Custom shifters and shift knobs? Kick it back.

Tag was gone, I took a pic of the ser # & pump code but forgo to check it out lol.....

 

Is it possible your uncle built it to 420 specs? Pop had an A model KW with a 350 converted to a 420 and it ran real good....

 

You know that is a very good question. I don't know anyone who has tried that. They just use the new style.
A friend has a ‘75 White-Westernstar that had a RTO125-13 in it with his original flat chrome knob.
He pulled a RTO146-13 out of a early ‘90’s IHC cabover. When he hooked the knob back up it wouldn't work. Trans stayed in dir all the time and when you split to od it would go into low.
We figured out that the newer slave valves accepted the air flow differently than the old ones. So we swapped the lines and bingo it worked.
Maybe give it a try when you got some time. It would be cool to be the first.

 

Yeah I thought about that but it starts way to easy and good and doesn’t lope and smoke like a 420 when cold.
I’ve been told by others that it has a distinctive sound that other 350’s don't have. I think it may be the pulse manifold and shwitzer turbo on it doing that.

 

Looks like cpl160 on pump tag
Cpl 160 is supposedly the best and most reliable 350 cpl they had. Thats what all 3 of his ‘74’s had.

 

I think I could get it to work, my only concern is, would I be able to operate all 18 gears? I know with a regular 13 spd knob, the hi/lo gear splitter is inoperable when the range selector is on the low side of the transmission. Whereas the 18 spd is operable no matter what range it's in. Do the old knobs operate the same way?

 

Wish someone would give that truck a new lease on life, he has a W900A setting there too with a factory KT450 in it. Wants to much in my opinion though lol....

 

How many lines do the 18 shifters use? The 3position 13 knobs use 3.
One is supply to main slave
One is for dir
One is for split to od
The 2 position use 2 with the range selector using 2. ( this may be the way to go) use range selector from low to high and have the 2 position knob ( or maybe 3 position but not use one of the positions) to split in low and dir for od.? Make sense?

With no air to 13 trans it will be in and stay in low only no matter what position the button is in. I have plumbed shutoff valves into the supply line to trans on a few trucks to stop the leak down of air when parked sitting. Most of the air loss on trucks is internally thru the trannies when parked. This also will not allow anyone who “borrows” the truck get very far cause it won’t go past 4 low.

 

IIRC, all the ergo-design knobs have the mechanical interlocks. I've not done it myself, but you can take them apart and grind off the locks. The older knobs would let you do whatever you wanted, and should shift an 18 just fine. Just chart the air flows and match them on the old knob.