Column Gear Shift Detent

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Jacksonrobinson

Jacksonrobinson

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Hey guys. I'm sure I can't be the first person to come across this issue, but surprisingly I haven't been able to find much on it. I have a 1980 Chevy C10. It had a T350 transmission, but I'm doing a complete restore on it and have put in a new 700r4 trans. I have got the shifting linkage set up, but the metal gear position detent that is in my steering column is still set up for a Turbo 350 and only has P, N, D, 2, 1, but my new 700r4 needs P, R, N, OD, D, 2, 1. Because of this, the detent points in my steering column don't match my new 7004R shifting. Does anyone sell aftermarket dentent plates or can I just hand file the extra two detents?

I've included a pic of my current gear shift detent for context. Thanks for any help.
 

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Goldie Driver

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Don't know anything about them but this place and diagram shows it as number 65.

They also say 76 and up so you will have to call.

Good luck !

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squaredeal91

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Cool thread. I did the same thing and just subconsciously count to know where I'm at lol. Changing the detent sounds simple enough?
 
bucket

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Iirc, @yevgenievich had a thread several years ago that covered the differences in those shift gates.
 
Camar068

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I used to swap parts between steering columns, but looks like some of those are available separately
 
AuroraGirl

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Jacksonrobinson said:
Hey guys. I'm sure I can't be the first person to come across this issue, but surprisingly I haven't been able to find much on it. I have a 1980 Chevy C10. It had a T350 transmission, but I'm doing a complete restore on it and have put in a new 700r4 trans. I have got the shifting linkage set up, but the metal gear position detent that is in my steering column is still set up for a Turbo 350 and only has P, N, D, 2, 1, but my new 700r4 needs P, R, N, OD, D, 2, 1. Because of this, the detent points in my steering column don't match my new 7004R shifting. Does anyone sell aftermarket dentent plates or can I just hand file the extra two detents?

I've included a pic of my current gear shift detent for context. Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
youll also want an indicator since the 3 speed indicator cant go all the way over youll probably ruin the spring if you ever use manual 1
 
ChuckN

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This is interesting- I thought the detents themselves came from the transmission? And that would just need an indicator for the transmission extra gear? Just going by what I saw in my 350 trans when I did the Transgo shift kit, I’m definitely not a guru.
 
TotalyHucked

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ChuckN said:
This is interesting- I thought the detents themselves came from the transmission? And that would just need an indicator for the transmission extra gear? Just going by what I saw in my 350 trans when I did the Transgo shift kit, I’m definitely not a guru.
Click to expand...
I did too. When I swapped my T350 for a 4L60, my indicator obviously didn't line up but I could feel all the detents for PRND321. When the drivetrain was out with nothing hooked to the shift rod, my shifter just flopped around on the column, I don't think there are any detents in my '85 column
 
AuroraGirl

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ChuckN said:
This is interesting- I thought the detents themselves came from the transmission? And that would just need an indicator for the transmission extra gear? Just going by what I saw in my 350 trans when I did the Transgo shift kit, I’m definitely not a guru.
Click to expand...
if you put your shifter all the way down into the most "right" gear, then push the gear shifter forward, you can walk the shifter one at a time through the individual gear range options, having to let up to move to the next one. the transmission has detents but they are not strong/apparent when you divorce yourself from the lever by like 15 feet of cable (or linkage in these old trucks, shorter, but more slop points), and have mechanical advantage with a shifter lever. the gate allows the exact movement to be the exact needed movement on the transmission lever
 
AuroraGirl

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TotalyHucked said:
I did too. When I swapped my T350 for a 4L60, my indicator obviously didn't line up but I could feel all the detents for PRND321. When the drivetrain was out with nothing hooked to the shift rod, my shifter just flopped around on the column, I don't think there are any detents in my '85 column
Click to expand...
push the shifter lever forward while playing with it youll find them
 
AuroraGirl

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TotalyHucked said:
I did too. When I swapped my T350 for a 4L60, my indicator obviously didn't line up but I could feel all the detents for PRND321. When the drivetrain was out with nothing hooked to the shift rod, my shifter just flopped around on the column, I don't think there are any detents in my '85 column
Click to expand...
you probably cant use manual 1 without the gate change
 
Keith Seymore

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That's my recollection, too. The column has Park and Neutral, and then any forward drive gear. All the drive gears are differentiated by the rooster comb in the transmission.

In the assembly plant we would set the column and trans in N and then tighten down the "barrel" on the shift rod. That way any error in the adjustment that would manifest itself at the end of travel was split in half.

K
 
TotalyHucked

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AuroraGirl said:
you probably cant use manual 1 without the gate change
Click to expand...
Yep, I could. I manipulated the lever all sorts of ways doing various things in the cab and never once felt detents
 
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