[blykins]

Well, I found an answer to my problem. Thanks again to David Kee. He doesn't have to spend time with a newbie playing transmission doctor over the phone....but he did. Great service.

The whole problem was that there are two different lengths of synchronizer inserts (dogs). The longer ones are about 1/8" longer than the other ones. The long ones are for the 1st/2nd synchro. Guess where I put them. Yep....in the 3rd/4th synchro.

So for reference to you guys who are rebuilding or are planning to rebuild your Toploader...the dogs with the notches cut in the ends...those go in the 1st/2nd gear synchro.

One more helpful hint...when you're pressing in the output shaft main bearing, watch closely to what the synchronizers and blocking rings are doing. I also had a nasty mishap while pressing one in...the blocking ring got turned around when I wasn't looking...so when I pressed the bearing in, it pushed the 1st gear and thrust washer in up against the blocking ring...which was lodged against several dog inserts....guess what happens then...can't change gears...hehehe....guess what also happens....you have to pull the output shaft bearing out and do it all over again.

I should start my own website...following in Andy Dunn's path....The Toploader Butcher....

I didn't mention the time that I got the tranny all the way together and forgot that I had the shifter cams out of the case....hehehe

Anyway, it's all together now (with the exception of the new input bearing retainer David's sending me), and waiting for its home.