37 Terraplane shifter 'stump' chipped so can't get reverse, and Electric Hand not working either!

sidevalve2

Hi

I'm the English owner of the ex-Duke Marley 37 Terraplane that is in almost all-original condition. I have been even quieter than usual this year, mostly because the weather has been so terrible that I have only had the car out of storage 3 or 4 times (literally!). However, I am now servicing it and generally fixing small jobs and fitting accessories (that's my 'thing' - oldcaraccessories.com), and I have gradually noticed a problem arising during the few times I have started the car this year, so I thought I'd ask for advice.

My Electric Hand is beginning to play up. I know that's not unusual, but in my case it is supplemented by a chipped shifter 'stump', which means that it is REALLY hard shifting gears, and today I can't get reverse gear at all!!

Here's the story. Gradually, over the last year or so, I have noticed that the Electric Hand doesn't always function. Until recently it was a rare event (i.e. it functioned 90% of the time), and it usually started working after a few minutes even if it was being troublesome. I just used the manual shifter when it wasn't working properly, but I had noticed that I had to keep tightening up the manual shifter because it kept coming undone, and tended to move around on the 'stump' (see below for why!).

However, now the Electric Hand has got worse and worse, and today it isn't working at all. I will probably remove the tranny and try to fix it over the winter while the car is laid up, but I thought I would ask if there is anyone with experience of fixing Electric Hands out there, and if there is a particular problem that might cause this. I know there is a troubleshooting guide in the shop manual, and we will troubleshoot it properly when we get time, but I thought I would briefly ask if there were any common problems (or any common fixes).

However, that's not the main point of this post. The main point is that as I said above it has always been hard to shift manually using the auxiliary gearshift on my car, because the 'stump' that it attaches to has a chip out of the front right corner, which means that the shifter tends to come undone and I have to keep tightening it up. Recently the chip seems to have got bigger, with the result that it is harder and harder to shift, and today it has become impossible to get reverse - the shifter just jumps off, because it needs to put pressure on the bit of stump that has chipped away and there now doesn't seem to be enough metal for the pinch bolt to grip onto.

So my questions are: a) is this a case of 'They All Do That, Sir' (I mean the chipped stump problem, not the Electric Hand - I know they all do that!); b) if it is a common problem, is there a common fix? We are intending to remove it, take it to a local machine shop and get them to build it up with weld and machine it; c) how much of the transmission do I have to remove to get the 'stump' out? And d) does anyone have a good spare 'stump' that they would be willing to sell me?

I have attached some rather poor pictures, taken with my phone, of the chip - as I said, it is at the front right of the stump.

Best wishes, and thanks in advance

Alan

Marconi

You should be able to remove the floorboard and just remove the top cover from the transmission and then remove the "stump" from the cover.

hudsonsplasher1

Marconi has it right. Remove the top of the trans and you can then remove the stump. The first thing I would check on the electric hand is the diaphragm. Many times there's a hole in it and it won't work. That's the problem I had with mine. I replaced it and It's been working great since. I got mine from K-Gap. Don't know if they still have them. Let us know what the problem was. Good luck.

sidevalve2

Thanks guys - that's really good. I wondered if it might be the diaphragm, as the problem was progressive, which made me imagine a gradually increasing split or leak. We'll drop the tranny and fix the stump, and have a look at the diaphragm at the same time. At least we have a nice long time to to it, because we have about 5 months of guaranteed foul weather ahead of us when the car will be in storage - and possibly (if next year is like this year!) about 14 months foul weather ahead of us. I also have a new front rubber mat from K-Gap to fit (the only non-original thing on the entire car is the 70s or 80s acrylic carpet you can see in the pix!), and so I can do the tranny work at the same time.

[Deleted User]

Hello Side Valve--- Charles Salvato out of New York Got my electric hand working years ago. Once in awhile it does need some tweeking. Not sure, but hudson splasher 1 may be in reality Charlie Salvato. Hope this helps.---Cliff Minard

[Deleted User]

Hudson electric hand

hudsonsplasher1

Hi Cliff. hudsonsplasher1 is me. Gene Birdsall.

Jon B

Alan, Marconi is right -- it's not hard to get the "stump" out, though it takes a bit of time to get the removable floor panel out (which entails removing the pedals). Just 4 bolts hold the transmission cover on. When you get it out you will find that a large coil spring holds the "stump" in place. Unscrew the spring and out comes the "stump". Take it to your machine shop along with the accessory shift handle and get them to build it up with weld, then machine it for a good fit. With any luck you'll get the Electric Hand running right, so it should be unnecessary to use the accessory lever at all!

37 CTS

ck all the vacumen fittings from the air cleaner down to the transmission. I had a fitting loosen and gradually lost all vacumne and the electric hand gradually quit working. My loose fitting was on a line next to the transmission under the car. Tighted it and all was fine.
Good luck!