I have a kit car based on a 1988 Fiero Gt with a V6 & Getrag 5 speed
I just bought the car and it appears the rear diff or trans is locked.
The car will not roll freely and if we push hard enough to move it, one rear wheel turns clockwise and one turns anti-clockwise
The shift lever in car will go directly forward or back from neutral position but not side to side. It does feel like it engages the shift fork from neutral . ( not just floppiing around)
The engine will run with trans shifter in neutral but as soon as I shift into 1st or 2nd and let out the clutch the engine dies.
Has anyone had similair problem and any suggestions on what to check first ???

quote Originally posted by 1988lambo-kit: The car will not roll freely and if we push hard enough to move it, one rear wheel turns clockwise and one turns anti-clockwise

If that is the case then the differential is not locked up, but the trans is locked up somehow and power cannot be transferred through it. Something is broken in the transmission, but it does not sound like the differential is the culprit.

quote Originally posted by lateFormula: If that is the case then the differential is not locked up, but the trans is locked up somehow and power cannot be transferred through it. Something is broken in the transmission, but it does not sound like the differential is the culprit.

I agree.
Sounds like the tranny is stuck in two gears. Used to happen to the old GM Saginaw 4 speeds. Never heard of it happening with a Getrag, but I suppose it's possible.

If the getrag transmission has been apart, it is possible to have one of the shift rails slide out of position during assembly and lock the transmission into 2 gears at the same time...

I normally like learning something new every day, but that day I wasn't so pleased.
On mine, the reverse rail was pushed too deep into the transmission, so I removed the backup light switch and drilled a small hole at an angle on the side to access the end of the shaft and was able to pop it forward w/o taking the transmission apart again.

[This message has been edited by fieroguru (edited 01-09-2014).]

That was a common problem with machine that used tractor drive lines. Stuck in 2 gears at once. My old Nash Metro was like that when I bought it, the guy thought he blew the tranny and it was just a shift arm that got bumped when he got it stuck. Popped the lever over and it drove and shifted fine. Check the cables at the shifter and tranny, you might get lucky and find that it's just a cable out of whack.