Trans help for a friend needed

Hi guys . . . . I'm the guy who needs direction. My 73 Dart Swinger has been a "work in progress". It's a 383, 727, 8 3/4 rear 3.91. I'm an ole guy, 66, just tryin' to get the Dart to be a reliable cruiser. She has a HURST VMatic shifter (which I hate, and it may be going this summer), supposedly has a shift kit installed, with LOKAR cable. One of the problems I'm having is that if I manage shifting the HURST from PARK down to DRIVE it's like slamming into the gear at 2500 rpm. Same into reverse. I had some problems with the engine idling too high but pretty much solved that with a new HOLLEY carb. and timing adjustments. The 1-2 and 2-3 shifts don't seem "hard", but then again I haven't really had opportunity to pour the coals to her to see how the shift would be. So I'm really addressing the idle in PARK to DRIVE or REVERSE shift, not 1-2 or 2-3 shifts.
I'm about ready to give up working all summer on the car with little or no cruising time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working on it, but I should enjoy driving it too. Thanks ahead for any comments . . . .