i didnt cut mine, why i mentioned to ignore the writing. i mounted the stud, facing outwards, where you have the kickdown bolted. a "hairpin" clip on the inner groove, a washer, the linkage, washer and another hairpin clip, is what i did to make mine work. double springs, and i verified it all worked, and operated smoothly, and freely, before driving. small block with an edelbrock performer and linkage kit, basically the same deal as yours. i also used the factory throttle cable, with no issues on mine.