R10 overdrive will not engage

[alanfreeman]

The OD in my '54 Ford will not engage. All of the OD electricals check out as good. I directly wired the solenoid to a toggle switch on the dash (as a one time test only) and still no engagement. After struggling with this problem for weeks and reading another long series of posts on on this site from 2014-2015, I am convinced that my problem is mechanical and not electrical and caused by misalignment of the blocker ring with the pawl. The blocker ring must have rotated out of alignment with the pawl when I had the solenoid removed in the past. This problem is described on page 10 of the Borg Warner manual. I tried the remedy for this condition with the solenoid loosened but it didn't work. I made a tool to grab the pawl and push it inward with the solenoid removed while rotating the driveshaft by hand but I only feel about 1/8" movement of the pawl and I don't feel it dropping into the blocker ring no matter how many times I turn the driveshaft. Can someone give me a detailed description of how to realign the blocker ring without pulling the transmission and taking it apart? Should I have the OD dash handle in or out? Should I have the car in a forward gear or in neutral? I assume that the rear wheels should be off of the ground. Thanks