Art Carr / Winters shifter issues after trans swap

[Russell]

My buggy has a TH350 in it. I destroyed the transmission housing internally so I had it replaced with an older 2wd case until I get a TH400 built to replace it. TH350 stuff is difficult to find around here, I couldn't even find a K case to swap in and went with what worked and was available for an upcoming race a few days later.

After the swap the throw of my shifter cable is greater than the throw of the shift lever on the transmission. Puts my gears part way through the gates on the shifter either one way or the other. Is there a different shift lever length for different years of transmissions? I had a look online but haven't found anyone else having the same issue or any alternate part numbers for a TH350 shifter

It has a full manual reverse valve body with compression braking and a rock crawler reverse shift gate pattern. The difference in throw is only about 1/2" or so between the trans lever and the shifter cable. The guts inside the transmission are mostly the same as the old one, and it still has the same valve body as before as well. I'm not sure what else would have changed? Any ideas?

 

[NorCal69]

I installed mine last week to the th400. No matter what I did with the ends or what detent pin area I used, I could get park, but no first, or first with no park.

I ended up threading the cable down by the transmission another 3/4" back. Threaded a nut on it and cut 1/2" of cable off.

After sitting with my boy for three hours shifting, twisting, moving pin locations.... It was the only way that it was going to work.

That's all I have.

 

[76zimmer]

I had a bad cable with one that I bought
The end was loose where the bracket bolts to the trans
Had to get a new cable

 

[Russell]

I have a terrible confession to make. I just used highschool trig in real life. I never would have believed it in grade 11.

I need to extend the lever arm on the transmission by 1/2" and center the throw of the cable. It will then work...

I have no idea why it would have changed. I didn't think that GM ever changed the rotation angle of their TH350/400 transmission shift shafts?

 

[diesel4me]

As far as I know they didn't...seems to me I recall a few customers at the junkyard having issues like yours,when they bought a used transmission--they had to swap the original shifter shaft lever for the linkage from their original to the replacement tranny...(maybe cable shifted cars like Camaro's and Firebirds had a different lever,being console shift vs colum shift?)...

 

[miniwally]

You have to adjust the length of the cable on the shifter, I think there is a little bit of adjustment at the trans in the cable but the rest has to happen up at the handle. Trust me it works.

We had two transmissions for the race car and they each required different cable adjustments. Just the way it is, automotive machining tolerances suck and my guess is that the distance from the bell housing mating surface to the shift mech. hole in the case is different.

 

[muddermilitia]

You have to adjust the length of the cable on the shifter, I think there is a little bit of adjustment at the trans in the cable but the rest has to happen up at the handle. Trust me it works.

We had two transmissions for the race car and they each required different cable adjustments. Just the way it is, automotive machining tolerances suck and my guess is that the distance from the bell housing mating surface to the shift mech. hole in the case is different.

This, I had to adjust mine a little.

 

[Russell]

I had a reply on Pirate that makes good sense -- I think I put the shift lever on backwards. Mine angles away from the trans and I guess that it is supposed to angle in towards the trans. The fellas on pirate say it changes the rotation angle somehow.

I'll flip it over and give it a try I guess? I did remove the ball from the shift lever and I know the trans guy took it off to swap it over so there is a 50/50 chance he got it backwards.

 

[Tnsejed]

I had to make a special arm for my 4l80. I'm running a 2wd trans out of a van and there was no amount of adjustment in the cable, or cable positioning on the shifter that would get it close.

Machined a new arm to a longer length and bent it correctly and its good to go.

edited, as I just saw your last post. It does change the rotation angle. But it does not change the length of throw. Also, you may run into clearance issues.

 

[jekquistk5]

I had a reply on Pirate that makes good sense -- I think I put the shift lever on backwards. Mine angles away from the trans and I guess that it is supposed to angle in towards the trans. The fellas on pirate say it changes the rotation angle somehow.

I'll flip it over and give it a try I guess? I did remove the ball from the shift lever and I know the trans guy took it off to swap it over so there is a 50/50 chance he got it backwards.

Russ this happened with my TH350. I flipped the bracket on the shift linkage. I spent 2 hrs trying to readjust the cable. Flipped it around and boom.