Kick down has 1/2 travel before lever engages valve

The kick down lever will move 1/2 half before engaging the valve body valve. Gummed up? Broke spring? Why does it shift normal after halfway travel and not be shifting higher if it is stuck partway in ?. 1972 904 dart 318
Did it always do that or is this something new? I would at least drop the pan and have a look to see how the lever looks. The next step would be to drop the valve body and ensure the kickdown lever retaining bolt is tight and the edge of the kickdown lever is 1/8" (use a 1/8 drill bit) between the end of the lever and the kickdown valve.