Hey guys, long time lurker.

I have an 83 Camaro with an interesting conglomeration of parts that seems to only shift into 4th gear when I get it up to 55 or 60 mph. The only other peculiarity is that it also shifts into 2nd gear at around 20-25mph as well (and it's a HARD shift from 1st-2nd...I mean snap your head back, bawl a tire shift.) Previous owner says the hard shift has been there since he installed the tranny (several years ago.)

And when I floor the car, it doesn't kick down into a lower gear, but I suspect the kickdown cable just need adjusting (maybe? I took the carb off to rebuild it and perhaps in the reinstall it's not aligned right on the carb...)

Anyone have any idea what I can do to get this puppy shifting at lower rpms?

Here are the specs (per previous owners description):

1972 350 engine (with upgrades) I pulled it to get rid of the fuel injection that never seemed to work right and replaced it with a new remanufactured block with a carb system on it. I put in a Comp Camshaft, replaced the rockers and rods (nothing racing quality, just replaced them), Airgap Intake Manifold by Edlebrock and a 600 cfm 4 barrel carb by edlebrock, and FlowTech headers.
The engine has only about 17k miles on it
The Transmission came out of a 1986 Chevy Caprice
The front end of the car and the interior came out of my 1990 camaro that I totaled.
The heads were new but for an 83 305 engine.
It truly is a mismatched car but it works.
It has 3 inch exhaust from the headers, through the new catalytic converter (can't remember the brand, but it was a high flow racing style) to the Single 3 inch in flowmaster dual 2 1/2 inch out muffler (series 80, I believe).

 

sounds like it has a shift kit. but to tell you the truth, i wouldn't want my tranny shifting into OD any lower than 60mph because it boggs down the motor.

as far as the neck snapping shift, could be a product of the shift kit or a misadjusted tv cable( 700r4 doesn't have a kickdown cable) the tv cable directly controls fluid pressure in the transmission. if it is misadjusted, it can kill a tranny.

 

well, better to have a hard, late shift than an early, soft shift. if it was the other way around that tranny would been toast years ago.

whats your throttle cable, throttle valve geometry look like? typically you need a geometry correction bracket for aftermarket carbs. the TV cable needs pulled out faster off idle then slower once you get into the gas a ways.

check to make sure the tv cable is tight with the throttle at wot. make sure your gas pedal is fully opening the carb at wot as well, seeing things are no longer stock.

first and foremost, attempt to properly set the tv cable:
(depress button. push slider all the way to firewall. let go button, rotate linkage to WOT. listen/watch for the slider to click to position.)

I'm no tranny expert, but these are a few of the basics!

 

Never thought of it as a blessing! I suppose I was just worried that OD was shifting too late, and that it might be robbing gas mileage. (I'm between 14-15mpgs).

And the thought had crossed my mind that there was a shift kit in the tranny. But the previous owner didn't put one in it. What are the chances that it came out of the salvage yard this way!?!

Thanks guys....