Electrical: '51 o.d. kickdown switch

[dstude]

My '51 Champion is missing the o.d. kickdown switch on its 170. That is, unless it's hidden some place I can't see it. My only experience with one was on an OHV Rambler six and it was mounted on the intake manifold and tripped by a metal tab on the throttle linkage. I would think this one would be mounted to the cylinder head but there isn't even a bracket remaining, if that's where it was.

Can someone tell me where the switch was mounted and how it was tripped? The shop manual didn't really help, other than to verify that there should be one.

Thanks.

[jclary]

How 'bout taking some pics of your fuel linkage from the firewall to the carb and posting it. If yours is complete and was originally set up for an overdrive-equipped car, the bracket should be there. It is possible, that someone has added an overdrive transmission and not added the appropriate linkage to complete the job. If you need me to, I can take a pic of mine and post it, but it will take some time for me to get the pics.

[RadioRoy]

The chassis parts catalog shows this in detail.

[altair]

I don't know how your 51 is configured but this is a bracket for a 54 that screws to the firewall.

[52-fan]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]74803[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]74804[/ATTACH]I don't know how your 51 is configured but this is a bracket for a 54 that screws to the firewall.

The 51 mounts just like that on the firewall.

[dstude]

Got it! After the mention of the chassis book, I saw where the switch was located on the linkage--nowhere near where I expected it to be. The switch and wiring are in place and seem to be in good condition so I'll just have to fool with the adjustments. I think it's mainly the thickness of the carpet and padding that is keeping the throttle from being able go down far enough to press the kickdown switch. An easy fix. Thanks for all the help

[jclary]

Just a quick note about the kick down switch. You will notice that it threads into the bracket and is locked down with a jam nut. Once you find the "sweet spot" where the linkage will contact the switch plunger, the adjustment gets pretty touchy. Too far away, and it won't engage. Too close, and sometimes, it will kick down when you hit a small bump in the road when you don't expect it. Sometimes it takes only a tiny twist to make a big difference. Good luck and let us know when you get it right.

[rockne10]

When I got my '60 Lark VI it only had a straight 3-speed. The throttle bell crank had the bracket for mounting the kick down switch but it didn't have the tab that would engage the switch when you stepped on the throttle. Weird. Anyway, when I installed the Overdrive I welded a piece to the bell crank shaft and the problem was fixed.

[BRUCESTUDE]

I just adjusted one of these switches on a friend's '52 Champion. For some reason both the throttle lever (attached to the bottom of the gas pedal) and the tang that operates the kick down switch were bent so no contact was being made. I replaced the throttle lever with a spare and bent the tang so it worked as designed. Yes, the switch was threaded all the way into the bracket.

[52-fan]

My dad had a nearly new 50 Champion and complained that it was slow to accelerate for passing when in overdrive. He did not realize it had a kick down switch. After it was adjusted correctly he was much happier.

[NCDave51]

See if these installed pics will help. These were taken moments ago on my '51 10G-W5. Switch functions great - makes OD so much more practical.

Dave