1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 - Kickdown setup help

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Swinger Ron

Father/Son - 1970 Dodge Swinger
Joined
Nov 5, 2018
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Location
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hi All,
I know before putting the car away for the winter we bought in the late fall the kickdown was not functioning. I cant seem to find any helpful video/youtube stuff on setting it up. Any helpful links would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ron
 
Please describe how it behaves, what does it do/not do? What happens when you floor it?
I can't believe its already been 5 month since I put it to bed for the winter. So by memory it does not drop to second gear as I believe it is suppose to.
 
Proper procedure is in factory service manuals. Many of those are free downloads.
 
There are 6 joints in the system. All it takes is for one to have come undone for what you describe. 3 are in the engine bay from the top and the other 3 are accessed from underneath.
 
Jamb the gas pedal to the floor. Without it running, of course. Get under the car and check where in its travel the kickdown lever is on the transmission. If it is not ALL the way back as far as it will go, adjust it so that it is. There should be a threaded adjustment both under the car, as well as under the hood. Once you get the kickdown lever at the transmission all the way back as far as it will go with the gas pedal on the floor, drive the car. If it holds the gear out too long, readjust so that the lever does not get pushed all the way back. Keep working from there until you achieve both timely upshifts and so that it down shifts when the gas pedal is depressed hard. There is a procedure in the manual but this method has worked best for me.
 
Jamb the gas pedal to the floor. Without it running, of course. Get under the car and check where in its travel the kickdown lever is on the transmission. If it is not ALL the way back as far as it will go, adjust it so that it is. There should be a threaded adjustment both under the car, as well as under the hood. Once you get the kickdown lever at the transmission all the way back as far as it will go with the gas pedal on the floor, drive the car. If it holds the gear out too long, readjust so that the lever does not get pushed all the way back. Keep working from there until you achieve both timely upshifts and so that it down shifts when the gas pedal is depressed hard. There is a procedure in the manual but this method has worked best for me.
Good info thanks I'm saving this for future use!
 
Jamb the gas pedal to the floor. Without it running, of course. Get under the car and check where in its travel the kickdown lever is on the transmission. If it is not ALL the way back as far as it will go, adjust it so that it is. There should be a threaded adjustment both under the car, as well as under the hood. Once you get the kickdown lever at the transmission all the way back as far as it will go with the gas pedal on the floor, drive the car. If it holds the gear out too long, readjust so that the lever does not get pushed all the way back. Keep working from there until you achieve both timely upshifts and so that it down shifts when the gas pedal is depressed hard. There is a procedure in the manual but this method has worked best for me.

This great basics and that is where I am. Wanting to clearly understand and probably falls under the stupid question! Should it down shift ONLY when the pedal is at the floor! I assume the process is: put it to the floor sort of quickly, it down shifts to 2nd get the pedal from the floor, than makes its way back up the gears as normal? Trying to understand the whole sequence. This is great stuff. Tranny is a Torqueflite 727. Thanks, Ron
 
This great basics and that is where I am. Wanting to clearly understand and probably falls under the stupid question! Should it down shift ONLY when the pedal is at the floor! I assume the process is: put it to the floor sort of quickly, it down shifts to 2nd get the pedal from the floor, than makes its way back up the gears as normal? Trying to understand the whole sequence. This is great stuff. Tranny is a Torqueflite 727. Thanks, Ron

The transmission downshifts two ways. Normally when coming to a stop and when the pedal is depressed. It might have the part throttle downshift unit on the valve body which will allow shifts at part throttle, otherwise you will see downshifts pretty close to full throttle.
 
The transmission downshifts two ways. Normally when coming to a stop and when the pedal is depressed. It might have the part throttle downshift unit on the valve body which will allow shifts at part throttle, otherwise you will see downshifts pretty close to full throttle.
I think 71 was the first year for the part throttle kickdown on the v8 Torqueflites.
 
I have a 75 Duster that I converted from 225 to 318 & had to piece together the TV (kickdown) linkage. Things I have learned, the hard way. There were several carbs used w/ the 727 & 904 trans./ V-8 combo. Both trans use the same basic linkage w/ the same carb. Pay close attention to that: A 318 2 bbl w/ either 727 or 904 will use the same basic linkage. 2 bbl & 4 bbl use a different upper linkage but the part from the pivot (at side of bell hsg) down is the same. Different 4 bbls use different upper linkage. The Carter 4 bbl & Carter Thermo quad are wider than a Holley but Holley offers a conversion MoPar linkage adapter. All the above is good info but check the following: Look for worn parts that can cause binding. Ex. a hole that a rod end fits into can be worn excessively. Rod ends can be worn, the slide bar at the carb can get in a bind, the bell crank (the pivot attached to the bell hsg) can be worn & get in a bind. Attention to detail is important. I have found a way to use the cable linkage from an A-500 or A-518 to use on the 727 torqueflite. Gives a lot more room for exhaust on the drivers side. Will post that sometime in the future for anyone interested.
 
OK! Found a very very good video link..........Great for you gear heads who have worked on the linkage before unlike me. I am going to be playing that video over and over again in the garage! Looks like a very early 70s video.

 
I have a 75 Duster that I converted from 225 to 318 & had to piece together the TV (kickdown) linkage. Things I have learned, the hard way. There were several carbs used w/ the 727 & 904 trans./ V-8 combo. Both trans use the same basic linkage w/ the same carb. Pay close attention to that: A 318 2 bbl w/ either 727 or 904 will use the same basic linkage. 2 bbl & 4 bbl use a different upper linkage but the part from the pivot (at side of bell hsg) down is the same. Different 4 bbls use different upper linkage. The Carter 4 bbl & Carter Thermo quad are wider than a Holley but Holley offers a conversion MoPar linkage adapter. All the above is good info but check the following: Look for worn parts that can cause binding. Ex. a hole that a rod end fits into can be worn excessively. Rod ends can be worn, the slide bar at the carb can get in a bind, the bell crank (the pivot attached to the bell hsg) can be worn & get in a bind. Attention to detail is important. I have found a way to use the cable linkage from an A-500 or A-518 to use on the 727 torqueflite. Gives a lot more room for exhaust on the drivers side. Will post that sometime in the future for anyone interested.


 
Have watched that video a bunch of times. Very good video.
 
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