Heater Controls non Air Condtioning

I've got a goofed up issue - Defrost & Heat both work fine, but the controls go backward. Switching the cables is the obvious move, right? Wrong - when I do that, the only thing that occurs is that both Defrost & Heat are both restricted. Plus, the cables don't move freely.

Maybe I've got the short cable & the longer cable going to the wrong vent shafts. I dunno, it's weird. but it's probably something silly. Again - this shows the value of recording 'existing conditions'.