Transmission / Overdrive: Overdrive lever

[steve.maclean2009]

Hi everyone,

I need help on my 64 Daytona V8 overdrive lockout cable. I am in process of reassembling it and putting the cable on and mounting the bracket on the dash. How much should the cable move the overdrive lever? The cable doesn't have enough play to push the lever all the way to the rear to engage, and not enough to pull the lever all the way forward to disengage. Right now I have it set it in the middle. Partially forward when disengaged, and partially back when engaged.

Thoughts?

Steve

[gordr]

There should be plenty of travel in the cable assembly to move the lever though its full range of movement. Perhaps the cable you have was cut short? In any case, the lever must be all the way back against its stop, for the overdrive to work properly when engaged. I like to set them so that the OD T-handle is about 1/8" shy of hitting the bezel when the lever is resting on the stop. If you set it up this way, and find that the overdrive won't lock out to give you engine braking, then it pretty much has to be the case that the solid wire cable core is too short. And the cable jacket must be secured to a bracket on the transmission case, too.

[steve.maclean2009]

Thanks Gord, I think my cable is long enough but not sure why I don't have much travel with it. Maybe I don't have it adjusted right where the handle us mounted in the car.

I think I will take it off again and inspect to see why it's not.moving enough

[blackhawk]

Steve, if that is the correct cable, there should be enough movement of the wire within the cable housing to move the overdrive lever on the transmission through its full range of motion. Check your routing of the cable from the dash to the transmission. It sounds like you may need to find a more direct route for the cable. ~ Dale

[greyben]

Perhaps an owner of an OD equipped car could measure the travel length of the OD nob from engaged to disengaged. Unfortunately I have passed my car on to my son and it now resides some 200 miles away.

[steve.maclean2009]

If anyone can tell me the route to take too that would be appreciated.

[rockne10]

Obviously only one place to mount it under the dash, and the most auspicious passage through the firewall to eliminate any twists or kinking. Then, as little slack as possible before it is clamped to the transmission housing. And, does your cable still have the "J" loop at it's end?

[steve.maclean2009]

rockne10 yes the cable still has the "J" loopý at the end.

[gordr]

Well, I just picked up a rather crusty OD cable that I brought down from home to enable an OD install in my '60 Lark here in AZ. The projecting end of the core is 5 inches long, and the total length of the T-handle stem is 4 inches. One could probably get 3 1/2" of useful travel out of it. You wouldn't want to pull the entire stem out of the sleeve.