A retarded moment.

So, a few weeks ago I see an add for a 71 spitfire MK4. I go look at it and end up buying it. It needs some work and up to this point I have never driven a stick. I knew the basics of what to do and sort of when to do it. So, for the life of me I am having the worst time getting this thing in reverse to take it for a quick diagnostic test drive around the block. My room mate smirks and says I need to pull down on it and it will go right into reverse which is up and to the left. So, Pull down towards where second is and every once in a while I am able to force it to go into reverse. At this time I am having all kinds of trouble with it going into reverse. Unfortionately I hardly ever see my roommate. About a week later he is helping me with the carb on it and I mention that I am still having a heck of a time with it. At which time he puts his hand on mine(Mine was on the gear shift) and presses down toward the base of the gear shift. Low and behold it goes into reverse as easy as can be. Course my room mate spends about 10 minutes snickering at me. Hopefully this will help some other poor schmuck that runs into the same thing.

Or make the rest of you laugh. Cheers.

It's actually pull up, not push down. I didn't know this until I saw the stick of a rubber bumper Midget and it said on the knob "pull" on the gate towards reverse. I think I had the car about 6 months before I learned this. Before that it was just luck to get it into reverse.

Sir, on the early 1500s and the MKIVs it is indeed a different transmission so yes, you have to "push down" and "to the left" to get it into reverse. The later cars it was "pull up" and "to the right".... I hope this clarifies it a bit.

My mistake. I didn't catch the up to the left.

On my 66 MKII when I got it the bushes etc in the shift were gone (as in non existent) it was pot luck when going for 1st - sometimes you got reverse!! Good fun at traffic lights.

Pulled the lever and extension bit from the gearbox, new bush set ($20 fleabay) and tighten everything up. It's now better than any new car I drive. Really firm in gear with a well defined gate pattern. Push down for reverse!!

Ha! I had my car for a week before I figured it out. I just figured that reverse was screwed up, and was about to tear the shifter off to see if I had a screwed up linkage. The neighbor kid stopped me and asked if I had ever tried pushing it straight down into the floor before trying to shift up into reverse. I spent the next 20 minutes driving around the yard in reverse :)

Mine is missing the detent so she will go into reverse without pushing down !!

You have a reverse gear?
:)

LOL!