Today, I put the Holley 1945 back on my car and realized I didn't have the return spring for the kickdown. I think it may have been lost sometime before I got the car, because I keep pretty good track of parts I remove (bag and label small parts).

The transmission hasn't been hurt by running without the spring, has it? Or has it just affected the way the car shifts?

I'm going to modify a V8 "red" kickdown return spring and put it on, but I'm worried that without one, I've been hurting my transmission.

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Erik T.
1974 Dodge Dart Swinger - 225, A904, 8 1/4, B5 Blue w/ White Vinyl
1982 Chrysler Cordoba - 318 Lean Burn, A999, 7 1/4, VC4 Glacier Blue w/ Dark Blue Vinyl

I doubt you hurt the transmission, but you need the spring hooked up so that the throttle lever on the trans moves with the throttle on the carburetor like it should. If anything, you've got too much throttle pressure right now under some conditions, it might be affecting your lift-foot upshifts or upshifting at low speeds.

The single purpose of the slotted linkage and spring for the kickdown rod is safety, by the way. Early kickdown rods were connected (usually by ball/socket joint) directly to the carburetor throttle shaft. A limb or other debris passing under the car could pull the throttle wide open if it snagged the kickdown rod. Hence, the slot and spring.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

Well, I'm glad it wasn't harmful to drive like that.

Now that I've put a spring back on there, it no longer makes a high rpm droning noise at low speeds and doesn't slam when it shifts. Don't even have to lift my foot to force it to shift at low speeds, it does it all by itself. Nice and smooth shifts, almost like I just had it rebuilt.

Thanks Dennis!

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Erik T.
1974 Dodge Dart Swinger - 225, A904, 8 1/4, B5 Blue w/ White Vinyl
1982 Chrysler Cordoba - 318 Lean Burn, A999, 7 1/4, VC4 Glacier Blue w/ Dark Blue Vinyl