I'm at wit's end - completely desperate.

I overhauled the Sturmey Archer AW hub on my Raleigh, because it had almost 40 years of grime and old grease in it when I got it. It was sluggish and sticky, but it worked in all three gears. Now, however, it only works in 2nd and 3rd - in 1st gear, it just freewheels.

I mentioned this problem on another thread a while ago, and someone suggested that perhaps I had installed the low gear pawls backwards - so I cracked it open again and, lo and behold, the pawls were in fact reversed. I fixed that problem and re-assembled the hub, expecting it to work correctly. It didn't.

So, I spent a bunch of time studying, reading, Googling, and poring over old technical data (I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my library has a reference copy of Coaster & 3-Speed Bicycle Repair, published by Xyzyx Information Corp. in 1972). Last night, I opened the hub again and thoroughly examined everything. I looked for any signs of breakage or wear. I looked for any moving part that was failing to move smoothly. I looked for anything that wasn't adjusted exactly as the references specified (the right-hand cone was looser than specified, which gave me some hope that I had found the problem - but no joy).

For some reason, the pawls just aren't engaging. If I manipulate the indicator chain by hand, there is no way to engage first gear - there's just a big "neutral" space between the point of maximum tension in the indicator and the point where second gear engages. I'm looking for any suggestions - anything at all - as to what I should try next. No suggestion is too stupid or too obvious (remember, I'm the guy who originally installed the low gear pawls backwards). Mostly, I'm just looking for some brainstorming help - obviously, I'm missing something.

And, if all else fails, I would be interested in hearing any recommendations for Seattle area mechanics who might be qualified to work on this hub, and wouldn't charge a flat $175 to open it up, like Aaron's in West Seattle does. Thanks!