hunter

I have a 72 supreme with a dual gate and whenever I shift on the left side (not the manual 1 2 3 gear shift) of the gate everything is aligned one up

i.e. Shifting into Drive puts me in Neutral, etc, what would be an easy fix on this? Seems like maybe some mount screws are loose or something
thanks

firefrost gold

507 olds is your man pm him

TripDeuces

Sounds like the cable pin on the shifter lever on the tranny has loosened.

hunter

thanks for the post Trip, I'll work on that asap

jensenracing77

i just installed a dual gate in my Rallye 350 and it did the same thing at first. on the "non race" side, i thought it was lined up but it really wasn't. when it was on the race side it did what yours is doing. it just needs adjusted at the transmission side of the cable. i found that it is easier to have someone hold the shifter in neutral and up against it's stop on the left side. then adjust the cable to where the transmission is in neutral also. it took a little trial and error for me but i finally got it right. i found that trying to adjust it in park wasn't going to work. i also found it easier to unhook the rod going to the column before adjusting it then after the cable is adjusted then adjust the column rod.

507OLDS

Jensenracing77 has described it pretty good.The selector lever on your transmission is slotted to make adjustments for the pin position.
The dual-gate cable also has more travel,compared to the regular automatic cable,but that doesn't sound like your problem.If you adjust it so the gears line-up,but you run out of cable,THEN check the cable.

scott_442

Got a similar problem with my recent conversion. Alignment is slightly off (about 1/4 inch) from the notches in the shifter. Reverse is halfway between R and N, Drive is halfway between Drive and 2, etc...shifter won't go into 1st on either side. Tried to adjust on the transmission side but it appears to be adjusted all the way out (i.e cable is adjusted as far forward as it will go). Conversion was done on a floor shift TH350. Any ideas/suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

rjohnson442

On mine the eyelet on the shift cable was so warn it had so much play. the trans side was fine the the cable met its limit after 40 years of stretching. A new cable fixed the problem with mine. But I'd always try whats above first.

copper128

On my aftermarket Dual-Gate, when I installed the cable so it lined up in all the gears, it wouldn't click into park. It would shift the trans into park, but just barely and it was very easy to pop it out with just a bump. I lengthened the cable adjustment all the way and it's better, but it seems almost like there's a tiny bit too little total travel through the shift gate. I basically have to bang the stick into the park position to be sure it will stay. A little irritating, I may eventually take it back apart and grind the internal stop for another 1/8" forward travel, if possible.

507OLDS

The replacement shift levers that mount to the transmission ARE GM parts,but they are NOT identical to the originals for the 70-72 Cutlass/442.They are something from a 70's Camaro/Firebird,or similar floorshift car.The position or clocking of the slotted hole for the cable pin is NOT in the exact same position,compared to an original 70-72 style lever,which can & will effect the function of the shifter.The slot may need to be elongated,to achieve the correct cable positioning.If you have an original 70-72 style lever,then disregard this.I would look at the cable,to make sure it is the correct dual-gate cable with the additional travel.Going in & under the car over & over can get old quick.

TripDeuces

507Olds is explaining the exact problem I had with my Dual Gate. The slot on the shift tab coming out of the transmission was too short and in the incorrect spot. It was aftermarket and more than likely from a Chevy as stated. I got it from The Parts Place and it's not even offered for Olds anymore but you can find it under a Chevrolet listing, I think Camaro.
I corrected mine by lengthening that slot about a 1/4 inch and now it goes into all gears fine. Be warned if you go that route that shift tab was some of the toughest metal I've worked on. My carbide bit just shined it up and I had to cut it with an abrasive wheel on a Dremel tool. Not fun and many wheels gave up their life, lol.
I have a thread on here somewhere about my process.

scott_442

Sounds like the same basic problem. Don't know for sure but would have guessed my manual lever/trans selector bracket was stock. Anyway, the cable was too long for the bracket. Solutiion was to cut the end off of the bracket and weld on a new end piece that would allow for the cable to be mounted further out towards the front of the car. Working great for now. After reading through the posts, it seems this is a fairly common problem for DG conversions. Everything on the inside lined up perfectly. If you're planning on making this conversion, don't expect a plug-n-play installation and you won't be disappointed. Despite it all, definitely worth the extra effort and expense.

Also, kudos to Brian Trick on the write-up on fixing the console door hinge. Worked awesome and the door is stronger than factory I'm sure!

Total Cost for the conversion on a std floor shift car was right around $750/parts and $150/labor.

I've got some parts left over if anyone is interested including:

Top section of console (black and needs work around the hinge)
Std Floor shifter will ball
(2) console door trim pieces
Console metal box
console insert with wood grain for std shift car.