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Very loose and sloppy column shifter

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Custom Jim 
#1 ·
I looked and looked but couldn’t find what I was after - I apologize if this is redundant.

I have the TH350 with the standard column shifter. At some point I will be converting to a floor shift but for now I would like to do what I can to fix what I have. The shift lever is extremely loose and sloppy. It will shift through the gears, but has a hard time getting back into park so I can get my keys back lol. I saw on another post about a shiftworks kit (CPP02) but I honestly have no idea how it works inside that column to say if this would work or not.

Is there anything I can tighten up, shore up or tweak to help? I’m in the process of replacing the steering wheel, turn signal switch and cancelling cam so I can yank the whole thing out if I want with minimal issues. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Could well be the hole in the shift arm in the column is hogged out from the roll pin that keeps it in place in the column collar. Try tapping out the roll pin and seeing what the shifter hole looks like. I've welded a few up and re-drilled them for a new hole and they were not sloppy after that... If that's what's causing the issue...

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OR, if it's hogged out, just buy this sweet billet one for under $30 USD! :p
 
#3 ·
Let's start out with what year, make, and model car are you dealing with ?

Next would be is it a stock column ?

Is it a mechanical connection between the column and the transmission or maybe converted to a cable setup ?.

Maybe too try moving the shifter lever and see how far it has to move before another rod or lever connected to it moves. It might take one person in the car and another under the hood or under the car.

Just remember you may "think" we know what car you are working on, as well as other particulars but the more info you supply the less guessing we might need to do. Sometimes our crystal balls are just out of order. :)

Jim
 
#5 ·
Yep, knowing what we are dealing with helps a LOT.

On the 74, under the hood there is an arm off of the column that then has a round rod off of it that then goes down to another part that spans between the inside portion of the subframe and the engine and then off of this another round rod goes rearward to a lever off of the side of the transmission.

Any of these connections, or even all of them could be worn and you probably might need a second person inside the car moving the shift lever to see what is not moving right away and then moving after the shift lever get's moved even more.

I think too on the part that spans between the inside edge of the frame and the motor, there is a bushing in this cup bolted to the frame and a tension spring in there also.

It's just been so many years since I took apart the setup on my 74.

Jim
 
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