Amount of travel in 59 TV rod lever

[MY 59]

Hi all,
Just querying if anyone has the box out of their 59 or has in the past and is familiar with how much free travel should be in the TV rod lever before you feel it begin to take up the inside spring and move the plunger.
Just need to know what is normal
Thanks in advance, and I hope my query is clear and concise!

[Roger Zimmermann]

I overhauled many '56 to '63 Hydramatic transmissions, but I never measured that travel. Just by brain storming, the lever at the transmission should move about 90°, maybe a bit less: at the carb, from idle to WOT, the lever is moving about 90°. I don't remember if the radius at the transmission's lever is the same, you have to look yourself and compare…
It seems that my explanation above is not what you would like to know. Sorry, I don't have that answer.

[MY 59]

Hi roger, thanks for piping in

that is helpful and a good way for me to check total travel, good idea.

I figure that at WOT, the TV lever on the box should pretty much be at its end of travel also, so will see if that is the case as I feel I was not getting enough movement at the lever due to bent TV rod catching on AC idle up and bell housing, which I have only just noticed and rectified

[Roger Zimmermann]

Indeed the TV rod/lever is moving the lever inside the transmission (see the red arrow in the picture). By pushing the TV rod back (towards the rear of the car), that flat lever is resting to a built-in stop attached to the valve body. When you are pushing the gas pedal, that lever has some free travel until it is pushing the TV plunger towards the car's front. The out of shape TV rod cannot harm something inside the transmission.

[MY 59]

Thanks again Roger,

I have just wound up the TV rod up to take up the slack in the lever, as the lever on mine has an amount more travel than at the carb, and the car feels more lively with both up and down shifts
I spoke to an old school specialist in these hydramatics over east here and he said he would suggest as high of a TV pressure as possible but adjusting back to avoid late/high rpm shifts, so I figure equalising max throttle with max TV lever positions and working back from there.

My TV rod was hitting the AC idle up solenoid at about 70 percent throttle due to it being bent out of shape, so I was never even achieving wide open!

Is the lever a one position only on the spline or moveable? From what I see on my back under the car I think one position as I see both splined and flat sections on the stalk the lever clamps around making it position specific
Cheers Roger

[Roger Zimmermann]

The lever can just be inserted in one position as the splines at the shaft do match the ones from the lever.
The shop manual has a description to adjust the TV road at the carb.