Transmission / Overdrive: Powershift and 1st gear start...?

[jackb]

Does the Powershift start in 2nd gear when selector placed in "D" ? Will a 1st start valve body work in a Powershift tranny ?

[63 R2 Hawk]

Yes, starts in 2nd gear, FOMs in 6 cylinder cars used a 1st gear start. You can add a 1st gear start valve body, I don't know what's involved in the installation, but there's one for sale on the Studebaker Swap page http://www.studebakerswap.com/swap/showads.php

[studebaker-R2-4-me]

Yes, starts in 2nd gear, FOMs in 6 cylinder cars used a 1st gear start. You can add a 1st gear start valve body, I don't know what's involved in the installation, but there's one for sale on the Studebaker Swap page http://www.studebakerswap.com/swap/showads.php

It's for a Flightomatic not a Powershift, a totally different animal.

I really don't understand why you would want a 1st gear start in a powershift anyway? The powershift was designed to mimick 4 speed shifting in an automatic. Kind of takes the fun out of driving a performance automatic car doesn't it? I can't say I ever drive my cars from a stop position in "Drive" and always operate both cars going through the gears .

If you are concerned about shifting a powershift into reverse by accident while in forward gear, Dave T-Bow has a slick addition that I have installed in both powershift cars that I own to eliminate the possiblity of doing so. It is an L-shaped tab installed on the shifter where one has to press the black button to be able to shift into reverse. Well worth installing on any powershift car.

Allen

[StudeRich]

The main reason the 1st. gear start Flight-O-Matic valve body would not work is the completely different 6 Position shift pattern, P R N D 2 1 in the P/S vs the FOM P N D L R.

[64Avanti]

You need to use a FMX valve body, modify the case to use the vacuum modulator used in the FMX transmission and use a FMX detent. Or you can use the complete FMX transmission with the Studebaker input shaft.