Tool to Remove/Install Gear Shift Spring
- Thread starter A-Man
- Start date
i made one for my model a shifter when i rebuilt the ball, i took a piece of 1/2 inch square tubing about 8" long and welded a 6" piece on the top to make it like a T and then welded a large washer on the end of the tube, i cut a notch out of the washer to make it look like a C so it would go past the shifter shaft and rest on top of the spring keeper, i then welded two short pieces on the washer to hang down over the spring so the tool couldnt slip off, i put the shifter in my vise and then put my chest on the cross piece and pushed down to compress the spring and remove the keeper works good for me
Jim Mason
Well-known member
I have a link to Vince's site showing the tool, and of course it's on his site direct...fwiw,jm
www.jmodela.com
www.jmodela.com
sonny30coupe
Senior Member
I made one of those tools last week out of a piece of fence post and a washer. Took 10 minutes to make and 10 seconds to install the spring.
Afordman31
Well-known member
This was a tip from Readers in the Book "How to restore your Model A Volume 4
This is for installing the spring.
I recently recromed the gear shift lever and was a bit concerned about installing the spring and keeper. I went through several years of Restorers and failed to find the articles I had read on the subject, including one which warned about having the spring jump out and stick into one's forehead. So I devised a simple gadget in a very few minutes that did the job perfectly. Using my table saw, I cut a piece of wood 5/8 square and 2 3/4" long. Then I cut a grove the full length of it on all four sides as shown in the following sketch.
Slipping the piece of wood inside the spring, I then threaded a single strand of mechanic's wire through each of the grooves in the block, but starting between the second and third coils of the spring at one end. Bring the wire out at the other end between the second and third coils.
Then when I put the spring in a vise, the wood kept the spring from collapsing. It also served as a guide and spacer for the wire. As I screwed the vise in, I pulled the wire through the coils. When the vise jaws were clamped against the ends of the block, the coils were also tight against the wire.
At this point, I merely twisted the ends of each wire together and slipped the wooden block out. I had four wires in place, evenly spaced and tensioned to spring made no attempt to buckle as I dropped it into the housing. I put the gear shift lever into place, slipped on the keeper, and removed the wires. This was the most difficult part.
At this point you'll understand why the wire is inserted and brought out between the second and third coils.. You wouldn't have been able to tighten the wire when it was in the vise, and you wouldn't be able to remove the wire from the transmission housing when the tension was released. By Ed Wagnild, Kalispell, Montana
This is for installing the spring.
I recently recromed the gear shift lever and was a bit concerned about installing the spring and keeper. I went through several years of Restorers and failed to find the articles I had read on the subject, including one which warned about having the spring jump out and stick into one's forehead. So I devised a simple gadget in a very few minutes that did the job perfectly. Using my table saw, I cut a piece of wood 5/8 square and 2 3/4" long. Then I cut a grove the full length of it on all four sides as shown in the following sketch.
Slipping the piece of wood inside the spring, I then threaded a single strand of mechanic's wire through each of the grooves in the block, but starting between the second and third coils of the spring at one end. Bring the wire out at the other end between the second and third coils.
Then when I put the spring in a vise, the wood kept the spring from collapsing. It also served as a guide and spacer for the wire. As I screwed the vise in, I pulled the wire through the coils. When the vise jaws were clamped against the ends of the block, the coils were also tight against the wire.
At this point, I merely twisted the ends of each wire together and slipped the wooden block out. I had four wires in place, evenly spaced and tensioned to spring made no attempt to buckle as I dropped it into the housing. I put the gear shift lever into place, slipped on the keeper, and removed the wires. This was the most difficult part.
At this point you'll understand why the wire is inserted and brought out between the second and third coils.. You wouldn't have been able to tighten the wire when it was in the vise, and you wouldn't be able to remove the wire from the transmission housing when the tension was released. By Ed Wagnild, Kalispell, Montana
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Larry Seemann
Senior Member
Several years ago I made the tool from Vince's website. I use it all the time - works great and not hard to make.