So I was finally able to get my first test drive in yesterday and it seems like something is up with my transmission. I believe my shift linkage is correct, I had to weld up some stuff for my shift cable to my steering column shifter (I have a 1979 firebird) so I think it’s right. But the only other thing I did to my transmission was I had to cut and plug my kick down cable. I have park, reverse, neutral, drive , sport and low. However, while I was driving it seemed I topped out at 20mph in drive and anything after that it seemed like it went into neutral and would only rev at me until it went slow enough and I hit the throttle and I would do the same thing over again So I stop look and my shift linkage is still in tact and in order. So I start again and I put it into sport/low mode and it actually was going at this point but it didn’t want to stay in those modes and the shifter was seeming to pop out of it and go back into drive. But then after trying it for a few minutes my engine itself died and didn’t even want to start anymore. I believe this is an unrelated problem with another component, or are they actually related? Could it be my lockdown? Am I low on fluid? (The dipstick says I’m full, could it be wrong) is this a torque converter problem? Maybe even the pump or governor? It shifter fine before I had done the swap with my old 301 engine.

any help is 1000% appreciated thank you very much

 

Is the vacuum line to the modulator valve hooked up? Sounds like it may not be.

 

Yeah I don’t quite remember hooking something like that from my transmission, I assume I would just hook it up to any Emily vacuum on my intake? Any special fittings?

 

Any vacuum source on the intake manifold, doesn't need to be named Emily. 🤣

 

If you are using a truck intake theres a place on the right side of the manifold that you have to swap a small piece of plastic off of and you could use that.

 

omg I didn’t even realize 😅

 

yeah so if it take it off is there already a plug? Or do I have to thread in a new adapter

 

There's a nipple cast in the side of the intake, but its factory plugged with a little piece you have to break off to open it up. Then a vacuum hose will push onto it.

 

Ok awesome, I will try when I get home

 

Say HI to Emily for all of us....

 

I will

 

So after a while and fixing everything that was the problem, the vacuum wasn’t hooked up, thank you for the help. Took it for a test drive and it rips

 

Reviving this older thread but for anybody now wondering this is what I did for my kick down cable. I did some more mods and I just really wanted a kick down cable. I order a kick down cable off of JEGS,

and then I ordered the actual kick down rod (the one that hooks the cable to the transmission) off of eBay from someone who had an extra one. I dropped my pan and took out my old broken rod and put the new one through. I then hooked up the kick down cable end to the rod and bolted it down. Now with the cable on the car and after I put in my engine again after doing some stuff to it, I cut up a little bracket to fit around a stock throttle body where the cruise control would typically go.


(I took off the cruise control ****/attachment with a pair of plier then I measured the **** that sticks off of the throttle body and created a bracket from there)

after the bracket was made I needed something to actually keep the cable from moving-a bracket basically and used an only throttle cable/cruise control bracket

its hard to see but the red line is where I cut off to make the bottom portion flat then drilled an appropriate sized hole for a fuel rail bolt to fit through then mounted it right at the front passenger side fuel rail.

after I got that bracket done I hooked up my cable to that bracket above my fuel rail and started taking measurements so ensure when I’m at WOT the lockdown cable is fully pulled out. After double checking I was ok with how far it is pulled out I then welded my cable bracket/throttle body bracket onto the throttle body. (It is black in the picture with the lockdown cable on it) after that was done I tightened down my cable and attached it to the throttle body bracket I fabricated and I then cut off any extra wire I had from the cable.



I hope this helps anybody else with a. Very similar situation to what I had going on. As long as you have some fabricating skills I bet anyone could do this as well!