200-4R behind a 250 c.i. I6

[slategrove]

For over a year now, I have left the TV cable tied off (just as the P.O. had it) so that I could "trick" the tranny into shifting...no more. A buddy of mine and I came up with a scheme to get the TV cable hooked up to my Rochester Monojet, so that I could actually rely on the tranny getting it's info from the throttle valve...shifting has never felt so RIGHT!!!!

[FLDBRED]

Great job!How do you like the tranny?What kind of MPG do you get?

[slategrove]

I like the tranny alot, and it makes driving 70 on the interstate a real breeze. From my calculations, I'm getting about 18 mpg (interstate) with the 250 c.i. I-6, Rochester Monojet, 200-4r, 3.73 posi rearend on 255 60 r15's.

[72BlckButy]

Good info, glad it worked out better for you.

[Mark B]

I am trying to figure out a similar swap. I have a 250 six and 3 speed on the tree and want to change to a 200-4r. Can you help me out with more information and pictures?
thanks
Mark

[raycow]

Now that is downright creative. What did you use for the intermediate cable?

Ray

[slategrove]

Originally Posted by Mark B

I am trying to figure out a similar swap. I have a 250 six and 3 speed on the tree and want to change to a 200-4r. Can you help me out with more information and pictures?
thanks
Mark

Mark: Let me know how I can help, and I'd be glad to attempt giving you the information that you're looking for.

Originally Posted by raycow

Now that is downright creative. What did you use for the intermediate cable?

Ray

Ray: the intermediate cable is a lawnmower choke cable. I did have to beef up the return spring on the carb, so that it would return to idle from wide open throttle, but it all works really good.

[R.L.]

This is what I did to get around the problem, I took her out for a spin yesterday and couldn't beleave how good it was to feel it shift smooth and at the right times. Hope the pics come out Okay, here goes.
[IMG]tv1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]tv2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]tv3.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]tv4.jpg[/IMG]

[Mark B]

R.L. Looks like you tried to attach something. Can you try again?

Stategrove: I am told a 3 speed auto column will work on the four speed trans? Know anything about that? What TV cable are you running? Did you consider a “700” trans at all? If so why did you go for a 200?

Have you got any more pics of your truck and engine?

Here’s mine..

[redbaron69]

slate, nice work on the cable. IL not NC??????

[slategrove]

Originally Posted by Mark B

Stategrove: I am told a 3 speed auto column will work on the four speed trans? Know anything about that? What TV cable are you running? Did you consider a “700” trans at all? If so why did you go for a 200?

Mark: My truck has the 3 speed auto column, and works great with the OD tranny. I bought the truck with the 200-4r already in it, but the previous owner had just tied the TV cable off to a bracket on the valve cover. I didn't know anything about it until I had pulled the valve cover to replace the gasket...when I put it all back together it wouldn't shift out of 1st...so I had to try to get it to shift by adjusting how much of the cable was coming out of the TV cable before it was tied off. A HUGE PAIN, especially since I was 7 hours from home at the time. I'm not sure of what TV cable it is, sorry.

From what I've put together, the 200-4r gives the overdrive (or 4th gear) which is an absolute bonus in these trucks, and can take some torque and a little beating as well. They came stock in 1980's Pontiac's, etc., behind both V-6's (and V-8's ?) so my thought is that this thing can absolutely take whatever it is that my 250 I-6 can dish out. And the gas mileage is pretty incredible on the interstate. This may have been what the P.O. was thinking when he decided on the 200-4r, but I can't be sure. There are some pics, below.

Originally Posted by redbaron69

slate, nice work on the cable. IL not NC??????

Red: I started graduate school at Illinois State University in August.




This is a pic of the engine when I bought it...you can see the TV cable coming up over the valve cover, where it was tied off on the other side of the engine...( I now have a leaky main seal and am trying to decide whether to fix it or drop a different engine in it) I love the simplicity of the I-6, but would sure love to have a little more power!


Here's a pic of the awesome seat cover that a friend of mine made for me...the truck came with the name "GUS", and since I wasn't about to change a 43 year old man's name...he has remained "GUS".


This pic is also from when I bought the truck, although not much has changed on the exterior.

[arkansas]

18mpg from a six is pretty good. I'm in the middle of rebuilding my truck now. It originally had the six with a T350 and only got about 12 mpg on a good day running about 3k on the tach at about 60 mph. I wonder if the TV cable from a 200 will fit the original kickdown bracket and setup for the T350.

[slategrove]

Since the 200-4r never came behind a I-6, to my knowledge there is no easily adaptable set-up...which is why I came up with the setup that I pictured above. Let everyone know if/how it works out for you.

I run at about 2200 rpm cruising at 70mph

[arkansas]

The setup you have created looks really good. I think the brackets I mentioned above are kind of hard to find and may not work at all with a modern AOD tranny anyway. Just curious if anyone had ever tried it. The bracket setup you did with the choke cable is nice and cleancut. Too bad there's not more places making brackets and such for the I-6.

[redbaron69]

good deal on the schooling... wondered were you been. looks like you making some good progress on the truck.

[GuyO]

Another thought is to take the cable bracket off of small blocks that bolts onto the coil holder mount on the intake maniford and bend so that it is perpendicular or 90 degrees to the I6. The offset lines up pretty well with the mono-jet throttle linkage. The modified bracket can be mounted on the I6 intake with a 3" muffler clamp!