Couple of quick questions please

[crawdad]

I've got two questions I'd like to ask: 1) I just ordered a detent cable for my '86 SWB with 350 CID and TH 350 transmission. The truck didn't have one on it when I got it. The new cable is only about 36 inches long. I haven't tried to mount it yet, but it looks awful short to me. Is that about the right length? 2) I've got a lot of sloppiness in my gear shifter on the column. I can put it in reverse and I can wiggle it back and forth causing the back up lights to go on and off. Reverse seems to be the worse. Would that sloppiness comes from the steering column itself, or the linkage on the transmission. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Earl Filter]

It may be from both. If you find that from the column to the trans is relatively tight, the tang inside the trans (you have to pull the pan, but it's right there) may be worn. It'll be obvious when you pull the pan and move the shifter how the metal tang (name?) has notches in it for the movement of the shifter to stay in each gear. I had an old T350 that had those obviously worn down, and you could feel it when shifting that there wasn't a lot of resistance between the shifter positions, and just felt sloppy. I guess you can buy just that item, but I rectified it by replacing the whole trans! Well, the trans bit the dust shortly after I was in there, anyway.

[crawdad]

Thanks badass, appreciate the information. I'll climb under there tomorrow and check it out.
Brandon, thanks for mentioning the part inside the pan. I'm having the fluid changed tomorrow, so that would be a good time to check that out.
Thanks again for the information fellers.

[truckinbean]

Another thing you might want to check out is where the arm on the column and the linkage arm are connected, right below the master cylinder. There is a little plasic bushing that is supposed to be in there and if not, will cause a lot of slop. This happened to me on my blazer and after I put one in, there was a lot less play. I don't have a number for it, though. I went to a transmission shop and found one, because all the dealer had was one for a cadillac shifter. If I remember right, it's a little plastic green thing that slips over the linkage arm. There is also a rubber grommet on the arm that comes off the column.

Ben