Aftermarket kick down cables

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bbizelli

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Hey guys last sunday i bought my first mopar!! A 1972 Plymouth duster with a mild built 318 727 tranny and a 8 3/4 rearend. Anyways i was trying to adjust the kickdown linkage but i could never get it to where i think it should be at if at light throttle it shifts from 1-2 at about 10 and 2-3 at about 17. So i was thinking about getting a aftermarket kickdown cable instead because ive read some good things about them. My main questions are what cable do you guys recommend? i know there is a couple different ones i was looking at the Lokar. Are they hard to install? And do i have to do anything different with the throttle cable? Any and all help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
My dart runs well with the lokar parts. I use the throttle cable, the kickdown cable and the bracket.
 
Im thinking about getting the Bouchillon kit it looks more straight forward then the lokar. Im just a little confused on which carb throttle adapter bracket to get. I have an older holly 4 barrel but i believe there are two different brackets for the holly. Im assuming its the holly adapter i need but in the instruction overview on the website there are two different holly set ups... Can anyone help me with this? thanks.
 
bbizelli said:
Im thinking about getting the Bouchillon kit it looks more straight forward then the lokar. Im just a little confused on which carb throttle adapter bracket to get. I have an older holly 4 barrel but i believe there are two different brackets for the holly. Im assuming its the holly adapter i need but in the instruction overview on the website there are two different holly set ups... Can anyone help me with this? thanks.
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When I got my Bouchillon kit it came with a throttle bracket that would fit either holley or an eddy, you just have to cut part of it off to fit one or the other. It was covered in the instructions of mine. Here is a link http://www.bouchillonperformance.com/BPEtkdcInstructionsNEW.asp scroll down a little ways and it will say older holley and some double pumper
 
What exactly is the problem getting yours adjusted? If it can't be adjusted properly with the stock linkage, which btw works very well most of the time, replacing it with a cable kit may do nothing for you except empty your wallet.
 
well ive only tried adjusting it from the carb. I read on another article that the more you back it out the longer it will stay in gear (before i adjusted anything it would shift from1-2 at about 8 to 10 and 2 to 3 and about 12 to 14 and wouldnt down shift at all) Then i started slowly backing it out a 1/2 turn at a time and it would progressively get better and now its backed out all of the way and it shifts from 1-2 at about 12 and 2-3 at about 18 my speedo is a little off so im kinda guessing speed trap near my house said its about 8mph off. And now it will downshift but if i shift to second and get on it it will not downshift to first but it will from third to second. And if i get on it and hold it from first it will up shift at about 3500rpms and about 25-30mph i believe. Is there a step in the adjustment that im missing or something or is there something wrong with my tranny?
 
bbizelli said:
well ive only tried adjusting it from the carb. I read on another article that the more you back it out the longer it will stay in gear (before i adjusted anything it would shift from1-2 at about 8 to 10 and 2 to 3 and about 12 to 14 and wouldnt down shift at all) Then i started slowly backing it out a 1/2 turn at a time and it would progressively get better and now its backed out all of the way and it shifts from 1-2 at about 12 and 2-3 at about 18 my speedo is a little off so im kinda guessing speed trap near my house said its about 8mph off. And now it will downshift but if i shift to second and get on it it will not downshift to first but it will from third to second. And if i get on it and hold it from first it will up shift at about 3500rpms and about 25-30mph i believe. Is there a step in the adjustment that im missing or something or is there something wrong with my tranny?
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There may be another adjustment. Look on the linkage running from the bell crank at the back of the manifold down to the bell crank on the trans. Is that rod adjustable? Some are, some aren't. If there's an adjustment there you can possibly lengthen it also.
 
hmm never really thought to look there ill take a look at it tomorrow and see if i can figure it out i just know if i set it up goofy my transmission can go bye bye due to the pressure being messed up its just one of the things i need to fix on my list
 
Maybe its a sign that i should just get a 4 speed or a manual valve body! :burnout:
 
If you have 3:91 and up it will shift early like saying on light throttle.If you have the stock linkage,i would take that over a cable any day.Check your axle ratio.You can adjust it for later shifts,but you can cause other shifting issues.may need to change the governor,if you have 3:91s and up to change your shift point.
 
If you go with Lokar, you should use their throttle cable also, as in Tony's picture. That's how I did my son's Duster and it works great. If you're using the factory linkage, follow the procedure in the FSM for the linkage type on your vehicle, early or late. One advantage of the Lokar setup is that you don't have to worry about having to find the correct factory brackets if you swap carbs (2v to 4v,etc.) I have no experience with Bouchillon, but have heard nothing but good things about their products. I like the aftermarket stuff because the with factory stuff is getting too hard to find the correct parts.
 
I've used lokar cables on numerous cars and have installed them on quite a few friends cars and never had any problems with it. Don't know what the hell the guys that have problems with it are doing.
 
I think the problem is a Holley 4V has different throttle lever geometry than stock carburetor, and is causing difficulty synchronizing throttle position, and stock throttle pressure rod position.

Using Holley/Chrysler throttle adapter and pivot bolt will correct this imbalance along with a throttle pressure (kick-down) cable.

Below is a 4160 Holley that originally had Ford throttle geometry sitting on a slant six, a Holley adapter was added so Bouchillon cable bracket and KD cable would work correctly. Both throttle cable and kick down cable are infinitely adjustable with this configuration.

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Well i adjusted the rod on the tranny i pushed it towards the from therefore extending the rod and it shifts much better now still needs to go forward some more still but i think im getting it there. And with some close inspection the guy that owned the vehicle before me had the throttle cable and the kick down linkage all loose and goofy and i got that how it should be which helped too i think.
 
There should be two holes in the bracket on the back of the engine. Put the largest drill bit in them to line up the hole in the pivoting bracket with the hole in the one bolted to the engine. Then adjust the middle linkage so the ball is even with the socket and just snaps in. Then take out the drill bit.

Next put your throttle on the carb as far back as it can go to wide open throttle (WOT). Then adjust the rod so that the rear of the slot is bottomed out to the back of the slot at WOT.

that is how to adjust the three piece kickdown linkage.

If your trans is built right, the kickdown should work fine. If not, I would have the trans checked by a good trans guy. Be sure that you take it to a good guy. I have only one guy that I trust and after he rebuilds a trans and I adjust the kickdown it shifts perfectly. Not to soon, not too late. You can leave the trans in "D" and stomp it from a good 30 mph roll and feel it kick down correctly.
 
Homemade setup on mine!:D
 

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