[gransport3800]

I recently put a 200r4 trans in my '65 Chevelle and bought a new shift indicator lens for my steering column to use for the overdrive trans, but the pointer doesn't line up with the letters on the lens. Is there any way to fix this?

 

[TXCR13]

Yes, there is. Here is what I did on my'66 that I installed a 700R4 in.
The detents in the transmission will hold the shifter at certain positions on the steering column when in any of the gears, and park. The shifter doesn't know what position it is supposed to be in on the column, except for Park, which is a more defined position than the gears. It will move freely when out of Park, which is a locked position.

What I did was buy an aftermarket shift linkage that connects the column shift arm on the steering column under the hood, to the gear selector on the side of the transmission. The linkage is adjustable at the column, and at the transmission.
Most important to me was having the indicator look as correct as possible when in "D" as that is when I would notice it most of the time. What I did was block the wheels on the car, then pull the shifter down until it clicks into "D". I then adjusted the linkage to get the pointer as close to the D on the lens as possible.
After that, I then shifted back into Park, to make sure the adjustment just done would not prevent it from going into Park, which of course is critical. In my case, the pointer and the letters on the dash of my '66 are "in the ballpark" and that is about the best I can hope for.
My '66 also has a bracket on the steering column under the hood that keeps a pin on the column shift from slipping out of park. Your '65 may not have that bracket, but if it does, it may come into play in the overall scheme of adjusting your linkage. When trying to get my shift lever to lock into park, mine just didn't have enough adjustment with the 700R4, and I ended up grinding off a little over a 1/16" on the bracket to get the selector to lock into park.
Good luck with it. Let me know how it come out.

 

[chevyefi]

The way it was done in production cars of the 80s was the exact same column-shift linkage was in-place (in addition to the shifter cable.) And a cable with a clip wrapped around the shift bowl section of the column. Simple and it worked, though some of the needle assemblies were less than durable over time. I wrapped my needle's clip-cable around the needle a little creatively since the original attachment point was broken and it helps the travel of the needle to be more in tune with the PRNOD21 lettering.