Just a little help here please. I just put a 2 brl. carb mounted parallel to the engine and fabricated my own throttle linkage and kick down linkage. It all works great, good shifts at correct points 1 to 2, 2 to 3 but...

when the carb goes to wide open throttle and the kick down linkage has pushed the lever all the way back( I did verify that it is all the way back), it doesn't downshift. What am I missing?

Maybe I just need a vacuum modulator, that was so much simpler. lol

Thanks, Dennis

Was it kicking down before you installed the 2bbl? If not (or you're not sure) then step one is to adjust the kickdown band.

But if it was working correctly before, your homemade kickdown linkage has likely changed the geometry, which will necessitate a different kickdown lever on the transmission so that full travel up at the carburetor end equals full travel down at the transmission. There have been many different kickdown levers for the Torqueflite. Different lengths and different clocking of the D-hole for the shaft. You will have to experiment to find or make a lever that works with your homemade linkage.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I don't really know if it worked before. The carb was trash and there were so many vacuum leaks I couldn't get the car running good enough to discern anything about what it was really capable of.

By D-hole, I suppose you are referring to the elongated slot that is in some of the linkages I have seen. Mine wasn't like that. It was just one long piece of linkage rod(has a few bends in it to clear obstructions).

The linkage I fabricated was actually pretty simple to do. It was just necessary to make an extension of the old linkage. I have verified in every way possible and am quit confident that as the carb is at WOT, the transmission lever is at its farthest travel back.

I am thinking it didn't work prior to this and need to adjust the kickdown band? Didn't know there was one. I can always note its current adjustment and return it there if it doesn't seem to help.

Thanks Dan. Is there anything else it could be after this? Internal problems possibly?

I'm looking at the adjustment procedure and I only have a foot lbs. torque wrench. Don't quite understand why I need to torque the adjusting screw to 47-50 inch lbs. when I'm going to back it off 2 turns.

Is it really necessary? Explanation please?

I could scare up an inch lbs. torque wrench later this week if absolutely necessary.

No, I mean the hole in the kickdown lever that fits onto the kickdown shaft on the transmission. The shaft is D-shaped, and the clocking of the D-hole in the lever determines the angle at which the lever protrudes sideways from the transmission.
Because that's the correct adjustment procedure.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

It's probably going to take a lot of adjusting and test driving to get it right. When I first put the super six on my car, 1/4" adjustment on the linkage at the tranny was the difference in my tranny shifting perfectly smoothly and shifting really hard and really late. It's very touchy and you have to get it just right or else it's a big headache.

Thanks. I really feel that I've got a good adjustment on the linkage. It shifts really smooth(almost scary) and at the correct shift points.

I'll adjust the kickdown band first then maybe just have to keep driving and adjusting to get it right. I know 1/4" can translate into a big move when you figure in the lever and the radius that it travels so I'm sure it can be frustrating.

Appreciate the suggestion. Thanks

The 47-50 inch-pound setting is for when using the correct adapter tool.If you don't have it,use a 4 or 8 point 5/16" socket on your torque wrench,and torque it to 72 inch-pounds,then back it off.But if the trans isn't slipping or slow shifting in 2nd gear,it isn't your problem anyway.Disconnect the linkage at one point,hold the carb at WOT(engine off),and see if you can move the linkage futher back.

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V8?? We don't need no stink'n V8!!

I believe these transmissions are sensitive to throttle pressure linkage adjustments. Two years ago when I purchased my Dart, there was a reverse valve body in place, a device I quickly grew to detest to no end for several reasons, and no kick-down linkage was in place. I swapped that mess out for a normal shifting automatic/manual valve body controlled via a Bouchillion kick-down cable that has infinite adjustability.

At first, I thought that the cable was adjusted correctly, but could never get consistent down-shifts, in other words, sometimes it would kick down other times it would not, I became frustrated, and took the car to a transmission guy for a dial in. He was not successful ( perhaps he was using his marketing skills looking for a rebuild job…) as the car down shifted reluctantly when he finished, and by the end of the 100 mile trip home it was all wasted money… Perhaps not wasted money, but tuition money invested in that I had to learn why the thing was not working correctly, and fix it myself.

After more than several sessions of itty-bitty and a big adjustment, plus a test drive for each, I finally got the desired kick-down to take place. Now the car willingly drops a gear, with a bit of a mash to the floor of the go peddle, as long as the rpm’s are below 2700 or so.

So what I’m trying to tell you, close is not close enough. If your KD rod is deflecting at WOT, it ain’t going to work, if there is a bit of slop at any of the rod connection points probably ain’t gonnah work. If the rod is hitting, or rubbing during its travel, it ain’t gonnah work, If the rod ain’t pullin, or exerting a force 100 % in line with the X axis, but an additional Y force pulling up or down on the transmission lever causing some binding, and not allowing full articulation… it ain’t gonnah work… If the KD rod is not mounted the correct distance or radius from the carburetor’s throttle shaft it ain’t gonnah work.

The biggest problem that was not allowing my car to kick-down turned out to be caused by poorly installed homemade floor repair which did not allow the throttle plates to be fully open when the accelerator peddle was depressed to the floor. I work alone, so I had no way to see if the throttle was opening fully during all this fiddling around, until a friend stopped by and could look down the carburetor while I depressed the accelerator peddle to the floor. It was a “ oh what a dope… right hand hitting center of forehead moment.

The solution was to shim out the base of the peddle bracket, remove a bit of carpet padding to allow full opening of the throttle plates when the peddle was depressed to the floor. After that reconfiguration of the throttle control portion of the picture, fine tuning of the KD became quite easy.

So to sum up the above long winded parable:

Make sure fully depressing the accelerator peddle is actually fully opening the throttle plates.

Adjusting enough slack out of throttle cable movement, but still allowing full throttle plate closing is needed.

No binding, or tangential forces exerted on carburetor throttle shaft and transmission lever can be present.

Full movement and seating against transmission lever stop under WOT must be achieved for proper kick-down response. The transmission lever dose not have to be seated on the closed throttle stop. In other words adjust for WOT, and not worry about closed throttle position of the transmission lever.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

The trans shifts great and right on cue so maybe the kickdown isn't my problem.

I am not working alone and have had a friend in the car stepping on the gas pedal as I verified that the carb was at WOT. I could then pop off the linkage to the kickdown lever and there was no more travel in it.

Hey wjajr, I love the long winded parables. It lets one know some of the things that others have gone thru and may spark new ideas of things to look for.

It would be a lot simpler if the car had been running well enough when I got it to verify that it actually works in the first place. Actually, it didn't run at all. Had it towed home. The timing and carb were screwed up and no exhaust thanks to the PO. Vacuum leaks everywhere after I got it running.

I thought maybe there was something I was missing but sounds like I just hafta do some experimenting with the linkage and adjust the kickdown. Even if it isn't the kickdown adjustment, I will just be resetting it.

Thanks one and all for all the tips , suggestions and thoughts.

valiant1966:
Thanks for the kind words.

Deep breath:

This car of mine is a three for one'er… By that I mean; three tries to get something fixed, or operating correctly, for each problem encountered, sometimes many more. And, this heap of mine had about 3000 pounds of problems when it arrived in my drive way one 15 degree, pitch black, March evening, following a four hour trailer ride. I drove it on, and four hours later, on the same latitude mind you, the damn thing was DOA… That was the starting point!

It challenged me over & over every time I came near it with a wrench. You will get your machine up running shortly, just keep plugging along.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC