Good morning all................

The cable that locks the trans shifter is unhooked, or has otherwise been rendered useless. There is a cable that goes from the shift linkage on the trans itself to the steering column. With the column locked, the shifter should not move from Park. Look under the hood, below the brake booster, and see if there is a cable attached to the linkage on the steering column where the column comes thru the firewall. Usually, if the cable is unhooked, you won't be able to turn the key switch to "Lock", but if the cable has been disconnected and the linkage tied up you will.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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Joel, thanks for your reply.  I just spent about a solid 1/2hr looking over the 78

You being able to move the tranny shift lever is not normal!!  You have a problem somewhere.  In my 81, if the wheel is locked, you cannot move shift selector.  It is a cable problem.  Happy Hunting!!

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I'll see can I find a pic somewhere...your set-up may have been removed somewhere down the line...

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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Thanks for the replies guys....

Joel,

Redwingvette2009-10-17 07:00:54

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Brian - NCM Lifetime Member

73 coupe L48, Flat-top pistons, Performer RPM Heads, Crane Cam and roller rockers, Holley 650 vac sec. Performer intake,
3.55 gear BTO 200-4R trans,
Leather seats, Seatbelt Plus 3point seatbelts, Pioneer CD player
Magnaflow Exhuast System

Excellent Pictures Brian.  Hope they help.

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Redwingvette,

The cable may have had a problem at one time, and someone just removed the whole mess. Perhaps they were having trouble getting the key out, due to the cable not working properly. Who knows?
Are you saying that your steering column does NOT have a lever on the bottom of it? Could you look closely, and see if possibly it has been cut off?
It's also possible that someone has replaced the mastjacket(column), and the replacement didn't have the lever. It's hard to say what happened.
It is a good safety feature to have, as it keeps the car from being shifted out of Park(auto) or Reverse(standard) unless the key is on, which mean you can't get the key OUT unless the trans is in Park(or reverse). Should you try to get all of the parts to "fix" it? Maybe...it's a good idea when it works properly. The parts may all be available fairly reasonable, price-wise....might need to take a look on fleece-bay, or check with some of our Sponsoring Vendors, to see what is available.


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Joel,

I wonder....here's a thought. Is it possible your car was an "Export" car? Perhaps to Canada maybe? I'm not saying I know, 'cause I don't, but....Export cars were not always required to have the same "Safety" equipment US cars had. That could explain why there is no evidence of any of it being there.
Just a thought...


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Not a bad thought JA.....I remember questioning the PO and even though he was not the OO the title trail from the dealer he bought it from says

I think the system is otay on automatics, since it requires you to put it in Park to remove the key. It works the same way on standards, but most folks already have the car in a gear when they shut it down.
It is also a good anti-theft mechanism...if you can't move the shifter, it's harder to steal the car.
It's basically 6 one way, 1/2 dozen the other. You might try contacting a place like Paragon, or even Larry @ Corvette Specialties, and see if those places might have the cable/brackets for the trans, used.


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I also have a 1978 Automatic CANADIAN coupe and it does not have the transmission interlock cable. Took some getting used to but there is no need to add it if it is missing.

vettelang, does your car have the bracket at the lower end of the steering column for the cable?(see second pic above)
I'm curious to see if they used the bracket whether or not it had the rest of the parts for the interlock.


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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

The bracket is on the firewall, but there is no lever coming out of the steering column. Saved money on a cheaper column and no cables.

I've followed your posts on the interlock cable. I have trouble getting out of reverse first thing in the morning ('73 4 speed car). And it doesn't always want to go into first.I've lubed every moving joint I can touch, but I'm thinking the cable is frozen. My column doesn't always lock when I put it in reverse, either.

I have a 78 SA and it doesn't have the interlock cable either.  It's first home was Nuremberg Germany (according to the build sheet). If it had a interlock cable it would have saved me some heart ache. A couple of years ago I was doing something on the center console and put it in neutral, forgot about it.  Later I opened the garage door with my remote and heard a weird sound.  The car had rolled back and the garage door handle had caught the rear bumper and put a big gouge in it. Oh yea don't see any bracket or where a bracket may have been.

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Eddie

Click on any image for larger view!

The cable on a standard is the same on the top side as the pic Brian posted above. The only real difference is where it connects to the trans on the bottom, since it connects to the reverse linkage, and the cable runs on the top side of the side cover for the trans, so it is a wee bit harder to get to to dis-connect, but not impossible. I'd suggest dis-connecting your cable from the trans, and see if that helps the shifter engagements, and being able to get the key out. If it does, then you can remove the cable and soak it in your favorite lubricant, and work it back/forth until it loosens up. If it doesn't wanna play loosey goosey, then you can either leave it off, or get a replacement.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"