T14A Shift Tower Rail Removal

Hi guys. I've been hanging out on this site quite a bit over the last year but this is my 1st post. I'm rebuilding my '57' CJ-5 and will be posting pics pretty soon. I picked up a '78' Buick 231 with the T14A tranny and Dana 18 single stick transfercase (which I'm converting to a twin stick). I need to take the shift tower apart to cleanup and check the poppet balls and springs (they don't seem to hold the shift rails very well). I've got the FSM and removed the shift forks and the rail caps and the backup light switch but can't get the rails to come out of the housing. They spin freely but when pushed to the very end groove of the rails they won't go any further. I've tried drifting them out with a brass punch but no go. I don't want to break anything.
Does anybody have any tricks to get them all the way out?
I tried the search function and google but can't seem to find any help yet.
This a great site. I have used so much info here on my rebuild. You guys are the best.

 

Is the interlock pill between the shift rails holding them in? Or did you get that out already?

 

You hold the shifter to one side or the other to disengage the pill. You can't take the shifter out until the rails are removed.

 

Have you tried keeping one rail in the neutral position and driving the other rail out?

 

Yeah, that's the only way you can do it. Both rails have to be in neutral in order to move the pill from one to the other. Once you move the pill to the 2nd/3rd gear rail you're supposed to be able to push the reverse/1st gear rail out the hole where the rail caps were.

 

Yeah I was able to drive my rails out through the rail caps pretty easily. The interlock pill is the only thing in the housing that could be keeping the rails in. I had to take mine apart because the first/reverse rail was broken in two. The only place I could find a new one was on ebay and it came from Turkey!!! Good Luck

 

Okay, I got the rails out. The manual is pretty vague on how to remove them. Anyway, you first remove the rail caps (I used the air compressor and shot air through the little holes in the housing on top of where the caps are and they popped right out). Then you remove the reverse light switch. Then you move the shift lever over to the 2nd/3rd gear rail and drive the reverse
/1st gear rail all the way back as far as it will go against the housing. There's a metal pill that sits horizontal between the two rails behind where the caps were. You turn the rail so the little groove lines up with the pill and drive the rail back. Shake the pill out and then you can drive the rail out the front. Move the shift lever to release the 2nd/3rd gear rail and drive that rail out the front. Then you can get the poppet balls and springs out to inspect them ( I used a thin magnet to pull them out or you could turn it upside down and shake them out). You can then pry out the spring that holds the shift lever in and remove the shift lever. If you keep at it things get figured out.
You were right about the pill in the housing I just didn't see it at first.