I have noticed a number of well built cars and trucks running C4 Ford transmissions with no kickdown of any kind hooked up. Some of the cars (and trucks) I am talking about have been finished builds and on the road for years. I know the original factory setup is a rod and I have seen kickdown cable kits by Lokar for the C4. So, what's the deal ? Will the C4 operate properly without the kickdown linkage installed ? Anyone with any real world experience in this ? If I don't need it I won't bother with it Here is one that has been on the road since 2005, I don't see a kickdown.
You can drive them without a kickdown. They have a modulator and a governor. You can manually shift it down. You can install a shift kit.
My C-4 would shift way too early without the kickdown hooked up...so, I added one and now it shifts like it should...
The C4 is a great trans and can be one of the best trans for racing as well . That trans has been around forever and that is where the AOD came from . The C4 can be driven with out a kick down if you really don't want one and it will not hurt that trans one bit . It's only used for a passing gear so you can just shift by hand anytime you want to drop into second gear . Personally I would hook the kick down up either by the factory set up or by a Locar cable . Both work well . Retro Jim
Blue one, Just wanted to say I own a (OT) '66 Mustang with a C-4 and you cannot see the kick down just looking for it at the carb. It is a cable hooked to the throttle linkage rod down around the toe board. (I hope that makes sense) But if you get under the car its easy to see and identify. I don't know how long Ford used that set-up but mabey that is what you are seeing,at least on some cars. Normal Norman
i don't know if this makes a difference or not but, on my race car i just made a rod and attached to a bracket on the bell housing and it holds the shift down lever on the trans in the same place. in other words the lever doesn't move. i have been racing this car for 16 years and have never had to work on the trans. oh ya, i shift it in all three gears when i race. i can't remember ever shifting down to second in the 1/4 mile though. haha
I put a 302 into a 65 Comet ex 6 banger C-4 and was not able to use the linkage.The car has been on the road about 6 months,no issues,if you need 2nd you just pull it down. ROY.
To answer your question, It will shift just fine (automatically), no need for a kickdown. Here's the how and why: Ford, unlike Dodge and gm, don't really need a kickdown or "TV" cable. Ford uses vacuum and a modulator to signal transmission load. -Hook the modulator up to the wrong style of vacuum source, and it shifts to early. Hook it up correctly and it shifts according to the engines needs. Which handily lets it shift along pretty well perfectly every time you accelerate ...Except when you want to stick your foot in it, which means you now have the ability to select your own personnel shift points by shifting manually, and you will . It s a perfect win win situation, the tranny is happy all the time even when// if you are always 'adjusting' the shift points manually. -GM should take note. .
The "kick down" cable is not the same thing as a TV cable. All it does in cause the transmission to down shift for improved acceleration. A TV-throttle valve- cable controls shift points by controlling a valve in the valve body that regulates pressure. Also, maybe nit picky but, there is no such thing as "Passing Gear"! It is just a down shift.
Whether you need a kickdown will depend somewhat on which C4 you have. If you have the 'SelectShift' (D, 2, 1) version you can manually select each gear for passing, it just won't downshift if you nail the gas. But if you have a early 'Cruisomatic' version (D2, D1, L, used in '64-65 for sure and maybe into '66) downshifting gets more complicated and kickdown linkage will be a help. In these D2 starts in 2nd gear, not low. Use D1 and it will now start in first. Select low and it stays in low until you upshift. But downshifting when moving is different. If you're in D2, pulling it down into D1 won't do anything. Pull it into low and it will manually downshift but which gear you get (low or 2nd) will depend on road speed so it can be a bit of a crapshoot. Summit sells a Lokar kickdown linkage copy for a reasonable price (as far as I can tell there's virtually no difference) that works well and restores 'passing gear'. I'll note that my avatar has the Cruisomatic version and it was several years before I figured that out. The OP used a SelectShift shifter and I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't downshift when pulled into '2'. I just thought it was a bit of a dog away from a stop, once I figured it out and use D1 it's a whole bunch quicker.... LOLOL Actually, the AOD was based off the FMX, not the C4.
I can report now that I have had my RPU on the road since spring. My C4 is a 1973 unit from a V8 Maverick. It a D,2,1 version. I have a gennie shifter on it and don’t miss the kick down at all, glad I didn’t bother with it. If I drop it down to 2nd and open up the end Strombergs on the tri power the RPU will really get up and go. Even without the drop in gears the Y block has plenty of power. I can drive it like normal in drive or start out in 1st and shift it manually
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