Alright, my 83 GL 4wd wagon has a 4sp that either needs some work, or replacing and I'm looking for some guidence as to what might be the best way to go about it. First and second gear work just fine, but shifting into third is a different story. The problem isn't getting it to go into the gear, but when you start to release the clutch it tries to pop out of gear, but once in gear and the clutch is out it runs fine. Also it has come out of gear on me before just driving with no gas and just cruising in gear. Fourth does a little grind to get into gear as well. I'm wondering if I should look for a new tranny or do a rebuild on the existing tranny. Any ideas or comments are welcome. THanks a lot.

Look for another tranny. Pretty sure I know where you could get one pretty cheap if you want another 4 speed. And the one from my Brat will be up for dibs at some point. Nearly all of them have some quirkyness, but it sounds like your syncro's are gone. The one in my Brat grinds slightly into second, but other than that is perfect. The one in my wagon grinds slightly on the downshift to 3rd, but other than that is fine - go figure. Rebuilding it isn't really possible without a lot of transmission knowledge, and some special tools...

 

GD