Need 1962 Dodge Lancer Push Button Repair Help

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bootsnbolts

bootsnbolts

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I can't seem to find a diagram or any information on the 1962 Dodge Lancer dash panel push buttons. I hope i came to the right section of this forum.

About 3 months ago I was going to back out of my parking spot at Fred Meyer's and the reverse button just fell right back into the panel...haven't been able to use it since.

About a week ago, neutral fell through as well. A bit panicked (my son and I were out and about getting a shaved ice), I tried other gears...I never use 1st or 2nd, but, they wouldn't budge when I tried them. Fortunately I was able to get in drive.

I have neutral bypassed, so to get her to roll back so I can push her out of my driveway when I am taking my kid to school, I just take her out of park and I'm neutral to roll. Then I put her in drive and pray it doesn't fall off. The buttons are there, they are just dropped back in the instrument panel.

Now, I know I need an allen wrench to get past the wiper knob to remove the panel itself to get access to the buttons, etc. but that's it. I have no idea what I will be looking at in there, no diagrams or info, period. I am also having button issues with the heater buttons, lost defrost the other morning, so whatever is going on has to do with something being wonky in the panel itself. I have never had transmission problems, and was told when I bought her at Wildcat that she has had a trans rebuild (was a selling point for me).

Any quick response is appreciated, my neighbor is coming to look at it with me this morning around 9 or so. He's a Ford guy (rebuilds them) so I am not sure how much we'll accomplish with no instructions or diagrams.
Thanks!
 
Thank you...unfortunately, they do not have the 1962 dodge lancer listed.

The push button set-up for the 62 is completely different than any other year, it was a test run, and failed, so they didn't use it in any other models.

I've been on with a friend about it, he says it sounds like the panel itself is just loose, which could be an easy fix but i still need the very specific info on getting the neutral button back on.
 
fell back in the panel? your mechanism has fingers that hold the plastic selector arms in place--- sometimes those fingers get spread & the plastic just falls out--. if your saying your mechanism doesn't move --then that is another problems all together.

take the plastic shift selector off-- & look at the fingers a gentle clamping force with pliers should close them up to hold the plastic levers in place.

also spray the mechanism with a lubricant -- i'm sure these go bad-- but usually the mechanism works.
Lawrence
 
VDART said:
fell back in the panel? your mechanism has fingers that hold the plastic selector arms in place--- sometimes those fingers get spread & the plastic just falls out--. if your saying your mechanism doesn't move --then that is another problems all together.

take the plastic shift selector off-- & look at the fingers a gentle clamping force with pliers should close them up to hold the plastic levers in place.

also spray the mechanism with a lubricant -- i'm sure these go bad-- but usually the mechanism works.
Lawrence
Click to expand...

thank you, that was very helpful!
 
Do you have the shop manual?

I bought one and its got great diagrams I could scan and send [see page 14-35]. Its worth the investment to have one.

I've been struggling with one of the fingers being lose after having to run my car through inspection and having a ham-handed tech jam my Neutral through, but bending it back has not helped. I'm going to have to hunt another plastic flange for the Neutral button as mine's bent [50 year old plastic!].

Let me know if you need the info, or consider, if you have not got one yet, getting a shop manual; well worth the investment:
 

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bootsnbolts said:
Thank you...unfortunately, they do not have the 1962 dodge lancer listed.

The push button set-up for the 62 is completely different than any other year, it was a test run, and failed, so they didn't use it in any other models.

I've been on with a friend about it, he says it sounds like the panel itself is just loose, which could be an easy fix but i still need the very specific info on getting the neutral button back on.
Click to expand...


I don't know if this helps but my 64 Signet uses a 64 push button setup for a 904 transmission when in reality, the transmission in the 64 is a 62 BB 727 transmission. I truly don't know why it works, but it does and has for over 25 years...
 
i FINALLY called matt up at wildcat and he said it's 'highly probable' that what is happening is that the 52 year old plastic on the buttons are simply 'disintegrating.' made more probable by the fact that the heater buttons are also starting to go, and they get very little play compared to the transmission buttons. SO! maybe all i need are the damned buttons!!!!!

moto said when he was looking in there that it appeared as if the buttons themselves were worn. so this makes sense.

i have matt (wildcat) looking for buttons for me, hoping it won't cost an arm and a leg, can anyone recommend an alternate source if he can't find them? if all i have to do is pop in some new buttons i will be ECSTATIC.

alternately, and this is probably a bad idea, what about 'reinforcing' the existing buttons...? bubble gum and duct tape of course (joke...no bubble gum). my concern is that any deviance from factory made will potentially cause the tangs to hold differently.

thoughts?

anyone have the part number for those? i no longer have my manual.
 
there will be no new buttons(cheap)--- take some Jb weld & build up the contact area -- then file & sand it to fit-- done!!

use the original stuff not the jb quik, Lawrence
 
VDART said:
there will be no new buttons(cheap)--- take some Jb weld & build up the contact area -- then file & sand it to fit-- done!!

use the original stuff not the jb quik, Lawrence
Click to expand...

thanks! i finally cornered a fellow mopar enthusiast who lives in my neighborhood and he suggested epoxy, to do the same thing...sounds like the way to go. i'll probably switch the 2nd and 1st buttons temprarily while i work on them, since i don't use those anyways, or a couple heater buttons, just for reverse and drive? thoughts?

so, jb weld, or epoxy, which do yout hink is better?
 
cannot switch the buttons --they each have a distinct curve to fit the mechanism. JB weld is an epoxy. Lawrence
 
I might be able to pull my unused shifter mech apart for you but I wont beable to do it till this weekend I went to a floor shifter on the valiant I have a complete spare dash that I believe stilo has all the buttons also but ill have to look
 
Having to use epoxy to repair these is seldom necessary. As VDART suggested gently (and gently cannot be emphasized enough as they are so east to break) squeezing the forks that the buttons attach to is the best solution. Given your Oregon address I find it highly unlikely your buttons have disintegrated on the shifter end. In AZ here the sun exposed tips can literally turn to dust and the shifter portion will still be mint. Use a small flat blade screwdriver inserted into a slot on the underside of the headlight and wiper knobs, pushing up on the retaining clips, to remove them. (4) screws remove faceplate. The jamming of your mechanism is likely one of the fallen pushbuttons preventing the mechanism from functioning. With faceplate off and shift mechanisms exposed check for broken tines (think of a dinner fork turned on its side with the center tines removed leaving the upper and lower tines with a gap between them). If the upper or lower tines are broken off you should consider repairing or replacing the shifter assy. It must be removed from car to do this. Also your shifter box is not a one year only item, although it's under dash mounting bracket is. Generally shifter assy's are interchangeable from 60-65 as long as your replacing a vertical button unit with another and/or a horizontal button unit with another horizontal unit. It is usually easier to remove the shifter box by unscrewing two nuts (3/8"?) you'll be able to see when your inspecting your shifter lever tines than removing it with it's unique mounting bracket attached. Using epoxy to attach buttons is a poor repair that is doomed to failure as buttons need freeplay to move in and out of the dash faceplate. Using epoxy to reshape a button to fit the shift fork or tines is a good repair but is seldom necessary.
 
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