Economan - you can hook a toggle switch up to 12 volts and then to the transmission and get the converter locked up in 3rd and 4th gears, In fact I was told that without the converter being locked up you only get partial cooling capibilities in a 700r4


Rick

 

He's right economan!!! The only thing to remember is if you forget to turn off the switch, the torque conv is still "locked up" and it'll be kind of like driving a stick shift and stopping without pushing the clutch. I will kind of "shudder" when you stop. Of course you could use a hot wire from a switch you put on your brake pedal and when you step on your pedal it would kill the power and disconnect the lock up convertor? That's kind of how it really works anyway. You'd have to have a "normally open" switch installed next to your brake light switch.

Having power going to one side of it, and comming out of the other side of it only when the pedal is "up" that way when you steped on the pedal, it will turn off the lock up power.

It's not exactly correct, as you'd still have to turn it on manually and you still really should turn it off except when your'e at HWY speeds.

GOD bless

 

Thanks Truxx, I have it installed in my truck thru the toggle then to a normaly closed brakelight switch then to the converter plug. I can send a diagram if you need it economan. Another addition you could add is a vacuum switch so the lock up cancels on acceleration. I think that piece is available still thru a GM parts counter. I might have a part # for that too. I did not use a vacuum switch and have had no problems without it and have not experenced any chugging , If I forget to turn it off when stopping, the converter only locks in 3rd and OD so when it downshifts it unlocks anyway.

 

ya....
don't wanna do the toggle thing..i'm to stupid , i'd be forever forgetting to turn it off whilst slowin down,
don't much matter for the time bein' anyways, tucked the truck into it's winter resting place in the corner of th garage for the winter this aft, hadta use the floorjack to swing it in nice n' tight to the econo, so's i can have nuff room to tuck the dailydriver diesel eurovan in so's i don't havta be sweepin snow offa it every morning, gotta couple payin' jobs to use the other (heated part) of the garage for the winter.
the bay here iced over this weekend and 25-40 cms of snow forecast 2nite.....yep
no old truck drivin till at least april, n'less we get a early spring in mrch.
mikie
near ottawa canada
58 merc panel, 64 econo p/u

 

"the bay here iced over this weekend and 25-40 cms of snow forecast 2nite.....yep "



YIKES!! I believe we had 81 degrees (F) here today with 4" of sunshine!

 

i have a 1960 f-600, get bout 7.5 Mpg

 

 

I wasn't serious about having plenty of power, I was being sarcastic. I speak sarcasim as a second language Actually my 305 has about 120 hp, and when you turn on the A/C, it has about 100. It runs 0-60............Eventually!!!! I'm thinking about changing the 3:25's out to 2:75's before I go to Pigeon Forge next year? You know I need to change something!!! I might put on one of them Holley Pro-Jection set-up's ?

 

My old flatty gets around 15 mpg with the 3.25 gears. I think that's pretty good. My 2003 Dodge, yes Dodge I'm ashamed to say, with all the modern technology only gets around 12 mpg for me. Granted it's a bigger truck with a lot more power and maybe I have a heavy foot sometimes but still. Maybe if the government is serious about fuel economy standards they should mandate everyone drive a vehicle at least 40 years old. No emissions etc. to screw things up.

 

Hi guys, not been round for ages, been busy building/finishing a new workshop.

This is a very interesting thread for me, my F3 is now a daily driver. I use it for work everyday now and have since about july. Its only 17 miles to work and 17 back, but with our petrol at £1.02 a litre at the moment (thats about $9.2 a gallon!!!!) it soon mounts up.
I checked my mileage and was getting an accurate 15 mpg best on a run. It runs a 223 straight 6 and the 4 speed truck box with the stock rear.
I have converted it over to run lpg so I'm now getting almost the equivilant of 30 mpg price wise (lpg is 51.9 pence or $1 a litre here at the moment).
I have just finished fabricating an adapter plate to fit a British (Bedford) 5 speed manual box, with an overdriven 5th onto the back of a flatty. That should be going in soon. This will give me full synchro on all gears, and a better ratio for long hauls.
This gearbox comes from a 3 ton truck and is a ZF box , apparently its good for about 500 hp (if I take it gentle, the box should be ok behind the flatty ....lol).
Paul.