Hey Scotty!
A little over a year ago I bought a 1986 Chevy C10 Longbed, which is hopefully old enough so that you won't hate me for buying a Chevy!
The mileage is unknown, but at this point I have replaced or repaired enough stuff to where I could practically call it a brand new truck. When I first bought it, the transmission just felt ROUGH (slipping, grinding, nothing good). I managed to drive it from Ohio down to Florida but then the transmission gave out a couple months back, so I had to get it rebuilt. It is a 700r4 transmission with a small block 350 engine.
The problem is, it shifts pretty hard from 1st to 2nd gear. The internet has a lot of conflicting information on whether or not this is normal for this transmission. Some people say they end up in 3rd gear before getting through the intersection after stopping at a red light, and some people say that they get going up to 20m.p.h before that first shift. My truck shifts hard from first to second at 10 m.p.h. I would really like to know your opinion on the matter!
P.S.: I don't know if it will be relevant, but since purchasing the truck I have gotten a new brake system, a new fuel system, new ball joints and shocks, new a/c system, new battery, newish engine (350 replaced the factory 305 and current engine has just under 7,000 miles), new starter, and of course the transmission was rebuilt less than 200 miles ago. The only work I didn't do myself was the transmission and the brakes.
sounds like the rebuilder didn't do a very thorough job
Does the 700r4 have a throttle cable that controls shift quality (adjusts hydraulic pressure according to throttle position), sometimes referred to as a "kickdown cable" or TV cable? Actually I just did a search and like many old-school hydraulic-controlled transmissions looks like it does. Proper adjustment of this cable is critical to proper operation and long life of the transmission so you might want to check it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqh1oH8mEqY
Yes there is a TV cable but I am mostly concerned about the conflicting information. I don't want to try messing with this if it isn't actually a problem, as some people seem to think it is not a problem but a quirk of this model transmission.
I have not owned a vehicle with that particular transmission but have owned and worked on many with kickdown cables over the years, including some that I currently own. The adjustment is critical. Even being off a small amount can have a very noticeable effect and can negatively impact transmission life. Remember, there are no sensors, and no computer modules controlling shifting. Everything is controlled hydraulically and that cable tells the transmission how much hydraulic pressure to apply while shifting depending on how much throttle is being applied. So if you have a shift quality problem it's a place to start that does not involve major disassembly - a case of checking the easy stuff first. Certainly making sure the cable is properly adjusted will not hurt anything.