Vj valiant, column auto, sloppy gear linkage quest

teamgjt, Feb 1, 10:30am
hi all, I have a vj valiant that has a column auto, trouble is the outer housing that the column shift is attached to, is able to slide up and down on the inner steering shaft, when it slips down it allows the shifter to disengage from the lock tabs that stop the gear lever from accidentally engaging reverse from park neutral from reverse and down on through to drive. is there supposed to be a bush or spring at the bottom of the column, that stops the outer shift column from dropping down? or a locking tab of some sort at the top ? the spring mechanism etc on the lever where it pivots in the column is fine, if the outer column stayed in place it would lock beutifully.