3 on the column help

[65GMCman]

I have done a lot of searching on the web and here and other forums and I still have an issue with my 3 speed column shifter in a 67 C-10. I have found a few good things but the confusing part is all the help I can find says to first line up the "hole" in the shifting levers. Mine are slotted.

Before I started the shifter would binding badly going from 1st to 2 and many times would not come out of 1st gear at all. All other gears worked fine if you get past that.

So I lined them up with a level and made sure they were parallel to each other since I don't have a hole in them. But here's the strange part. You have play in the point in where you line them up and lock the shifting rods down. IOW if looking at this column they can be placed anywhere in the gap in the column (still be even which each other) depending on the amount the rods stick through.

So what I did was made sure the levers were level with each other and then moved them slightly up & down without the transmission coming out of neutral trying to center them in the range. Once I found the "midpoint" I locked both of the shifting rods down using the adjustment points which hold the rods to the forks at the column.

So it's better but still hangs up on occasion from 1 to 2nd. So how do you determine where the rods get set and how that relates to the position of the forks? Should I move the rods up to take out all the slack and then tighten them down?

PS I also replaced all the grommets at both ends of the shafts to remove the slop and lubricated the shifter lever in the cab and everything seems fine. I think it's just the "home" position of the levers I question.

Thanks