64fury

Hi Guys.

Been driving my 64' Sport Fury around the block a few times working out the bugs etc! from her sitting for close to ten years. I had her out last year but not for any decent run, down to the gas station etc!

Well tonight, thinking I'd killed most of the gremlins I drove her around the neighborhood for 20 or so minutes, no speeds over 50 kilometers per hour. Everything sounded fine, so I decided to take her for a quick tear down the highway.

While driving at highway speed i noticed that the tranny took along time to finally shift down (or is it up) to top gear. This is my first car with an auto trans in it. Been driving 20+ years, all standards, so this whole automatic transmission thing is new to me, so I don't know where to begin looking! Shiftdown cable (rod) torque convertor, carb etc!

Long story short, this does not feel or sound like the car is shifting right, taking way to long and rev'ing way to high before reaching top gear. I've adjusted the shift cable as per the workshop manual I have, ran some Sea Foam tranny cleaner thru the case to clean out any varnish/build up etc! Car idles and runs great at slow speeds!

The car is a 64' Plymouth Sport Fury with a 383 and a 727 tranny with the console shift.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks Mike B

Mopar_71

What is the engine RPM when it finaly shifts into 3rd gear?
Does the tranny have a shift kit?
Is the set up stock?
Sounds like to me your linkage from your carb to tranny isn't set up right and needs to be adjusted.
Mopar_71

64fury

No shift kit, stock except for a edelbrock carb! No sure on the rpm, didn't pay attention to the tach, was busy listening to the engine!

How do you adjust the linkage from the carb to the tranny?

Mopar_71

Hey 64fury,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.
I am confused. You said you adjusted a cable but, if you have a stock setup (other than the carb.) the kickdown to your transmission should be levers and metal rods. Not a cable unless it has been modified.

Another thing I failed to ask is, does it take a long time to shift into 2nd?

If it does take a long time to shift into 2nd, the pressure to your transmission is off through the linkage from your carb.
Since it has sat for 10 years without being in service, I'd guess it's an internal problem.

Hope this helped

64fury

Yeah it's a rod, my bad! I adjusted the rod, with no noticeable effect, it seams to shift correctly except for the top gear on the hi-way.

The kick down rod is connected to the same linkage on the carb as the throttle cable. So the throttle position directly effects the position of the kick-down vale or whatever the rod is attached to. My friends keep saying the kick-down should be vacuum activated, and to check for vaccum leaks, but there are NO vacuum lines period, eccept for the one going to the heater controls, but that is plugged off!

Getting the tires back from balancing in the morning, I'll play with her again tomorrow night, but if I can't fix it she may have to sit for another summer till I can come up with the to repair it!

64fury

Heres some pics to show what I mean. The kick-down rod is directly connected to the carb on the same linkage as the throttle cable. Throttle cable moves, kick-down cable moves! One double spring, connected to both throttle and kick-down acting as a return spring.

64fury

Linkage moves fine, Shifts fine when you manually down shift. Tranny fluid is new, filter changed last summer.

Plan of attack for now, re-adjust the shifter cable (to make sure) and the kick-down rod, run some sea-foam tranny cleaner thru the box and change the fluid, maybe a blockage or sticky valve etc! Then try re-adjusting everything again.

If that does not cure it, then off to the local tranny shop for a free estimate, then take it from there.