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A good solution for the day but the repair you did in your photo just above that old method I think is the easier for today. Just buy a readily available two screw 5/16" split shaft collar from McMaster or MSC or maybe even locally. It is easy to remove a screw to separate the pieces and place the collar over the cable. A bonus is being round it is blends in with the knob assy relatively well.

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Thanks to everyone who has commented or otherwise contributed to answer my questions. I presume that the O.D. is engaged by PULLING the knob until it is at a stop? My O.D. has not been removed or messed with, but neither has it been pulled out from the dash. So I wonder if that means the O.D. cable or the O.D. itself is messed up somehow. Perhaps I will unbolt the driveshaft on one end and take the car to a transmission shop for diagnosis and repair. Thanks again.

To have OD operation you need the knob all the way in to move the lever on the OD case so the gears can engage. It also closes a switch at the end of the knob bracket so the governor can energize the relay when it reaches 0D speed of around 20mph. Knob out opens the switch and keeps the relay from coming in plus locks the overdrive gears mechanically into a solid unit just like it wasn't there.

To check the cable operation look at the lever on the passenger side for an R9 and the drivers side for an R11. When it is locked out the lever will be pulled forward almost to its stop. When knob is in and OD is possible the lever will be pushed toward the rear with the end of the lever well past center.

If the knob is pushed in and OD doesn't work it could be an electrical or mechanical problem but it could also be the cable housing has pushed out of the bracket under the dash instead of moving the lever.

Howard, just one more way to fix the overdrive cable. I found this while looking at the many pictures that I have taken and never noticed it before. So if you can't install the clamp this looks like the next best fix.
Wes

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I have of those for sale on my site below but not sure if it's the same as yours.

Good to know, but this is from my parts car and I thought that I would pass this on as a quick fix ideal.
Wes