You know, I did scrub a ton of crud out of the shifter, but I didn't take it apart. This has shifted "stiff" since I bought it. I was wondering just today if I was shifting old - outdated technology and maybe my '64 Impala SS from 50 years ago was the same, and I just didn't remember how smooth I thought it was.
I have to stop working on the car for three weeks, but will put a thorough cleaning and lube of the shifter on my 'top five list' for when I can get back into it. A smooth shifter has to be part of an enjoyable driver.
:steering:
If you are headed in the 'take it apart' direction, I'll add a couple of things to consider.
Keep all the plates/shims/springs straight. Take notes, KNOW which one goes where and faces which direction. The notes you take should be sufficient for someone else to put it together...someone that did NOT take it apart.
'Cleaning' the shims (bushing plates) will involve some scrubbing. Wiping them won't clean the sticky goo off. A Scotchbrite pad (probably not the green type..unless you are very careful with it) works. If you are leaving scrape/scour marks, you just screwed up.
I recall looking at this:
..and it was very helpful.
Note: He takes off/out each piece, turns it over, then places it on his shop towel. That doesn't fit my way of thinking...why turn the part UPside down from the way it came out? I'm bringing it up so you don't get caught unaware of that action. Take it apart one way, go looking at the video again and try to put it back together all backwards (says the video), you will have no end of headache getting it right.
If you see evidence of a locking agent on that nut...use heat to take it off. 'More' force is not useful in this situation.
IIRC, I used BelRay waterproof grease on mine. That isn't critical AFIK.
I said my shifter works free enough to seem to be hooked up to nothing. That is not an exaggeration for effect. It is loosey-goosey back and forth, perfectly clean gates, and the actual shifting is flawless.
See how much crap was in the video shifter after soaking for hours? That's the crap that doesn't come out when you just spray a cleaner into it.
It's a simple process..easy to do and you will get benefits that you should be happy with. Considering that, in my case, the shifter probably had never been taken apart and cleaned since '73, that is a lot of time to accumulate all sorts of grime that shouldn't be there.
Even if your grinding/shifting problems aren't solved...you still did yourself a favor.
