Here it is. I hate having only a single car garage no workbench with a vise so I could clamp this thing down and grind it open more

um, i don't see it ?



NOW i do ! [specticals help ! ] how much more open [or closed] does it need to be ?

looking again, i think if you make the slot longer, the shift points will be even lower.
i "think" you need the slot shorter. when you have the throttle wide open, is the linkage at the transmission all the way back [or almost] it can go ?

Larry, you want the kickdown linkage all the way back at wide open throttle. Get someone to hold it in position all the way back at the trans end. Then open the carb shaft linkage manually to wide open. If you still have a gap between the carb linkage shaft and the back of the slot, install a bolt in the slot to limit the travel in it.

blue97 has it. try that Larry, and let us know what happens.
i have modified that link in the past to incorporate a threaded adjustment like the earlier rods had. if the bolt trick doesn't work out, i can whip a modified link up easy enough for you if you want.

So you guys think I'm adjusting the wrong way. I went down to the block by trans in which the rod locks into. It's always been my experience that further the rod sticks through the block, the earlier the shifts. Right now it's stick through the block by about an inch or more so I was going to push it back up toward the engine so that only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch would be sticking through the block and lock it back down. But in order to push it back out of block it has to go toward engine (is it different on 4wd? Havent messed with my 2wd car lately) but it won't go further forward from the underneath due to throttle stud bottomed out already. A bolt from what I can tell will only change shifts to earlier.

Need I use my fantastic photography skills again under truck? I'm sorry to belabor the point and I can try mgoblue's bolt trick but I swear it could be a few weeks before I get someone over here to floor it for me lol.

Edit: Now I can't tell from my pic. I gotta go outside and look again lol.

make sure the choke is off. open the throttle fully by hand. is there any more rearward motion allowed on the link by pushing it by your other hand ?

Hey Larry,


I adjust my stuff the same way blue97 pointed out. AFAIK there really are two ways of adjusting, both of them appear to be the total opposite as it relates to the position of the throttle pressure circuit level & valve itself:

1) adjust for as little pressure as possible
- this means that at idle you basically move the trans lever forward as far as possible

2) adjust for as much pressure as possible
- this means that at WOT you basically move the trans lever backward (towards the rear) as far as possible

In effect, that lever ties-in to the governor circuit (rotating governor weights) and allows the proper shift to occur as a balance between how far has the "loud pedal" been moved to the floor and how fast the driveline itself is already rotating. The idea here being that with little pedal being applied you want the speed of the vehicle to naturally transition to an earlier shift. With more pedal applied, the idea is that you are expecting greater engine power and therefore the governor circuit must be overriden by the throttle pressure circuit in order to prevent an earlier than desired shift from taking place.

I run a Lokar setup on my coupe, so the whole thing is tuned to provide the kind of shift I want, given the gearing I'm running, the engine powerband, the transmission shift-kit settings I implemented, etc. For that reason, I use #2 method above because I know the MAX pressure setup I'm aiming for and I use the "back off from that max" approach to tuning my shifts.

If you start with #1, you basically move up to a higher RPM shift point, as opposed to starting with it.

Without taking anything else apart, put a bolt & nut stopper into that linkage ahead of where the normal end of the carb throttle slot is. That will basically allow your throttle pressure circuit to act as if you had actually pushed the pedal harder than you had actually done. The end result should be that your shift RPM is higher.

If this test pans out, you know what to do next. Either adjust correctly by executing #2 method, or if you have no binding of any sorts (and your carb throttle goes from idle to WOT just fine) you might be able to simply use the bolt & nut stopper as a work-around.

Okay thanks all. Just broke out service manual and reading what is basically this method. Need to get back out there and do this

Btw if you're asking yourself "hey stupid, why didn't you do this in the first place"?! Because I've adjusted shift points on several Mopars before simply by moving throttle rod by loosening bolt at the block along side trans and not adjusting line pressure. I've had mechanics who are installing trans for me adjust line pressure and later tweaked points with throttle rod. Looks like this one is going to be a little more involved but it's okay I need to learn.

I have to be willing to announce that I made a bonehead mistake. When I got under my truck to adjust the throttle rod I grabbed the shift selector lever instead. I know dumb move. They look so similar. I should've noticed there was no spring. I got under there again before work today and was so angry at myself when I saw the correct rod with spring above the header. All is good now, good shift points! Thanks and I'm sorry for wasting people's time!!!

OH NO !
i'm the only one that is supposed to make bone head mistakes Larry ! i must be rubbing off on you !
how WELL i know that feeling.
and i'm positive the older i get, the DUMBER i really am !
the other day, i tried a 9/16, 7/16, and a couple of metric sockets on a bolt i KNEW was a 5/16-18 thread ! what kind of a "special" head did this thing have ?
uh, well, er, never mind................the correct/usual 1/2" hex that has been on these bolts for, oh, i don't know.........forever ?
as the saying goes : "good grief Charlie Brown.........."...........

kind of funny now, eh Larry ? glad it was an "easy" fix !

Hahaha, thanks. I'm really glad I figured it out and was really angry at myself for not taking more time and not questioning the lack of a spring, but I was in a hurry and well yeah a really dumb moment

I swear I've done the wrench thing you mentioned many times. "That dang wrench didn't fit the first time I tried it"!!!!!

No worries Larry, I have had more than my share of senior moments as of late myself. Glad to hear you have it sorted out.

Thanks all. Right now I have Eth free 89 octane in tank. It's the highest octane available in this area. No pinging. I'm thinking about going back to 93 and putting a little more timing in it since I'm getting away with 89. Already had feedback that people are running 10% eth with their TQ and no problems. If there's a over the counter parts store Eth conditioner that's actually effective I'll use it.