I'm reposting from the '67-'72 forum since I didn't get any bites there, and thought maybe I need the transmission experts .

I've got a '71 F100 Custom LWB. It has a 390 with a Holley 4bbl (Model 1850-6) and C6 tranny. The kickdown linkage was missing when I bought the truck. I bought a Lokar kickdown cable kit (P/N KD-20C6HT), but I'm having trouble figuring out how to get it properly installed. The instructions are of limited help, and I haven't found enough in the forum archives or on the Lokar website to get me past my issues.

My questions:

- How is the tranny-side cable kickdown lever supposed to be secured to the tranny kickdown arm? The arm has a short unthreaded stub that fits into the slot in the cable linkage, but I can't figure out what keeps it there if this is where it actually goes.

- Where exactly does the cable support bracket connect to the trans? My C6 has a square, vertically oriented slotted lug about 8" behind the shift/kickdown arm, but it seems that the support bracket should mount forward of the arm (i.e., toward the motor), and not back. Unfortunately, I don't see any easy mounting points forward of the arm.

- My throttle spring return bracket (the one that mounts on the manifold) doesn't look anything like the one in the Lokar instructions, so I can't see how the cable adjuster bracket connects to it. My bracket appears to be oriented 90 degrees from what would be required to enable the cable end to point in line with the carb throttle arm. Do I need to also buy the Lokar throttle cable bracket (P/N SRK-4000) to make this work?

So, of the 4 required connections, the only one I DO see how to do is connect the hex carb fitting on the end of the cable to the carb throttle arm.

Has anyone done this and can give me some guidance, or possibly send me digital pix?

Thanks,

Dave
Washington DC
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Those instructions suck don't they???

I'll try to get under the truck tomorrow and snap some pix of my install.

Just FYI, I also ended up using Lokar's return spring bracket mounted on the carb. More expensive but very nice and clean...

 

Hey Dave,

My pictures aren't that great but they may give you an idea. I flipped the kickdown arm on the tranny 180 degrees so it points down. I mounted the cable to the little tab on the tranny which you can see in the picture below. So now the cable pulls the kickdown lever up and back instead of pushing it down like the rod did:



Up at the carb I mounted it to the intake with the holes provided for cruise control. I've got a Holley carb so the kickdown pulls off the bottom of the throttle linkage. This can be changed though depending on your carb and linkage setup. I THINK I had to buy a part from Holley for this that cost me something like $10. So the cable on mine runs through the little grey platic part which has a bolt that goes into my linkage. Hope this helps a bit but if not let me know and I'll see if I can clear it up.

 

I am in the same freaking boat!! I look at the diagrams and they have a 3 piece carb bracket but the bracket only has 2 pieces, IT"S THERE BRACKET?? Pretty freaking vague. I am using my stock kickdown cable for now. Just had to chim in on the Lokar instructions.
Al

 

I've got a few different Lokar cables and the instructions are always vague. It's really not too tough to figure out if you carefully place their instructions in the trash and go about figuring it out yourself.

 

Thanks for the excellent responses and pictures. I sent the same set of questions to Lokar Tech Support, and got the following response:

#1 - The unthreaded stub you refer to should have threads on it. CHeck to see if it is broken.
You must have threads for a nut to hold the arm on. The arm must point down.

#2 - The lub you mentioned is the place to anchor the cable bracket. The cable pulls the arm. If it is mounted forward it would be necessary to push the arm and that is not possible with this cable.

#3 - You are on the right track with the SRK-4000 bracket. It will make things much easier. If you do not want to purchase this bracket, you will have to adapt our cable to your stock bracket on the manifold.

So from your pictures and the response from Lokar, I'm concluding that:

- My kickdown arm may be damaged or incorrect, because it's definitely not threaded. So I guess I'll need to replace the arm or figure out a way to secure the Lokar lever to it some other way, e.g., by drilling a hole for a cotter pin to retain it.

- The slotted lug I identified 8" behind the kickdown/shift arm is in fact the right place to mount the cable support bracket.

- I really need to buy the SRK-4000 bracket unless I want to get into some pretty ugly reworking of my existing throttle spring return bracket.

Not exactly as straightforward as I was hoping when I bought the Lokar, but probably not so bad. Considering the bargain price I just paid for this truck, and the otherwise awesome condition it's in, I really can't complain too much

Thanks again for the great feedback.

Dave

 

Dave, can you snap a picture of your carb linkage from the side so I can take a look at it? Also did you get the little grey plastic bracket that says "Lokar" on it with your cable? It shouldn't be too tough to make it work up at the carb if you can mount it up at the tranny.

 

Sure. I'm out of town until Monday, but will post a picture when I return. My cable does have the grey plastic Lokar bracket on the end, but that's the one connection among the 4 that I didn't have a problem with. It's the throttle spring bracket that bolts to the manifold that doesn't seem to be workable with the Lokar cable adjuster (i.e., the piece just upstream of the grey plastic piece).

Dave

 

Here's some pix of my setup: