[Big Cole]

Had a 700R4 installed in my 69 Chevelle with a 2200-2500 stall converter and have noticed multiple issues. The tv/throttle cable seems to be set up incorrectly. I know there are kits that you can use to make the tv/thrtottle cable setup process much easier...its safe to say one of these kits wasn't used. The main issues i've noticed are that the transmission wont shift down when i put my foot in it. The car also seems terribly sluggish. With the Th350 I was able to smoke the tires at will. With this tranny I cant even get the tires to break loose on the pavement. Let me know what you think. Should I purchase the correct brackets for the tv cable and give this a try or is it possible that the tranny that was installed is just garbage?

Pictures of the tv setup are listed below
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff212/unclegreeley/IMG_0624.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff212/unclegreeley/IMG_0622.jpg
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff212/unclegreeley/IMG_0623.jpg

 

[twotone64]

the bracket isn't necessary as long as the radius of the TV pin is correct. The distance from the center throttle shaft to the pin should be @1.125" Here is a website detailing this information. The bracket that Holley makes is great, it takes the guess work out of it. You may check out the bowtie overdrive website as well. I have a sluggish trans as well, and the shift points are wrong, I have to swap out some parts, including going to an aftermarket torque converter. Hope this helps.

http://www.rowand.net/Shop/MetalShop/ThrottleValveCableBracket/index.htm

http://www.rowand.net/Shop/MetalShop/ThrottleValveCableBracket/TVCableInstructions2.jpg

 

[Nightmare]

One thing to try is to manually shift back to first and nail it to see if you get lots of smoke. When you have first manually selected the TV cable is rather unimportant; the boost valves will kick in and drive the pressure up to the max and the transmission will be in first gear. If your car still doesn't take off like crazy then it isn't just a matter of TV cable adjustment.

You will want to use the Sonnax bracket to mount your TV cable on the carb to give you the right movement on the TV cable. The Bowtie Overdrives web site does have some good information for setting up the TV cable. They also sell a more advanced kit for hooking up the TV cable, which may do a better job than the Sonnax bracket, but the transmission should work reasonably well with just the Sonnax bracket.

 

[brimac]

As mentioned, the Bowtie Overdrives TV kit, is probably the best solution for precise adjustment. That's the route I took. Before my current engine, I ran a mild 350 with S/R Torquer heads. When I switched from the Th350 to the 700R4, w/2000 stall... it really woke up the El Camino, with it's 3.42 gearing.

I'd get the TV adjustment straightened out first. If that does not fix all your problems, at least you'll know the TV issue is taken care of, and not damaging the trans. Personally, I would not continue to drive, as is, .... because the wrong TV adjustment, can toast a trans quickly. Is this a new or used 700? There's always the possibility that something is not right with the trans itself.

 

[Big Cole]

I went ahead and ordered the necessary brackets. This tranny was supposed to be freshly rebuilt with a B&M shift kit. The prior TH350 would bark the tires when shifting into second from first gear and I expected at least the same type of hard shifting from this tranny. Guess I'll know more when the tv cable is set up correctly. I'm definitely not going to drive the Chevelle until the tv cable is corrected.

 

[zeke67]

Once you get your brackets installed, verify that the plunger (inside the pan) is fully depressed at WOT. The brackets get the geometry right, but you need to check and be prepared to adjust the overall inner cable length.

 

[buddyholly]

How about a little more info on the tranny? Where did you get it and who rebuilt it? The B&M shift kit is not a good choice for the 700's so that is the first red flag.
The downshift issue may be in the valve body, not the TV cable.
The 700 is a very different animal than the 350. Huge jump from 1st to 2nd makes for a huge rpm/torque drop off so tire chirping may not be as easy. Getting the 700 to hit hard from 1 to 2 is not too difficult, good 2-3 shifts are much trickier.
Any idea what 3-4 clutches or pump mods? Lock up converter?

 

[Brotherjoe]

Let me start by saying I am NOT a transmission expert.

But, I did do the same swap in my 71 and I did rebuild my trans by myself. Not just a shift kit but a complete rebuild. I've got 2 seasons of hard driving and tons of miles on the rebuild and my car will incinerate the tires shifting to 2nd with 295's on the back!

One of the biggest concerns with the 700 is TV adjustment. There is a way to do it correctly. After you get the correct brackets (don't get the chrome adjustable piece of crap auto parts places sell). You can adjust the TV cable.

I installed a TRANS-GO shift reproggraming kit in my unit. It was called the "BOOT STRAP KIT" or something. Heres how they explained to adjust the cable................(If any trans gurus out there disagree please speak up. I am not an expert, but I think the durability of my transmission speaks volumes)

With the car OFF, have a buddy hold the gas to the floor WOT.
Then adjust the tv cable so it is pulled tight as can be. That is your MAXIMUM adjustment.
Then you need to drive the car, basically as slow as possible in 3rd gear(it is very important to be going SLOW, as slow as possible in 3rd)
Then stomp on the gas pedal. What your looking for is the 3rd to 1st gear down shift(it is one of the best features the 700 has)
Moving two clicks at a time on the cable adjuster, loosen/lenghten the cable until this 3rd to 1st downshift stops happening.
Once you find where it stops, move it back to the LAST POSITION that it occurred and that is you MINIMUM adjustment.
You can then safely move it anywhere b/t the MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM to tailor the shift to your liking without harming the trans.

 

[crookedbowtie]

I used the Bowtie overdrives TV made easy kit on my ol d Chevelle. Those trannys with a carb are still touchy, but are awesome once you get them setup.

 

[Big Cole]

I received the parts today and will install then tomorrow. If i'm not 100% confident that I've set this up properly I'll just have the Chevelle towed to a tranny shop in Charlotte that has experiencing with this type of adjustment.