The Great Pumpkin - '71 Duster

Great progress !

Thanks!

It's been one step forward, two steps back lately but it's getting there.

I was out in the garage yesterday afternoon, it was COLD! Gonna have to start using the space heater.

So for those that have been following along, I wrested with the 4 foot shifter cable I got the other day and I'm not sure if its going to work. The shorter cable solves the issue of proximity to the headers but the way it is right now seems to be a hair too short for proper function.

If you're familiar with B&M ratchet shifter cables, you know how they get installed with the little swivel at the end. On this one, the swivel is all the way at the end of the threaded rod and it barely goes in and out of the selector lever. In addition, the point where it gets secured to the bracket is also all the way at the end of its travel. I did get it in but the shifter was binding between 2nd and 3rd so I didn't want to force it. I thought it may have been hanging up on something but I couldn't see for sure, there's a lot of things in this one little area by the starter/bellhousing/firewall to cause interference. Guess I'll just have to keep messing with it.

Conversely, I had the idea to go back to the 5 foot and use the original hole in the floor which was farther up the trans tunnel. That might help to take up some of the extra length of cable that was laying on the headers but still have it be long enough to work. The instructions say it should exit as close to the shifter as possible but that may not be feasible in this case.

I will also add that I'm glad to have a place to sound all this out, even if I'm just talking to myself. Writing these processes down can help to visualize things from different angles. It can be difficult to think clearly when you're laying on your back on a cold floor with your arms reaching around header tubes and cooler lines while scraping your knuckles on undercoating. :tongue5:

So yeah, one step forward, two steps back.