I'm running atf in mine right now, seems to shift smooth but it doesn't like to shift down into 1st gear unless I'm damn near stopped. Is that normal for an 833?
The 1972 Dart Owner's Manual recommends a downshift speed from 15 to 0 mph with the 4-speed. I don't think the downshift issue you describe is peculiar to the 833. The issue isn't getting out of second as much as it is picking up first. That's an issue of matching the synchronizer to the speed of the first gear set. I know that's really the job of the synchronizer. But given the jump between the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio, the synchro needs help. That's why the compu/manu/matics on some high end vehicles have a "rev matching" feature. (That and to make some of the dweebs that drive them not look like complete imbeciles.)
