove the turnbuckle rods from the column levers and verify both levers are free to turn on the shaft. Once the rods are disconnected you can easily move the lower R-1 lever but to check the upper 2-3 lever you will need to have someone pull back on the operator lever to move the selector piece out of 2-3 so you can feel any difficulty in moving.

If either lever is the least bit sticky try some lubrication but in some cases the entire column and shift assy has had to be removed so it can be disassembled and levers freed off the car. Once both levers are very free and independently rotate then reconnect the rods and recheck the adjustment.

Here is a bit on where to lube. The small hole in the shaft provides a bit of run off to catch the lower lever. Since there are no provisions for the upper lever you will need to use whatever means needed to get some oil to run between the shaft and lever. Usually removing the upper clip and sliding the shim washer up to provide direct access to the top of the lever is needed. Once free it would be a good idea to periodically place a few drops of oil in the assembly.

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Previously experienced the problem described. I put the flex straw from a can of PB Blaster in that hole Howard describes and gave it a generous shot, it seemed to help at that time.

I would try lub thru that hole before taking anything a part. I had situation on a 49 packard stuck in 1st-put lub in the hole and worked the gearshift-slowly it freed up. If that does not work then step 2 do follow HH insttructions-good luck

The same happened on my 1954 that had sat for decades and no amount of lube from below or from above (under the steering wheel and down the pipe) would free it up. I finally had to remove the column and take it all apart to get it freed. Not saying that you won’t be luckier but just pointing out the possibility.

Mine, of course, is an Ultramatic but it’s still the same basic mechanism for the column shifting.

Am I correct in understanding that the upper lever is supposed to spin on the shaft? Mine does not spin but the lower does. I was not seeing what you meant about the lube hole. Now I am supposed to lubricant the shaft thru the hole.?

If you disconnect the turnbuckle rods going to the transmission idler assy and have someone pull and hold the operator lever back toward the steering wheel like you were going to shift into first or reverse, the upper lever should be free to spin just like the lower lever does with the operator lever in the regular position.

The upper lever does not get any lube from the hole so unless someone remembers to oil it rust and corrosion can form between the lever and shaft. Both levers must be free to spin because only one lever at a time can move when you select a gear. If the upper lever is sticking and also turning when you select 1 or R it can prevent those gears from engaging.

The oil hole may be on the side of the shaft so somewhat hidden unless you look for it. A few drops in the hole will catch the finger on the splines that moves back and forth to select a lever when you pull the operator lever. A bit of oil will run out a slot and take care of the lower lever but unless you spill some getting in the hole oil will not reach the top lever.

Here is a shaft and lever showing the typical result of corrosion on the upper lever. Note how the shaft is rusty in the length the levers operate. The lower lever below the spines is corroded but has a bit of lube. Where the upper lever rotates is completely dry. The second photo shows the shaft after cleaning. The areas circled in red are what the oil hole will take care of. NOTHING reaches the top lever unless some spills out of the hole or you make an effort to place some oil at the top of the lever to let it run down the outside of the shaft and get in the space where the lever rotates..

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So, I did get both levers to spin freely. Used lots of pb blaster. Made quite o mess on the shop floor.
I will get a helper and continue tomorrow.
Thanks

I have checked both upper 2-3 shifter and lower 1-R
I disconnected turnbuckle rods to transmission rods. They they turn freely. I have checked the transmission rods and transmission and manually moving the rods and the transmission seems to be working properly
With everything together I still cannot get R-1 to move and 2-3 shifter works properly
I don’t know what to do.

The selector which is the barrel shaped part between the levers needs to slide freely along the splines on the shifter shaft so that it can engage either the 2-3 or the 1-R lever and is likely stuck due to corrosion. It has a tab that moves into an opening in either lever. from the neutral position
Try more PB Blaster and working the shift lever back and forth by pulling towards the steering wheel and back towards the dash from the neutral position.