Trans throttle lever, trans throttle rod adjustment

[retroguy]

I have a 1954 Kaiser Manhattan with Dual Range 4sp hydramatic trans. ID plate on the transmission reads K-54  4842.  According to the Hydramatic shop manual (which only covers the K-50, K-51, and K-52 transmissions), the K-50 and K-51 transmission require raising the shifter lever to go from LO to R.  The K-52 Dual Range trans only requires raising the shifter lever to go from DR-3 to LO, thus allowing easier "rocking" of the car from Lo to R when stuck in snow. 
     My K-54 trans requires raising of the shifter lever to go from LO to R instead of from DR-3 to LO.  Any thoughts as to why?
     Also my throttle lever from the trans may not be in the correct location rotationally, thus causing the throttle rod from the carb to be too vertical and interfering with the parking brake cable nearby.  Can I just rotate the throttle lever on the shaft, and readjust the throttle rod trunion as needed?
     Thank you for any thoughts.

[joefrazer]

Post a picture of how yours is installed and I will compare to mine. If the kickdown rod is not adjusted correctly, it will impact upshifts (too soon or too late based on throttle pressure) as well as downshifting.

The K-54 transmission adjustments are essentially the same as the K-52 unit.

[retroguy]

I guess I don't know how to post photos on this site, so I posted them on Facebook, in the KFOCI group.  Hope you can find them.  I've since backed off the trunion two turns of the locking nut and the car seems to shift better.  Will drive it this way for awhile and see what develops.
     You said that the K-52 and K-54 are basically the same.  The manuals specifically state that the shift gate on K-52 is between LO and R, and the shift gate on K-54 is between D-3 and LO.  The shift gate on my K-54 is between LO and R.  Could that be because the shift indicator on the steering column also needs adjusting?  Right now the selector needle is about one position too far to the right.  In other words, when in neutral, the indicator is about half way between N and D-4, and so on through the various shift positions.
     I appreciate your response and help with this problem.
 

[joefrazer]

Yes, updates to the transmission were made throughout the run. The most notable was the switch from mechanical to hydraulically driven reverse with the K52 unit. In addition, some changes were also made to the valve body which could have included shift gate points. It could be that an earlier valve body was installed at some point. They're essentially interchangeable.

I did see the pics on FB and I don't see any issues with the rod setup. You mention making some trunion adjustments...it usually takes a few tries to dial things in. Years of use and wear will affect the shift points for sure.

I just checked my 53 and 54 cars and found the same shift patterns as you describe.

And, the needle on both of my cars usually point to the wrong gear...I just move it over with my finger.

[retroguy]

Thanks for the info.  Always reassuring when someone with the same car confirms your situation.