MTFCA Forum

I am a new owner of a 1926 Model T Pickup. It looks to be in good condition and runs great for sitting in a storage unit for probably 20 years.
The one issue I am having is the Ruxstell (hope that's how you spell it lol) will not stay in high gear. It seems to slip too far and goes into a terrifying neutral (on a side note I don't have rocky mountain brakes but intend to get some as soon as time allows). If I put a constant backwards pressure on the lever it seems to hold it in gear but as soon as I let go it goes into neutral.
All this said I'm finding a lack of information on adjusting the rear end, I know that there are two adjustment nuts on the axle but I haven't played with them as I simply cannot figure out what they actually do! Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I'd also like to say that being a teenager, not having a high gear is a great travesty lol!

Thanks,
John

First the easy stuff. Pull the shift lock.Wear in the center teeth of the C collar can cause the plunger to rotate & give 1/2 engagement. (Saw this recently).
Look @ the teeth on the lock collar. Sometimes severe wear here ramps the teeth to jump out.
Could be other wear issues, like the large fiber washer is gone & allowing an internal shift of the differential.
Safest deal is to tear it down & rebuild.

According to your listing, you live in Truckee. That would be in the sierra mountains near Lake Tahoe. So you really need to fix this problem before you drive the car and also get auxiliary brakes on the rear wheels.
There is a book published by the club, "Ruckstell Axle". I would urge you to purchase one and then go through the entire rear axle and replace anything which is worn. There is a sliding spline connected to the fork in the shifter. That spline is what actually shifts from low to high. That tends to get worn on the end and also a bronze gear inside. Also the thrust washers at the right side of the housing. So I would suggest you take it apart and replace any worn parts. Chaffin's Garage in Corona Ca supplies new parts for the Ruckstell, so they should be easy to find.
Norm

This is a very common problem and has happened on two of my Ruckstells, it is a easy but costly fix as you will need to replace the sliding gear in the diff P146 sliding clutch gear. They look great when you check them with the diff pulled down but could have up to 1/4 of a inch worn off the face and you can not tell unless you put it next to a new one.

Ruckstell high? You mean direct drive? You are either in Ruckstell, or you are not.

I think he means Ruckstell and Ford high as compared to Ruckstell and Ford low which would also be Low Low. Or maybe he means Ford High which he calls Ruckstell High. it is a bit confusing, isn't it!
Norm

Ruckstel explained
Model T is like 4 speed trand stock T give you 2nd and 4th add a ruckstel you get 1st and 3rd
Now with a ruckstel you can run high speed gears and with the underwrite options it works well
Your shifter has wear needs new detents
And another not running a ruckstel run accessory brakes

I had this same problem on two different ruckstells. The sliding clutch gear seemed to be going too far. I replaced the gear but no change. After taking it apart several times everything appeared to be in spec. I welded a small bead on the tip of the shift yoke where it contacted the housing, keeping it from moving too far. That was some 20 years ago. Never a problem again.

Thanks for all the info! I haven't taken anything apart yet but will do this weekend. Seems likely that it's a worn gear, I have all the Ruckstell books on the way although with the USPS there is no telling when they arrive. I'm hopeful that'll be a simple fix but that seems unlikely! Thankfully we have a long winter to tinker up here!

Hi John, welcome to the hobby (and the forum).

All the best with the Ruckstell. Following the book for a tear down is not difficult and you should be OK with doing the work .

all the best
Adrian Whiteman