Technical Dodge/mopar 318 question

Summit posted info that cyl wall wear is 3X higher with a 160 vs 180-195.

 

Yes, George beat me to it. Change the thermostat. A 160 doesn't belong any where near a Mopar motor, ever!
And get that trans kick down on there ASAP. Gene

 

For my kick down linkage, I used a LOKAR cable linkage. I have a 318/904 combo.
Has worked well for 20 years.

 

Just ordered the lokar kick down cable kit. Should be able to get a thermostat locally.
Thanks for your input

 

Ok - kick-down cable installed - followed directions - open throttle max - pull cable and tighten. Now shifts from 1 to 2 at about 20mph!

Does that sound right?
Also removed and covered egr(?)

Appreciate the help

 

Also the gas pedal now takes a little more effort ? Is that normal or do I have it too tight on the lockdown?

 

Is that 1-2 upshift at light throttle, heavy throttle, somewhere inbetween? If not adjusted properly, or even if adjusted to factory specs, Torqueflites tended to have an early, soft 1-2 upshift at light throttle. Behind a slant six or smaller V8 in a heavier vehicle they weren't fun to drive.

An auto tech instructor from years ago (Thanks again, Sam!) always taught us to adjust the kickdown so that it was at its full travel when the throttle was wide open. Which sounds exactly like Lokar's instructions.

 

Between medium and heavy throttle.

 

Good day - put the plates on and reg sticker and took it for its first drive on some backroads. Shifts 1 to 2 at about 20mph and into third at around 50mph. In both cases with accelerator pressed. Overall tracks straight - handles well. Still tuning and adjusting- but a good day!
Inspection next week if all goes well I can start driving it more and workout the bugs.
Being a novice at this it’s a little nerve racking the first few times I hit 50+. Hoping all bolts and welds are solid!!!!!!!!

 

Do you know what year your Torqueflite is? Earlier models required W/O throttle to enable p***ing gear automatically when in drive.

Later models ('71 or so?) added a "part throttle downshift" feature which provided an automatic 3-2 downshift without requiring W/O throttle application. It made the car much more well mannered and fun to drive for normal street driving with leaving the transmission in "D". Mopar used to service an upgrade kit that added the part throttle operation to the earlier Torqueflites but you'll probably have to hunt a bit to find the kit now, if you're interested.

If the automatic 1-2 upshift, in drive, happens at 15-20 mph at 1/3 to 1/2 throttle I'd say you're in good shape. Starting out from a red light at light throttle, things felt pretty sluggish if they upshifted to 2nd halfway thru an intersection.