Shifting 109 station wagon question

[DGG]

Should I be able to shift my 61, 109 station wagon into third and fourth without the truck running or the clutch engaged? Doing a frame off. I have engine and trans mounted onto new frame. I was just shifting through the gears and was able to go into 1st, 2nd and reverse, but not 3rd o 4th. Thanks.

[SafeAirOne]

Did you try rotating the transmission a bit to see if they'll engage?

[DGG]

Did you try rotating the transmission a bit to see if they'll engage?
How do I do that?

[TeriAnn]

How do I do that?

That depends upon how disassembled your truck is. Put it in second and push the truck a little, turn the engine a little, or just grab the manual brake drum and turn it if the gearbox is disconnected from the engine.

When the teeth of the gears are lined up so the tooth of one gear hits the tooth of the other gear square on while nothing is rotating the gears will not mesh. It is a matter of the gear location to one another. Turning one of the gears will change the relationship between the 2 gears and allow one to slide into the gap of the other. That's the reason for the suggestion to rotate the gears. How you do it depends upon how much of the truck is still assembled.

A frame off restoration is pretty serious unless you are replacing the frame.

[DGG]

That depends upon how disassembled your truck is. Put it in second and push the truck a little, turn the engine a little, or just grab the manual brake drum and turn it if the gearbox is disconnected from the engine.

When the teeth of the gears are lined up so the tooth of one gear hits the tooth of the other gear square on while nothing is rotating the gears will not mesh. It is a matter of the gear location to one another. Turning one of the gears will change the relationship between the 2 gears and allow one to slide into the gap of the other. That's the reason for the suggestion to rotate the gears. How you do it depends upon how much of the truck is still assembled.

A frame off restoration is pretty serious unless you are replacing the frame.

Thanks. It's at the rolling chassis stage. No body parts on yet.

[DGG]

I was able to get it to go into 3rd and 4th, but not every time. The truck has been sitting for about 20 years, so maybe it just needs a little persuasion.