Hello, I’m new to the group. I have a 74’ with a M21.  Crazy sequence of events.. one of the steering column fire wall carriage bolts fell out so I replaced it. After that the reverse lock out would not engage and it was stuck in reverse. I removed that firewall bolt and was able to manually move the reverse lockout lever but I forced the shifter back but the car is still stuck in reverse and the shifter handle is in neutral so I think I bent the reverse linkage. How do I know if I bent the rod?

I have the same problem and think I also have bent something.  I am now trying to get the whole shift assembly removed and wow, so far no luck getting it out.  Have you gotten any replys to your post with info how to fix it?

Greetings to both of you on THANKS GIVING Day. It is Very possible that if the shifters are O.E.M. from birth, they have been slammed and jammed for a long time. Wear and tare makes things loose and misaligned. It's quite possible they have slipped past a detent, and or out of synchronization for them to do what is needed to pick-up the next gear. Sloppy shifters often give you trouble. New ones after 40-50 years of use will work better. Yes, removal will be difficult, but worth it. Go slow, do it right the First time, and you won't have to do it twice. 

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If I can get mine out, you can get your out. 😬

One of the bolts holding the shifter stripped and my shifter became a wet noddle.

Step one would be to unhook the 3 shifter rods to the transmission and take apart and get access from the top by removing the console.

Then from underneath you just have to work at it after you get the mounting bolts out.  Kinda like a chinese puzzle.

The Real Trick will be synchronizing the rods and shifter after installation.  I made a tool to keep the shifter aligned while I adjusted the linkage rods and attached them. Make sure the three tabs the shifter rods hook to are all in neutral and same position. 

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Before ya'll go rippin shifters out without know WHY, try putting the trans in neutral first. If your trans is stuck in reverse, but the shifter is in neutral, move the reverse lever forward to take the trans out of reverse. THEN see if the shifter will control the shifts into the gears. Reverse is NOT interlocked on these things, meaning, you CAN get it into reverse with the shifter in ANY gear position. 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th DO have an interlock that keeps you from engaging in 2 gears at the same time. If you have somehow managed to bend the fat shift linkages, you might just be a superhero....🤣

Disconnect the cable from the reverse linkage to the steering column, and move the reverse lever where the linkage rod goes, to the front. That takes it out of reverse. You CAN put the trans in reverse by moving the cable where it attaches to the column, sometimes not even knowing you did. Manually put the trans in neutral first....then see how it all works before tearing everything apart. 

and Yes...I know this is not a factory shifter....totally irrelevant to the conversation. The trans doesn't know, or care, what brand shifter is bolted to it...the trans still operates the same....😁

Joel Adams
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Years ago I had a shifter that was so loose that it would allow the transmission to get in both reverse and another gear.  I'd have to climb under and move the shift lever to neutral.  If the car was on a hill, the gears would get bound against each other so you could not move the levers.  Then I had to somehow push the car uphill enough to free the gears, then climb under.  Not a very safe thing to do on a hill by myself!  A Hurst shifter fixed that issue.

Learned something new about my car.  That reverse interlock cable is not on my car.  Must have been removed some time in it's first 25 years.  Lever on the steering column is there in the "up" position.  Been that way for 27 years.

Not putting one back on.

The cable on mine was there but not hooked up.  It was seized up solid.  Just seems like one more thing to go wrong on a car.  Some of the newer Vettes with automatic transmissions have an electronic lock on reverse that break, leaving the shifter frozen.