shift linkage

Shifting from first to second,no problem
second to third hard to find the gate and hard to get
into gear, third to fourth no problem. Down shifting
through the gears no problem. It's just hard to shift
from second and get into third. Any ideas ?

I put a shift shaft bushing (mine was worn until it was gone), and new shift coupler bushing. Night and day difference!

Try adjusting the shifter plate around some, if that doesn't improve the shifting then look at the condition of the shift rod bushing and rear coupler

It's a small little piece that lives below and behind the shift lever.
Looks better when it's in one piece. Simple, but time-consuming fix.

Corey, just did mine , thanks for your tips. I did the job in 1 hour, the coupler was a pita

Cool! ('Cept for the PITA part.)

Not much room through that little access hole for that coupler. What a difference though!

A a little late to tell you this but I cut a 8" long section out of the fiberglass over the coupler area ( I use spray foam while that area is open to seal any void between the pan and 2x2 steel tubing) then epoxy the fiberglass seat base piece back in.

Good idea. One nice thing about these cars is that it's often not too difficult to modify access to frequent trouble spots.

Cover it up with the carpet or mats and nobody's the wiser. If you ever run across someone with an original who's complaining about his shift coupler or throttle cable or the like you can just smile, and agree with him. :)