turbo 350 kickdown question

will it hurt the trans if its not hooked up and operational? i really dont care if it kicks down. thanx fellas

 

not as bad as if the TV cable is unhooked on a 700r4, but its still smart to have it, unless you have a full manual valvebody.

 

if it doesnt kick down, what do you do for a passing gear?

 

355 gears and a 3000+ stall converter in a 58 chevy. dont have much need for it to kickdown

 

Had one in my 56 ford pick-up, ran it for three years and never hooked it up with no problem.

 

thanx

 

Skunx...

Besides the kickdown function, there is no reduced functional capacity of the transmission without the kickdown cable.

Since the kickdown is designed to drop the transmission a gear at WOT, the assumption is that WOT wasn't orginally planned around 3.55 gears and a 3000 stall, right?

I am running a T350 as well, and thought about this while I was making my throttle linkage, Intially, I decided to run it, then realized that with 4.11 gears, a 3000 stall converter, and skinny bias plys, i wasn't real sure i wanted the thing dropping down to second gear at speed, you know?

Besides, my shifter allows for that.

 

Won't hurt a damn thing.

 

thenx fellas, it isnt only that i dont care about the kickdown, but also that the trans i just got off craigslist looks like a dog chewed up the kickdown cable, lol. just wanted to make sure this isnt the reason why my last trans grenaded, as i didnt hook it up on that one either.

 

there's a tranny shop in Indy that doesn't hook up the one for a turbo 350. he's still in business

 

Just dont forget to plug the hole or leave the remaining cable end still in the trans so no shit gets in the hole

 

Interesting thread. I thought that not only did it kick you down, (Passing gear) but it also controled the the shifting point, by applying throttle pressure against the governer so as not to just shift bang bang bang......Like for accleration foot to floor and your in first untill you let off a little and than it shifts to 2nd.....Have to dig out my old tranny overhaul manual. And by the way mine is just laying on the intake like some of the others......

 

I had a 73 Chevy truck that i drove for 5 years that didnt have the kickdown hooked up.I pulled trailers ,dogged it ,etc. and the trans was working fine when the motor conked out.It was originally a 350 and long tail Turbo 350 .I switched out the 350 for a used 454 and the cable was then too short ,so i never hooked it back up.As far as will it hurt ,it doesnt seem like it ...

 

I have always hooked the cable up for self entertainment. With a higher stall and the correct pedal pressure you can get some nice chirpy’s thru the gears without manually shifting. Actually when set up right, you can’t NOT try to get the chirp, becomes a bad habit you just have to.

 

Check the Summit Catalog. Their 'name badged' 350 turbo hydramatics advertised, specifically say, " manual downshift valve body, no provision for kickdown or TV cable". It's a modified stock valve body, and they just plug the hole in the transmission case where the TV cable would go. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

thanx again, good info fellas

 

Ive had mine unhooked for 13 years with no porblems at all.

 

Never had it hooked up in my Camaro. And it pulls plenty of power. Snip it off at the top of the metal sleeve, so the wire retainer stays in place and not in the bottom of the pan and silicone the top so it don't leak or get crap in it. On a 350 or 400, it does nothing other than "kickdown" by opening another valve in the valvebody.

 

old thread but timely. one question is the hole for the cable in the trans, is there a block off plate or something i can buy, or just make a simple sheetmetal cover?

 

Nope, this is simply a kickdown rod, not a throttle valve rod. Shift points are controlled by governor and vacuum modulator. No kickdown rod simply allows not WOT kickdowns.

 

ya, a lil piece of metal to cover it and a dab if rtv should be fine

 

Use a frost plug, gallery plug to plug it

 

cool, thx

 

you know, im sitting here thinking that hole for the kickdown is almost the same size as a drain hole for my jet boat. i would go to a marine/boat shop and try one of their locking rubber plugs, put it in, twist the ring and lock it down, it will expand against the sides and lock into place, but make sure no moving parts will hit it inside the trans...good luck

i also ran my th350 without the cable hooked up, it just sat there tie wired to something for 3 years.....it was fine

 

if you want to plug it , you would probably have to drop the pan to remove that little wire that sticks out.

 

hell i would just leave the cable end in there and cut it off once it goes into the cable sheath..done, simple..plugs the hole and its held in there by the original attachment screw. and you dont have to worry about the little wire

and it will not (or shouldnt leak)

 

i have a 350 kickdown question...
i have the cable hooked up but it does not work, all it does is limit throttle if i adjust it to function. The tranny upshifts well but does not downshift. if i pull on the cable at the carb, it does not move. (question) - should i be able to pull on the cable and get some feed and return movement? the last time i had the pan off the tranny the cable looked to be hooked up and well but this was my first look and wasn't sure what to be looking for. (question)- is there a return spring inside the tranny? i would like it to auto downshift, please help, thanks

 

The cable should move freely, if it doesn't move then it might be gummed up or something else. This should not have any affect on normal downshifts, only on wot downshifts.

 

wot? so tell me this please. on the carb side of the kickdown linkage. if disconnected at the carb, about how far should the cable slide in and out? like 1/4" or 2" or ?? thanks!

 

It would have to travel atleast from the idle position to WOT ,whatever that is. 2" maybe.
If the kick down is not hooked up, and you mat it from a standing start, 1-2 will shift at whatever the governor is set up for. Then 2-3 will occur right after, at a lower rpm. If you can live with that ,you're fine.