35 Terraplane Electric Hand. How to shift transmission manually when electric hand isn't working?

Rob Fayette
Rob Fayette Expert Adviser
in HUDSON
A friend of mine who lives near me  has a 35 Terraplane with the Electric Hand.  He tells me he has used it for years without any real problems ,but now it won't shift.  He would like to do whatever it takes to drive the car without using the Electric hand for now. He has installed the manual shift lever.  Is there a way to disconnect the electric hand so it becomes a totally manual shifter?  How do you do that?  I have been looking at the Electric Hand manual and have a somewhat understanding of how it's supposed to work. I have never actually seen the Electric Hand for real.
Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
Rob

Comments

  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I've never used the Electric Hand either (though I have one in a box which I'm hoping to install someday!).  It seems to me that -- if you used the emergency shift lever -- you would be working against the vacuum in the cylinders. 

    I guess the quickest way to test that theory would be to try to manually shift when the engine isn't running.

    If your friend IS encountering resistance when attempting to manually shift while the engine is running, he should disconnect the Electric Hand's vacuum line from where it connects to the engine (at the manifold?).  The other end of the system is at the air cleaner (that's the inlet for filtered air which enters the vacuum cylinders when a vacuum-assisted shift is made).  If I'm correct, then this end of the system would not need to be blocked off. 

    With any luck, someone will now jump in here with the REAL answer, LOL!

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