Yep,,,, just set and think about it, there are several ways to do that ... there is a guy that markets a electronic controller for about $115 that is supposed to do the best job.... but you can wire to the brake light , you can install and use a dimmer switch,,, toggle switch,,, the factory set up, use mercury switches... there is a number of ways to do that, I even heard of using vacume switches...
Here's a simple way to have your cake and eat it too. With a flip of the switch, you can choose to let the s/p feature operate automatically or you can operate it manually. Ed
i turn mine off at 4000 rpm in high gear with a 2 speed.you get a little less slip a little more power to the wheels.if you do it to soon the engine bogs down a little.you can watch the tach drop about 200 rpms going to low stall at that speed
I dont want to hi-jack this thread any more than I have, but I do have more questions on S/P control....I'll start a new thread.. Rhett
What my builder told me was that the original ones were so corroded he had to replace them with some NOS ones he had laying around; - it just so happened that he was a Buick nut and had a couple of 66-67 cores laying around. I don't know the exact numbers of the rods or the jets. Normally I would do the carb overhaul myself, but this one was such a basket case that it needed an expert. We used to have a world class rebuilder up here in the Edmonton area in town called Stony Plain, but it seems that he either packed it in or went broke this year; - his phone has been disconnected and the website doesn't work anymore. Good thing I had the carb done a couple of years ago, and wasn't waiting for it when he disappeared. He did fantastic work, it's too bad he's gone. The only thing he was worried about was the diaphram on the choke pull-off. He claimed he tested it and it worked, but considering how badly the carb was corroded he couldn't be sure that it didn't have a pin-hole or something. It seems that the choke lock-out is working, it does come off, so I think everything is fine there. The secondaries do make the right noises, I can hear them, but as I said before, the car doesn't sound as powerful or raw as it did with the old exhausted AFB. It was always my experience that replacing the AFB with a Q-Jet usually resulted in better secondary performance. The secondaries are obviously bigger on the Q-Jet. All the experts here on this board have always claimed that the Nail needs more gas and air in order to work right. So far there hasn't been much difference between the Q-Jet and the AFB; fuel economy is about the same, and performance is about the same. The only thing that was improved is that the engine idles better now and there are no internal vacuum leaks. The AFB is over 100,000 miles old and in need of an overhaul. Surprisingly, it doesn't have a rotten base, so I think I'll hang on to it. So another stupid question; - I'm still running an in-line fuel filter (from the old AFB) as well as the sintered brass unit inside the Q-Jet. Does this doubling up have anything to do with the car's performance? I wouldn't think so... Both are new. One more thing to check I guess...so far I'm still playing with linkage adjustments. I guess they weren't properly changed when I changed out the AFB; at least it'll be some fun going out on the highway and testing it all, - provided I don't find a cop with nothing to do and a radar cannon...
hello Marc, I was reading up on your problem and I thought I would add my two cents, you could have a skewed T.C.C. valve. Thats the transmission converter clutch valve. It locks up the transmission torque converter to aid in fuel mileage at speeds below 40 mph. The unit is normally locked out of 1st gear. When it acts up it applies at the higher speeds but doesn't disengaged. I had a similar problem that you are experiencing with my wildcat and this is what was occuring. Its worth taking a look at anyway. Short of taking out the torque monster nailhead and replacing it with a chevy crate motor thats built for off the line acceleration, which no self respecting buick nut would do, thats all I can advise. Hope you get it running in tip top shape. regards Franz :beer
Hi Franz, Long time no hear... I had the transmission fully rebuilt when I did the motor; supposedly by an expert (an "old guy" who trained on these vintage things) - and I mean fully rebuilt. Everything should be good in there; - how did you go about and check this TCC valve? Where is it located in the transmission? Thanks,
Lock up torque converters didn't appear on GM cars until the late 70's. The '66 ST400 would have the switch - pitch converter. The pitch is controlled by an electronic solenoid in the transmission, but it's not a lock-up feature, the kind controlled by a Torque Converter Clutch solenoid.
I had the same thing done as you Marc, changed the original carb to the Q-Jet intake and carb. The Wildcat seems lighter to me, especially at low revs compared to the original setup, a bit more responsive. I'm not sure the switch pitch unit is working on mine though, and the kick down is not. Next thing I'm going to do is to just unplug the switch pitch cable and see what happens. If it feels the same then I know something is up with that.
You can crawl under the car with a 12V lead and touch it to the s/p terminal. You should be able to hear the solenoid "click" inside the transmission. If that works, the only other thing that I can think of that might prevent the s/p from working would be that the converter itself is stuck in one of the two positions. Who knows, you could have a short and your s/p is on constantly.
Thanks for all the input; - it really helped. I found that the linkage was a little out of whack, the secondaries weren't engaging fully, and I had to fine tune the carb a bit. It's working better now, -just in time to put it away for the winter. But it pulls a lot stronger now, and one can definitely hear the secondaries kicking in. It's still muted as compared to the old AFB which seemed a lot more "raw", but it pulls better with the Q-Jet on. I checked out the transmission, and it seems to be working fine. The switch-pitch is working like it should. It's funny; the more that car runs, the better it seems to get. I guess there still was some breaking-in to do.
