Auto Tranny Linkage Question

[Baby John]

OK fellas a little history.

I bought a '72 GMC Stepside. The truck originally had a 3 speed manual trans with a column shifter.

The PO swapped in a TH350 Auto and connected the linkage to one of the "ears" on the manual column. I hated this because you had to have your tounge just right in order to get it out of park and into gear....so I bought a used auto column off ebay.

I'm having trouble getting the linkage to work just right. The rod was about 1" too short. I managed to get it connected but it's just not right.

I can tell that @ the end of the column just aft of the fire wall the "ear" is designed to that pulling back on the shift lever moves the "ear" forward of a metal tab that holds it in park. Then shifting downward it's supposed to slide along the tab until it reaches a certain gear then it'll click into position again, then pulling back on the shift lever again, you can move on down in the gears.

This isn't working right at all. The location of the gears isn't aligning with the locations of the indents in the tab.

I'm sure this is about as goofy a description as you've heard and I'm not sure you could even help with a verbal description, but I thought I'd at least ask for comments.

One thought I had was that this TH350 wasn't a factory tranny so the linkage just wasn't going to work correctly, but I figured surely someone on here has swapped in a TH350 with an auto tranny and might could advise me as to how they handled the linkage issues.

Is there an easy correction? New Linkage? Adjustments @ the tranny where the linkage attaches? Adjustments in these tabs? they seem to be adjustable....yes? no?

Any help would be appreciated.

[mbgmike]

We sell the Lokar linkage to hook it up. I have used it many times and works great. If interested I can get a price.

Mike

[Smitty]

You could put an auto column in or maybe you have the incorrect linkage.
I went from 3 speed to 700r4 in mine.

[Baby John]

Originally Posted by Smitty

You could put an auto column in or maybe you have the incorrect linkage.
I went from 3 speed to 700r4 in mine.

I did put an auto column in, I'm just trying to get the linkage to work correctly. It works now, but it's not smooth. The steering column is of course on the left side of the vehicle and the transmission is in the center.

I looked at a coule trucks last night...not my year model or body style but still all three of them had another piece of linkage that I'm missing. There was a horizontal linkage running from the side of the tranny over to the frame (I think) Then a tab welded to this horizontal link which was more in line with the column linkage.

This allowed the linkage to run in more of a straight line down to the tab as opposed to downward on an angle.

I think I need to find this horizontal linkage set up and mount it in there.