Manual valvebody and ratchet shifter or PCS?

I've been following a thread over on CompD about a manual VB and ratchet shifter on 5.9's, and its got me thinking. The little i've driven manual trucks(grown up driving manual equipment and all our vehicles are auto's) i love it. And i find myself playing with the push button shift in the newer D-max's i drive, or in my old Ford with the C6 i find myself shifting it a lot with the column shifter. So from what i've gathered i'd love a ratchet shifter, or something similar in my truck.

I know i've read before that Charles has a PCS and can shift manually, but i'm not sure if he has buttons or a rathchet/gate shifter. I've also read that art-carr had a manual valvebody/ratchet shifter available for the E4's, but they are now out of business. Other than that i haven't been able to dig up much info on it. Basically what i'm wanting is the ability to upshift/downshift myself, but i'd still like to be able to just put it in drive and let it shift itsself.

I will say it now, my tranny is out and needs re-built so i doubt i'd be messing with this anytime soon. I'm just interested in it and can't seem to find much info about it for our trucks.

IIRC the PCS offers a Paddle shifter setup

http://www.powertraincontrolsolutions.com/paddleshifter.php

That would be awesome! I would love one of those!! Mine has air bags though.

If you put a manual valve body in, you will no longer be able to just put it in drive an go. Thats why its called a manual valve body

I'm loving the paddle shifter. Just wish they made one for a truck with air bags. Anyone know of another option? If I find something I like for less than $700 or so I'll pick one up for scheids.

Well I found these guys. They have a wireless shifter about half way down the page for vehicles with airbags. Too bad you couldn't incorporate it with pcs's controller.

I would have to look at it but I bet with some modification, machining, adapter plates etc it can be made to fit/work with our steering wheels. It might not of course just depends on where the connection is in relation to dash and wheel etc

The local pulling truck I am wrenching on has a PCS controller and a toggle switch on the dash to go from full auto to manual auto. While in manual mode there is a handle out of a farm tractor mounted on the center console with a self centering momentary toggle switch. Bump the toggle one way for an upshift, bump it the other way for a downshift. It works great.

Hotrodtractor said:

The local pulling truck I am wrenching on has a PCS controller and a toggle switch on the dash to go from full auto to manual auto. While in manual mode there is a handle out of a farm tractor mounted on the center console with a self centering momentary toggle switch. Bump the toggle one way for an upshift, bump it the other way for a downshift. It works great.

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How much would you estimate the cost of parts would be for a conversion similar to that?

Considering that there isn't a manual valvebody available, that makes the choice simple....

I have been using a pushbutton up/downshift handheld module for a few years now, but I have a bumpshift joystick shifter that is the intended path. I had it done at one time but the servo I was planning to use flaked out at a true 12volts (13.8 to 14 or so) and I had to drop back and punt. I acquired a shift servo for an allison bus application that I plan to use but haven't had an opportunity to start back down that path again.

In my setup the bump shifter is bumped toward the front of the truck for shift down and rearward for shift up.

From the forward position (leaning left in the "D" position) it is pushed to the right where it detents to neutral, then farther detents again into reverse. From neutral a push forward detents it into park where it locks. I have to pick up on the knob while pulling rearward to get out of park.

Time is all that separates me from having that finished. Time to work on it...


On Edit:

This is a video of the shifter I spec'd. When in the far left position (Forward) if I bump it forward that's shift down, rearward is shift up. It simply sends commands to the PCS precisely as my pushbutton controller does now. It however also cycles that servo to push the valvebody through P, R, N, D as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udZmI7Lwq-E

neverkickn said:

How much would you estimate the cost of parts would be for a conversion similar to that?

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I didn't do the PCS setup on this truck - but I have helped on others. It would basically be the PCS computer, 4R100 wiring harness, a $5 toggle switch, and probably $100-$200 at an Ag dealership if you bought that exact handle new (just a guess), plus misc wiring, install time, and tuning.

Chuck - I've always loved that shifter setup - get on it and get it finished and installed! (OK maybe you should make your truck breathe again first...)

Charles that set-up sounds awesome! I really hope you get it finished, that'd be pretty sweet.

And HRT is it Taylor's truck or the other one, or another i haven't heard about? I wanna make it to a pull sometime and check it out.


Now if i had a fully built tranny(BTS) i would be able to downshift it like a new truck to engine brake without any problems, correct?

JD3020 said:

Charles that set-up sounds awesome! I really hope you get it finished, that'd be pretty sweet.

And HRT is it Taylor's truck or the other one, or another i haven't heard about? I wanna make it to a pull sometime and check it out.


Now if i had a fully built tranny(BTS) i would be able to downshift it like a new truck to engine brake without any problems, correct?

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You could downshift from OD to 3rd, then you'd have to pull the valvebody into 2 for coast clutch operation there, then pull it into 1.

You can't (that I know of) get coast operation in 1 and 2 without cycling the valvebody there.

JD3020 said:

And HRT is it Taylor's truck or the other one, or another i haven't heard about? I wanna make it to a pull sometime and check it out.

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I am talking about Taylor's truck - I'm not sure what you mean about the "other one"???

It worked great on the track - I hooked to the sled, put it into second using the manual shifter, tightened the chain, launched, shifted to third, bounced all over hell, got out of the throttle, got back in the throttle, downshifted to second, bounced like hell, and broke an axle shaft.

Hotrodtractor said:

I am talking about Taylor's truck - I'm not sure what you mean about the "other one"???

It worked great on the track - I hooked to the sled, put it into second using the manual shifter, tightened the chain, launched, shifted to third, bounced all over hell, got out of the throttle, got back in the throttle, downshifted to second, bounced like hell, and broke an axle shaft.

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I'm actually not sure what sure what i was thinking about. 10 hours of work on 4 hours of sleep is taking its toll.:blah:


And Charles do you happen to have a video of you driving and manually shifting your truck?

I think I may just do that! It sounds awesome! I'll research some more and see what else I can come up with, but I'm definitely doing that!

vanderchevy18 said:

I think I may just do that! It sounds awesome! I'll research some more and see what else I can come up with, but I'm definitely doing that!

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Yeah, i wanna do it someday but i gotta get a working transmission in the truck first. Be pretty cool and a useful little thing.

JD3020 said:

I'm actually not sure what sure what i was thinking about. 10 hours of work on 4 hours of sleep is taking its toll.:blah:


And Charles do you happen to have a video of you driving and manually shifting your truck?

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You can't see my hand I don't think, but in this video I am holding a small shift control box in my right hand on a tether making the shifts in full manual mode. Notice that when I snap the throttle early on over and over it never shifts. It's because it's in full-manual mode and I'm not commanding a shift. After the stop sign I eased out in 1st, then I punched it and shifted to second when it started spinning. This was long ago on 200% EDM nozzles. Excuse the choppy idle, I hadn't yet mastered low demand ICP at this point, lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWCSU7eeUCA



This is what the little remote I was using looks like:




Right button is shift up, left is shift down and the toggle.... toggles between auto and full-manual.

Hey charles. How much for you to set me up with something like that? Lol!