T Buckets and transmission kick down

In any event Fred, it is nice to see you post. I just like looking at your avatar.

Don

 

Thanks, its been too long. I'm hoping for the next few months.

 

I'd rather manually downshift to second if I wanted it than wait for a TV cable setting decide to do it, or not, and I do, down shift myself, even though I do have the TV cable hooked up.
So I guess, if you haven't had one so far don't bother?

 

I ran mine for two years not hooked up and then the last 3 hooked up. The only problem I ever had with it connected was doing something kinda stupid. I kicked it down while changing lanes to get around a car. The combination of turning the wheel to change lanes and the down shift under throttle put it into a rear wash out. It was all I could do to keep it off the curb, yes switching from left lane into right lane.
I will also note at that time I had the 4.11 gears in it and it would break loose at will anyhow. Personally I like manual down shifting way better than letting the throttle do it for me, but it's still hooked up.

 

If it drives fine w/o it then I would leave it off just cause it looks better without it.

 

I ran a T350 behind a healthy 396 in my old T-bucket. I also disconnected the kickdown. With that much power it never really needed to drop a gear to pass anything.

 

His "slicks" were DOT Firestones. Loved that car.

Throw some 275/60R15 drag radials on it and traction will not be an issue. BFG is almost a perfect street tire. The Mickey Thompson is a bit more track skewed, but very streetable as well.

You could put a full manual reverse pattern valve body in it. Then it would essentially be a clutch-less manual trans car. Gears would only change when you changed them.

 

I have yet to connect the kickdown on the 302/C4 combo on my Shoebox Ford. I don't think I'm gonna do it because it drives just fine! If I leadfoot it, it goes. If I wanna just go, it goes.

BTW.....Did I mention I love that car? One of my HAMB favorites for sure.....

 

I have a tubro 400 behind my 350 making about 390 hp at the flywheel in my T bucket all this hooked to a 9" rear end, my 400 shifts up and down with no problem, "but if you stand on the loud pedal you best have ahold of the wheel it's one hell of a ride" and no problem with down shifts. Hook it up and try it, if you don't like the way works you can unhook it.

 

Bluedice: Scared? No not really. After 16 years of road racing and circle track (Including some in IN.) I just have more sense that to push this thing too far.

 

It shouldn't hurt anything to leave it off as I drove my 51 Merc with a turbo 350 in it about 90K and never hooked up the detent cable on it. On a full size rig the trans shifts at a lower speed than you might like but on a T it probably isn't an issue.

As far as squirrelly or getting so when you kick it that would depend a lot on how the car does now. If it is a bit squirrelly now it will probably a bit more so if you hook the kick down.

 

my son's t-bucket 350/350 is hooked up,but dose not down shift anyway?,wish it would,tryed adjusting in all pos places,but no worky,vac mod works,i checked that too. So he just downshifts with the shifter when needed,its smokes 18in. wide rears pretty much tell ya get back off it,if floored.