Converting from Manual VB to stock?

[scott2683]

I recently bought a 72 duster that has a 360/727. The previous owner bought a used transmission with unknown specs except it has a manual VB. The car is just a street car so I bought a stock VB that was rebuilt by A&A.

I put it in the transmission over the weekend along with a Bouchillon kickdown cable. I bought the whole kit along with all brackets needed. After the swap, and playing with the adjustment for hours, I have what appears to only be reverse and second gear. I can not get the car to start in first, or shift into third gear no matter what I do.

I'm not well versed in transmissions, so I was wondering if I missed something? Is there another component that would go into swapping this back to a stock valve body that I'm missing?

I've got another 727 that I can swap into the car. But I just wondered if there are any other steps I should take before I drop the trans.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Do you have an aftermarket shifter?
In any case, you have to synchronize the trans to the shifter. This is usually done in neutral, But I've had better luck using Drive or second.
But, the little shift lever that you install after the trans is buttoned up, comes in several shapes and sizes, and has to be matched to the shift indicator. If it is not the right length for your shifter, then it will not sync up correctly.
Same goes for the TV lever, it has to be the right length for your system, and then tuned for your driving requirements.
I get the idea that this what you have been trying, so Ima thinking we can move past this.

Ima thinking your governor is cranky.
But;
I would start by proving the trans actually works.
First;get the car up on safety stands with the rear wheels free to spin. Then
disconnect the cables from the levers. But before you do, figure out where second gear is. I think it's second from the rear, but I'm having a brainstall at the moment.
With the TV disconnected,the engine will have to be revved up some, not much, say 1200 to 1500 rpm. This will go better with a helper in the cab. Get your helper to increase the rpm up to the test zone and hold it steady there. You are gonna be underneath shifting from first to second to drive to neutral, then STOP! The wheels are gonna be spinning so make sure there is no gravel caught in the treads, that can fly out and hurt you. The speed-O needs to get up to about 30mph,exact number not important yet. Then get your helper to let off the gas pedal and gently brake the tires to a stop, and shut off the engine..
When it works right you will feel each shift. Without the TV working, the shifts should come early and be soft.Reach up and push the TV lever all the way to the rear; you should feel spring resistance, and it should spring back at least 1/8 revolution, or more, by itself.
If you didn't feel the shifts, repeat the test while dragging the brakes. The shifts should now shudder the rear end. Still no? increase the rpm to 1800 and repeat.
If still no, then it's time to test the governor pressure.

And the reason is that when installing a manual VB the installer will occasionally block the governor circuit. Or the governor itself will be modified to not shift until a very high rpm. And governors are known to just fly apart.

The thing is this;I'm confused by your saying that second works. Normally, with a stock VB, it is impossible to start in any other gear except first. This leads me to believe that fancy new VB is not working right, or not working right on your trans.
While the wheels are up, figure out your rear gear ratio; just maybe it's not what you think, or were told. Maybe the trans is starting in first, but the rear is a stinking 2.20 ratio,lol. That will feel like second alrightee.
This would then point to a non-functioning governor, as it is governor pressure which commands the shifts; with the TV delaying them with input from the throttle opening.

 

[oldkimmer]

Post some pics of what u took out. Did u drive this b4 and after the vb swap? If it was a forward manual shift there could be a plug in the governor port in the trans. Also a restrictor in the high clutch port in the trans. Is it reverse manual? More info is always good. Kim

 

[408 swinger]

Take a look in the governer passage in the case. If it was a TF3 manual conversion valve body, that passage gets a plug.

 

[CudaFactHackJob]

Also there were two different transmission case castings from 66-later. Different behind the accumulator. I'm still trying to figure out how much mixing and matching is allowable..

 

[scott2683]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Sorry it took me all day to get back to you. It was a busy day at the office.

The valve body I removed was a cheetah manual reverse VB.
Prior to removing the car shifted in all gears just fine.

Below are pictures of the VB I just removed as well as a couple pictures of how my throttle and linkage are set up. You can see in the pic, when the throttle is 100% the kick down is also at 100%.

 

[oldkimmer]

So then there won’t be any plugs/restrictor put into the case. Back off the cable and see if it shifts all 3 gears. If not back it off all the way so the lever on the trans will be all the way to the front. Test drive again and let us know. Kim

 

[CudaFactHackJob]

It would make more sense if it took off in third and you could get first and second manually. But, according to what you described. I would tend to condemn the valve body.

 

[scott2683]

Hey guys, thought I'd offer an update. I adjusted the kickdown cable about 100 different ways, and it literally made no difference at all. The previous owner told me he had the same issues when he put in a valve body he had lying around too, so I'm more inclined to believe there's something faulty with the transmission, so yesterday I pulled it out, and bolted in another one I picked up at the Indy swap meet. I hope to get everything buttoned up this afternoon, and be able to take it out for a drive.