91 700r4 k5 shifter issue

[Sleeperatidle]

I bought a 91 k5 about 2 weeks ago, this 91 has been swapped to a 700r4 tranny. Still has column shift. Issue I'm having is once I put it in drive that's all there is, shifts thru the gears fine, tranny shifts perfectly but I can't put it in 1st,2nd, etc.. only drive on the column. My question is: is this a linkage issue or will I need to convert it to a floor shifter to gain my manual shift into 1st, 2nd etc..? Any and all input is welcome since I'm new to the 700r4 in a k5.
Normally I wouldn't mind but I do venture the mountains on weekends and come across creek crossings and/or rutted climbs I would like to throw it in 1st and crawl it.

 

[Wes Harden]

I used my existing shift linkage foe the t350 on my 700r4, I can select 3rd and 2nd manually. 1st is not reachable. Iirc I needed to fine tune the rod length at the column.

 

[6872xtc]

A '91 would have a 700R4 from the factory. Something is wrong if it doesn't work properly with that transmission. Since you already went premium with your membership, take some pictures of the linkage and we should be able to figure it out. I could have been modified or just worn and improperly adjusted.

And Welcome!

 

[Sleeperatidle]

A '91 would have a 700R4 from the factory. Something is wrong if it doesn't work properly with that transmission. Since you already went premium with your membership, take some pictures of the linkage and we should be able to figure it out. I could have been modified or just worn and improperly adjusted.

And Welcome!

Thank you guys for the response, I did not know they came factory with it. It has a small body lift 2 inch or so and that's always stuck in the back my head as to why as well. I will take pics this afternoon weather permitting.
Yea this is the best forum I came across for info, thank you for having me be a part of it .

 

[Wes Harden]

Yeah a body lift could very well be the issue. You might even need to lengthen the shft rod.
Adjusting/lengthen rod so you get all your gears. To make the indicator match, remove the lower panel under collum. At bottom of the shift bowl is a cable, that can be moved to align the indicator

 

[6872xtc]

Yup! What @Wes Harden said. The body lift is probably what has caused the problem. You may need to weld some extra rod onto the existing linkage.
And what he is saying about the indicator is that there is a clip which holds the end the cable to the bottom section of the steering column. You can move it up or down on the lip of the column tube to adjust.

 

[Sleeperatidle]

Thank you, I will check the rod out. The indicator was removed by previous owner I assume.

 

[Sleeperatidle]

I believe I do see the problem, thanks to all that commented. Its been suspension lifted and body lifted fairly recently but the shift linkage adjustment bolt and rod look completely untouched since factory like no adjustments was ever made still has every bit of 2 inches left in the stock rod to adjust. Me and the wife will tinker with it this weekend.
Once again, thank you.

 

[6872xtc]

I believe I do see the problem, thanks to all that commented. Its been suspension lifted and body lifted fairly recently but the shift linkage adjustment bolt and rod look completely untouched since factory like no adjustments was ever made still has every bit of 2 inches left in the stock rod to adjust. Me and the wife will tinker with it this weekend.
Once again, thank you.

This is exactly why all of us truck nerds hang out on this forum!

 

[imiceman44]

I believe I do see the problem, thanks to all that commented. Its been suspension lifted and body lifted fairly recently but the shift linkage adjustment bolt and rod look completely untouched since factory like no adjustments was ever made still has every bit of 2 inches left in the stock rod to adjust. Me and the wife will tinker with it this weekend.
Once again, thank you.

Yeah you should have just enough room on the rod to make it work.
I had a 3" body lift and needed a piece welded at the end to move it out far enough to work