Helping a friend out on her 1972 Cutlass convertible with Automatic trans floor shifter. Car was recently put back together after her father passed away and has a few issues with transmission gear shifting. Occasionally it will bind when shifting in and out of park, I noticed there were a few washers missing behind cotter pins. All of the linkage is there including the arms and brackets that go to the steering column in the engine compartment.

Currently the trans will shift into reverse with ignition switch in the off position. Is there an adjustment on the column or shift linkage that prevents the shift lever from going out of park with the key off, it does not go past Reverse. Thanks in advance..

 

Is the key in the OFF position or the LOCK position? These are two different orientations. LOCK should lock the linkage, OFF will not.

 

Thanks for the reply. Trans will shift into reverse with no key in ignition and that's as far as it goes. Can key be removed in either lock or off mode?

 

The key should only be able to be removed in the LOCK position. Is the steering wheel locked with the key removed? A single pin in the column locks both the steering wheel and the shift arm.

Is this car a factory floor shift car or was it converted? Is the backdrive link in place from the steering column to the trans? My money is on this part being missing.

 

The car is a 1972 Cutlass Supreme that was converted to look like a 442. The linkage is there on the steering column that goes to the trans, not sure if there was an adjustment on the rod somewhere that attatches to the column. I'll have to ask her if the steering wheel locks with the key out. The car originally had a front bench seat and was converted to buckets so I guess it had to of have had a column shift at one point. She got the car after her father had passed, he was in the process of doing a 442 tribute. It sounds like it was in pieces when she got it so there's no telling what was changed. I really appreciate the help.

 

Of course it was...

Yes, there is adjustment for the linkage, but if the backdrive is in place all the way to the trans, it isn't supposed to be possible to remove the key unless the trans is in PARK and the linkage locked. Can the key be turned to the LOCK position and removed if the shifter is in DRIVE?

 

I'll have to check with her on all your questions. I'm thinking maybe the rod isn't adjusted correctly because it stops at reverse.

 

One more time, the shift collar on the steering column has to be fully rotated to the PARK position for the key to be able to be removed. If the linkage didn't rotate the collar all the way, you couldn't remove the key, and if the key is removed, it prevents the collar from moving. Are you sure the linkage rod actually moves when you move the shifter? Is the arm on the steering column moving up and down? Does the collar on the column just in front of the dash board (where the column shift lever would have been located) turn as you move the shifter?

 

I'll have to go back and look. Thanks for all the info...