beemer nut is right, the experience i've had without the linkage attached is very quick upshifts(2nd, 3rd in about 70 feet with no hope for a downshift without doing it manually or stopping and restarting) and no passing gear. my transmission guy told me to be sure to reattach the linkage or the warranty is void. his explaination was there will not be enough throttle(load) pressure inside the trans and therefore real quick soggy upshifts which lead to excessive wear and heat buildup AND ALSO NO 1ST GEAR STARTS.

 

I'm amazed at how much debate this topic is generating. I recommend getting the right adapters through Edelbrock or Lokar, they're relatively low cost and you know you'll be downshifting when you need to.

I've added a picture in my gallery of my Lokar kickdown and throttle cables installed on my Edelbrock carb/460 motor. Cables were $54 and $40, respectively at Summit. 20 mins to install, 10 minutes to adjust. I also used the Lokar carb bracket for the trans cable and an upside down 5.0 EFI Lokar bracket for the throttle cable.

Special thanks to Ivan for helping me understand how to set up the trans cable.

__________________
stanz
74 Bronco Sport, 302 Stock
79 F250 Trailer Special, 460 4x4 Extend Cab

 

i almost hate to bring this whole topic back up.. but...

heres my situation... i just bought a 1979 F-250 SuperCab. truck has 460 with c-6. the 460 has a 1406 Edelbrock on top. i have read this discussion and a few others that seem related... so it got me to thinking.. on this truck, jutting up from someplace (i am thinking the trans) there is a copper colored rod with a flat end on it. that flat end has a hole in it.. this rod is not hooked to anything. i think it may have at one time been something that should have been hooked up to the carb. i recall seeing this rod on another Ford that i own. but that ford is an f-350 with a 351m and has a 2barrel stock carb. or did have. long story, just know that i am not the one that tore it all down...
all this being said do i need to find out if this rod is the "kickdown" rod? if so, i would like to have this connected.. i plan on doing a fair amount of pulling with this truck as well as a massive amount of driving around..i am mechanically inclined enough to do most things on these older trucks.. which is why i bought this one. i usually get a manual and go for it.. kind of teach myself type thing.. my manual doesnt show an Edelbrock.. so i need to ask.. i am not willing to take it anywhere to have something like this done. my hands, feet, and eyes work just fine so i can do it... i just need to know what it is that i am doing.. so if anyone can tell me about this "kickdown" rod or direct to me something that will inform me i would very much appreciate it..
dont be scared of my not knowing..generally, if i take it off, i can make it go back and work properly.. but i did not take this off.. someone else did...
also, that is why the f-350 is still parked in the barn..


to sum things up. 1979f-250. 460 with edelbrock. copper colored rod sticking up (currently it sits just under the airfilter and pretty much in the middle of the throttle linkage). how do i know if this is the "kickdown" rod. and how do i connect it. all help much appreciated...

 

I have been without the kickdown linkage on most of my c-6s for years with no damage.

on a gm trans its needed, and it will not shift without it, but on a ford, its simply to drop a gear under full throttle to achieve faster revving. shift actions are facilitated by the modulator, and the kickdown has no affect on normal up****s and downshifts. an engine without a lot of low end torque needs to downshift to get going, but an engine with a lot of low end torque can likely get along fine without having to rev to the stars.

 

Redneck'n
My advice to you is to read this thread and be objective in what conclusion you draw from the information.

It all comes down to how indisputable to you each bit of information is. Then decide what will work for you since only you know if you are capable of doing what is suggested.

 

Check with the Transmission forum.

 

Red Neck ....having a look at this pic should help you.
The kickdown rod is that thing that runs to the right side of the photo.
It cuts away before it ends.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=57563&width=0