Should a kickdown cable have some slack?

Hey all,

I'm installing a Lokar kickdown cable on my Hudson. It's got a 460/C6 motor and tranny.

I installed the kickdown cable today...but I'm wondering if I should leave some slack in the cable. Perhaps a 1/4" or so..so the throttle moves say 1/3 of the way down before it starts pulling the kickdown cable?

I set it up today without any slack, so as soon as the throttle cable moves, the kickdown cable moves as well...but I'm not sure if this is correct.

Thanks,

Keith

 

on the older Ford transmissions like the C4 and C6 the last little bit of motion of the kickdown is all that matters. you want the cable to just about tight at full throttle.

so yes, there might be slack in it at part throttle.

 

It usually takes more than two hands to do. Put the carb at full throttle, then pull on the kickdown cable with some vise grips, so that the cable is tight when at full throttle, then slide the set screwed ball right up to the linkage and tighten her down. This way when the linkage is at rest there will be some slack, but when you hammer down for passing gear the cable will pull the kickdown mechanism in the trans.
Brian


Edit: Damn Squirrel beat me to it.

 

Right on...thanks fellas.

 

It should tell you in the instructions, but you should have about 1/2" or so, of "slide" or slack, whatever you want to call it.
The kickdown cable is for downshifting from 3rd to 2nd, when you punch it, let's say to pass somebody.

 

I dont mean to hijack you thread Keith. Is this the same for Th350's?I have mine set up tight at idle, dont know if it works cause at 60mph w/ 4.10 gears I dont think the tranny will down shift anyway.

 

this is the same as how you set up a TH350, but NOT the same as a torqueflite or 700R4 or 200-4R!!!