That is the question... Is this back drive shaft supposed to be shaped\curved like this, or straight? I'm having trouble getting both Park and 1st gear in my TH350. I can adjust the rods to have one or the other. I'm not returning it, and I can bend it if need be. Thanks
Every one I've run across for our A-bodies is more or less straight. The first thing I would do is remove as much slop as possible. If anything has a bad bushing or a worn out eye, it will make it hard to get all the gears. If there isn't a lot of slop, your problem is likely in either the transmission mounted portion that receives that rod OR in the placement of the eye in the lever end of your backdrive rod. If the lengths are off, your arc at the steering column won't be enough, aka too low of a ratio to move the transmission shaft through all gears. You could move the eye on the back drive rod closer to the pivot point to quicken the ratio. It might be as easy as just making a slight zig in it or if you are handy with a welder, cut it off and make it a 1/4" shorter.
I just opened up a box for a used one I bought a few months ago and it has a slight bend in it as well.
