kick down blues

After much problem solving I finally arrived at a point where I realized that after I changed my intake gasket that when taking all the stuff and put it all back on I just hooked the kick down cable back on where it used to be. Well, something changed and it caused the trans. to shift back to second and I had to physically shift to third to make it go back into gear. But it wouldn't stay there and after awhile would shift back into second gear and would stay there until I shifted it into third again.
I changed the place where the kick down cable was connected to another place on the link, the next hole back. But that wasn't good either by just pulling on the cable my self in the engine compartment. Even though theorectically it should

work. But in practice it doesn't. Here's what I had.

I think that link is a Mr. Gasket kick down cable link. I don't remember where I got it. It works so long as you make sure it doesn't get caught on the intake where that bolt boss is. The kick down linkage doesn't go where it attaches to the carb linkage, where the kick down would be attached. So I had to add this link if I was going to use the factory bracket in the back of the intake. Using it keeps the kick down connection where it would have gone if I still had the two bbl. I used to have on it. I kept it because I had it to use, that's all.

Does anyone know how to buy something off this site? A member has a steering column that I might buy and I would like to know how we are going to go about, him selling it to me, and me buying it. The thing is the security issue. And to protect people's identity it needs to be done in a secure manner, I guess. If anyone has done it contact me here and at other forum things you see as Raider L.

Raider L said:

Does anyone know how to buy something off this site? A member has a steering column that I might buy and I would like to know how we are going to go about, him selling it to me, and me buying it. The thing is the security issue. And to protect people's identity it needs to be done in a secure manner, I guess. If anyone has done it contact me here and at other forum things you see as Raider L.

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Just send the seller a private message. I’ve bought a couple things from members and we either used Venmo or cash when we met in person for the parts.

Unless the kickdown cable is binding on something, it should have no effect on shifts. It can be unhooked completely, and the trans will upshift.

Having said that, unless the cable is connected, the trans will tend to short shift. To get maximum WOT shift points, the cable travel needs to max out at WOT. If the cable doesn’t want to release, the trans will tend to hang in 2nd gear.

I have never seen linkage like that unless it was homemade. I wouldn’t want that setup on my truck, I could imagine that solid link getting wedged on that manifold mounting boss and hanging the throttle open. Maybe it’s just the angle the picture was taken, but it looks pretty close.

I just re-read you post, looks like you have experienced the link hanging on the manifold. That’s never a good thing!

Did I read your post correctly that your truck originally had a 2 barrel carb? I bet that’s why your having issues with the current kickdown cable. I think the 4 barrel carbs use a longer cable. Or maybe it’s just the cable end that has a longer link? Maybe someone in readerland more familiar with these trucks can verify if the cables are different?

Either way, as long as the valve in the valve body bottoms out in its bore at WOT, and then returns to its rest position when your release the throttle, it should upshift/downshift as designed.