[yblock57]

I drug my butt off the couch last night and got the pressure readings on the thunderbird. As suspected, they're higher than the ranges specified in the book. The stall tests were low due to things binding at half-throttle due to the kick-down rod not moving enough. I made sure everything was up to temp before getting readings.

I rechecked the linkage adjustments before I started the test. The only thing I couldn't get in spec was the accelerator pedal height. Book says '57 thunderbird should be 4 7/8". I couldn't get any more than 3" with the adjustment set as far as it would travel. Not sure that matters much in the scheme of things but wanted to make a note of it.

Line pressure readings (psi):

Idle in drive — 80 — Book says 55-70
1k rpm in drive — 140 — Book says 80-85
Stall in drive — 150 — Book says 147-180 (not really full throttle as my linkage limits me around 1/2 throttle so this is probably a lot higher)
Stall in reverse —190 — Book says 194-216 (same as above)

Thought about dropping the pan but was too tired. Now that I have the numbers, that confirms what we talked about. I removed the kick-down rod from the transmission and measured 3/4" movement. I think it needs to move more. It would explain the linkage binding. I'll be looking closely at the 'L' bracket on the throttle body when I drop the pan.

This is starting to make sense. Trans is seeing too much pressure and shifting late because of it. Hopefully the 150ish miles put on it haven't damaged anything.