well it looks like my 67 lesabre has a th400 in it. im pleasantly surprised. however, my kick down switch was removed some time ago because it went out. i still have the original piece. does anyone know where i can get a replacement and maybe an install diagram? thanks alot!
http://mrbuick.com/misc.htm It bolts on with 1 bolt, and you plug it in. You don't need a diagram. Why don't have a chassis manual for your car? It should have been the first thing you bought.
For '67 the detent ("kickdown") switch is not at the accel pedal under the dash like the later models...it sits next to the carb and is also part of the variable pitch function along with a microswitch on the firewall linkage which keep high stall whenever the throttle is closed. I scanned this image from the manual awhile back showing the ST300 linkage, which should be the same setup for ST400: http://home.comcast.net/~shinzan/ST300_linkage.jpg There aren't any aftermarket sources for the setup that I know of, unfortunately. Devon
Glad to help. I only use the original switch on the firewall linkage which gives me high stall whenever the throttle is closed. Perfect for the big cam at a stoplight. I use a microswitch on the column shifter for high stall when pulling away. With this much cam the engine likes to spin up a bit even at part throttle cruising. Low stall is just too tight at low engine speeds. Devon
can you explain what you mean by stall. sorry im not to hip on all the tranny terminology, im still trying to understand them.
Perhaps you should read up on what a switch pitch transmission is if you don't know what stall speed means. http://www.buickperformance.com/switchpitch.htm
And then torque converters and stall speed. http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/0808rc_torque_converters/index.html
those were great reads. Thank you Larry. I read that i dont have to have a switch near the carb but rather add one to my dash somewhere. i need to figure out how to do this, i would like the lockup to work again on this car. So the main thing about these trannys is that it has the switch near the carb, other than that its pretty much a straight foward tranny, shifting twice?
Simple toggle switch. One wire goes to 12 volts (off the fuse block). The other wire goes to the horizontal connection at the transmission.
so after reading, maybe you can clarify, a switch pitch trans 1. able to angle itslef accordingly 2. has an additional gear that prohibits the engine and trans from slipping at higher rpm's my grandpa, Original owner, said the switch was used for passing cars, leading me to believe it was like and overdrive? If i wanted to increase cruising speed efficenecy on the highway could i engage the switch at 65mph? thanks again
It's not an added gear. The torque converter has 2 stall speeds. You get the combination of high stall and low stall in 1 converter. High stall gives better acceleration from a dead stop (if you have enough traction). Low stall is better for cruising. Less heat in the fluid, and better gas mileage.
so i can engage the elcrical switch whenever i want really? or leave it on all the time? sorry im a little confused, obviously... ha
It isn't meant to be left on (hi stall) continuously. But you can go back and forth. cruising should be in low stall. If you are confused, go back and read the articles again. Or, you can Google "switch pitch transmissions" and read some more.
one last question before i dive into google hi-stall (switch engaged) low-stall (switch off) correct?
