Im just starting to put my car back together after getting a motor built and my tranny up graded. I have a beefy rebulit tranny out of a 1986 blazer and Im putting it in my car but I cant figure out how to set the shifter linkage.Is there a specific gear the tranny needs to be in to have the tranny lever and the linkage meet?

Try it with the shifter and the transmission in neutral.

I actually tried that but after i hook everything up it still didnt shift the right way. I'am i missing something do i need to fill the tranny with atf first ?

the fluid doesn't matter.

are you using a stock GM cable, or one of those crap replacement pieces?

using the stock cable. It work fine before i took the tranny out.

What's it doing that you say it doesn't "shift properly".

Is the cable even pulling the linkage? Do you have the cable bracket bolted to the pan and the cable retaining clip installed? If the retaining clip isn't installed the cable won't pull straight and bind up - won't move the linkage at all. I know first hand after spending too many hours under the car trying to figure it out. Clip was free at the JY.

Everything is bolted into place and to the tranny pan.When i say its not shifting right i mean that i dont feel the tranny going threw the gears. which bolt should the linkage be bolted to the very first bolt of the second on back?

On my V6 its further back towards the middle of the pan (if you're referring to the bracket).

Also could someone tell me about tranny lines. I dont remember which ones went where.And I mounted the shifter linkage on the starting second bolt back and the shifter wouldnt go into park.

Here's a pic of the linkage frohttps://www.thirdgen.org/forums/attachments/ltx-lsx/111309d1139089724-also-posted-tranny-area-shifter.jpgm another post

The tranny lines I assume are the tranny cooler lines that go from the housing on the passenger side to the radiator. Don't remember which is in and which is out. At the radiator the top line is in from the tranny and the bottom is out IIRC.

Sorry the link does'nt work - I'll try to find it again.

This is a better picture anyway
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...=shift+linkage

Top line on the transmission goes to the top line on the rad. You get to guess where the bottoms connect.

the top hole of the radiator goes to the top hole on the tranny and bottom hole of radiator goes to bottom hole on tranny on the lines. try doing it in park, thats what i do, disconnect the cable end that goes over that ball thing that has threads on the end of it, goes thru the bracket with a nut. put shifter in park, move bracket on tranny to make it go in park, then reconnect cable. helps to unhook with a flathead and reconnect with vicegrips. may have to adjust that little piece with the nut on the other end, because the slit that it goes in allows you to move it, if its not slid to the right spot, it could be hooked up just fine but when you put the shifter into park, it wont go, the car will start to move,pretty much like neutral, happen to me.

another test is after it is all hooked up, push the shifter into park, if it is right, you will have to push the button in and pull the shifter back out of park, otherwise if its not going into park all the way, as soon as you push the button in, it will slide down into reverse, you will be able to feel it if it does this