Azure
Well-Known Member
I don’t participate all that much on this board, mostly because I don’t have much to offer with all the other people having much deeper knowledge on Mopars than myself, but I thought I’d offer this review of the Bouchillon Performance kickdown cable kit for 727 transmissions.
First off, the background. My car is 1969 Plymouth GTX with a 440 and 727TF trans. For induction, I’m running dual Edelbrock 1406 4bbl carbs on an Edelbrock manifold. I have fought the Lokar transmission TV cable system since I installed it. It seemed that no matter how I adjusted it I could rectify one issue only to create another. After years of occasionally tinkering with it I finally got it to a place where the trans shifted in the proper RPM ranges and would kickdown when the pedal was floored. The downside was that I would get an occasional 2-3 shift flare. This flare would improve as the trans came up to temperature but would never fully go away. I’d get the flare about 30-40% of the time. I was convinced that there was an out of adjustment issue on the trans. I combed these boards and the internet looking for advice, made several band adjustments, and although I was able to improve the shift flare, it never really went away.
Enter the Bouchillon Torqueflite kickdown cable kit. I’ve seen it on these boards and thought I’d give it a try before pulling the trans. I ordered everything from Bouchillon including their cable bracket and the linkage parts needed for the carb. It was not cheap coming in at about $270 shipped. As far as fitment, only a few minor issues. I needed grind down the tabs on the throttle cable bracket a little so it would fit the Edelbrock carb. The instruction note that this may be needed. A bench grinder and trial and error fitting made it perfect. The cable bracket under the car which bolts to the trans only cleared the floor pan by a skinny whisker, so I dimpled the floor pan just a touch. The throttle bracket set the cables a bit close to the firewall for my application. On a standard single 4bbl or six pack car this would not be an issue. Even with my car it works, it’s just a bit tight in there for cable routing. I could have split the bracket and bolted it back together to shorten it, but this would have pulled the cables out of alignment with the carb linkage. If you have a factory bracket that works well, keep it. If you have the Lokar bracket, like I did, pitch it and buy the part from Bouchillon.
The install took me about 3 hours. This is double what the instructions say it should take. I’m an aircraft mechanic, so I know my way around a toolbox. I didn’t find it difficult to install, but I wanted to be exacting, so I took my time with it. Now that I’ve done it, I could probably do it on a car without headers in about 1 ½ hours. My car has headers and they’re not fun to work around, but it is not unmanageable either. Just be patient.
So, how does it all work together? Excellent is the only way to describe it. Everything shifts where it should. Perhaps the 2-3 shift is a touch late at 45 mph under normal acceleration, I’d rather have it in at 40, but it’s certainly not out of line. The trans kicks down properly and most of all, the occasional 2-3 shift flare is gone… and I mean 100% gone. I couldn’t be any happier with the results and I didn’t pull a good trans for nothing.
So, in short, if you no longer have, or can use, the factory system, get the kickdown/TV cable set up from Bouchillon. Sure, it’s pricey compared to Lokar, but it works, and that’s what’s most important.
One last note. The cable is from an OEM application. I’m not sure which, but it is. It’s a quality part and should last a very long time.
First off, the background. My car is 1969 Plymouth GTX with a 440 and 727TF trans. For induction, I’m running dual Edelbrock 1406 4bbl carbs on an Edelbrock manifold. I have fought the Lokar transmission TV cable system since I installed it. It seemed that no matter how I adjusted it I could rectify one issue only to create another. After years of occasionally tinkering with it I finally got it to a place where the trans shifted in the proper RPM ranges and would kickdown when the pedal was floored. The downside was that I would get an occasional 2-3 shift flare. This flare would improve as the trans came up to temperature but would never fully go away. I’d get the flare about 30-40% of the time. I was convinced that there was an out of adjustment issue on the trans. I combed these boards and the internet looking for advice, made several band adjustments, and although I was able to improve the shift flare, it never really went away.
Enter the Bouchillon Torqueflite kickdown cable kit. I’ve seen it on these boards and thought I’d give it a try before pulling the trans. I ordered everything from Bouchillon including their cable bracket and the linkage parts needed for the carb. It was not cheap coming in at about $270 shipped. As far as fitment, only a few minor issues. I needed grind down the tabs on the throttle cable bracket a little so it would fit the Edelbrock carb. The instruction note that this may be needed. A bench grinder and trial and error fitting made it perfect. The cable bracket under the car which bolts to the trans only cleared the floor pan by a skinny whisker, so I dimpled the floor pan just a touch. The throttle bracket set the cables a bit close to the firewall for my application. On a standard single 4bbl or six pack car this would not be an issue. Even with my car it works, it’s just a bit tight in there for cable routing. I could have split the bracket and bolted it back together to shorten it, but this would have pulled the cables out of alignment with the carb linkage. If you have a factory bracket that works well, keep it. If you have the Lokar bracket, like I did, pitch it and buy the part from Bouchillon.
The install took me about 3 hours. This is double what the instructions say it should take. I’m an aircraft mechanic, so I know my way around a toolbox. I didn’t find it difficult to install, but I wanted to be exacting, so I took my time with it. Now that I’ve done it, I could probably do it on a car without headers in about 1 ½ hours. My car has headers and they’re not fun to work around, but it is not unmanageable either. Just be patient.
So, how does it all work together? Excellent is the only way to describe it. Everything shifts where it should. Perhaps the 2-3 shift is a touch late at 45 mph under normal acceleration, I’d rather have it in at 40, but it’s certainly not out of line. The trans kicks down properly and most of all, the occasional 2-3 shift flare is gone… and I mean 100% gone. I couldn’t be any happier with the results and I didn’t pull a good trans for nothing.
So, in short, if you no longer have, or can use, the factory system, get the kickdown/TV cable set up from Bouchillon. Sure, it’s pricey compared to Lokar, but it works, and that’s what’s most important.
One last note. The cable is from an OEM application. I’m not sure which, but it is. It’s a quality part and should last a very long time.