Converter help

[440beep]

So I'm working on a new motor (500+ ci) for my '69 Bee and curious about the stall converter to use. The place building my tranny recommended a 3,800 stall for the car. I know nothing about stall converters and the 3800 stall kinda scared me, I was thinking more of like a 2000 stall since the 4:10 gear would get the motor in its power range quick. Here's some details:

- car is driven mostly intown ALOT
- occasional drag strip duty
- occasional highway driving (speed limited to 55mph cause of gear)
- 4:10 gear
- Six pack carb set up
- 2" headers - 3.5" collector - 3" full exhaust with 3" cutouts at collector
- Rear tires are MT ET street radials 275/60/15. Diamter = 28"

Cam details:
Edelbrock #2206 cam
Lobe separation angle: 112 degrees
Intake centerline: 107 degrees
Valve lift: 540/ 545 intake/exhaust
Duration @ .050: 240/ 248 intake/exhaust
RPM range: 1500-6500

Thanks very much for advice/thoughts.

 

[Greg Ducato]

With a 112 lobe seperation and over 500 cubes you can use a 2500 and be OK with this cam spec. If you want a bigger thrill go to a 9.5 inch 2800 stall it will still be very easy to live with in the car you are building.

 

[Propwash]

Just off the info you posted, 2000 would be awfully low for that motor. Maybe not as steep as 3800, but somewhere at or above 3000 would by my 2 cents worth. good luck.

 

[440beep]

I appreciate the advice guys!! And looking at the TCI and B&M websites, they too recommend at least a 3k stall converter. I'm just trying to understand how a 3800 converter would affect my normal stop light to stop light in town driving. Though I do view the stop lights as a track Xmas tree.

 

[Propwash]

Though I do view the stop lights as a track Xmas tree.

LOL! That's the spirit. Honestly your best bet is to call the torque converter folks Like Turbo, B&M, COAN, Dynamic...ect..ect.. and be completely honest with what you have and your intentions for the car and go from there.

 

[440beep]

Funny you say that. Coan's the one building my tranny and they recommend the 3800 stall. And I believe its a lockup stall, if that makes a difference.


And yes, I'm really bad sitting at the stop lights practicing my launches on the green.

 

[MikeyT]

I would no problem running a stall that larger or bigger. I ran a 4200 stall behind a mildly built 440 with headers, intake, shift kit and 3:91 gears. I drove it on the street and you never would of guessed it flashed to 4400, unless I told you, or were next to me in a spirited run... It was a 9.5 4200 stall from PTC and it made my car move low compression 440 went 12.8 at 107 mph in a 4050 lb car and driver.

Where issues arise is in the quality of converter. I would reccomend calling PTC and talk with them. They will makes suggestion on what converter.

Good luck
Mike

 

[RustyRatRod]

Here's the dealio. You're gonna have to be really careful choosing a converter. Your engine will turn a stock converter into a 2500. A 3500 into a 5000. Get where I'm goin? The more torque a converter sees, the higher it flashes. Just cause a converter manufacturer states a converter to be a "2500" doesn't mean squat. If you're really gonna limit your speed to 55 for the most part, you don't want the converter to still be slipping. You need it to be locked up.......at least as much as a converter will lock up. What I recommend you do is call PTC and talk to them. Tell them what you have and what you want. They will fix you up. ....and very reasonably I might add.

 

[bm02tj]

If you install a high stall converter and drive a low RPM cruise the heat from slippage will take your trani out

car weight gear ratio tire size and type and motor make a difference

 

[440beep]

I'm still so confused. With my current motor (have no internal details other than its a 440 Six Pack) and setup and I'm intown driving around at 40-45mph the RPMs are around 3k. When I nail it the car RPMs to 5k and shifts gears. I'm assuming it has a 1500 -1800 stall. So if I get a 3k stall converter for the new motor and the car is still cruising around at 3000 RPM intown is the converter going to be slipping the entire time? Or does will it be locked up at 3k?

 

[RustyRatRod]

Follow along with me once more. CALL the converter company. Tell them what you have and what you want and don't want. They will build you a custom converter that will meet your needs. Modern converters are capable of being tight on the street but can be designed to flash to whatever RPM you want when the hammer is dropped. Nobody here builds converters, so all of your questions are best answered by PTC, Coan or another converter company. When I worked at the trans shop, we used PTC because they have great products and service. That's why I recommended them. Internet forums are a cool place to hang but they can become your worst enemy because everybody has an opinion and they all want theirs to be right. That's why I recommend you call the experts. You'll get the information you're looking for.

 

[440beep]

My bad. I will talk with Coan again today since they have my tranny done. I just need to tell the guy to shutup and let me talk and to listen to what I'm saying. He gets off on tangents and it sucks.

 

[RustyRatRod]

It's ok. It's easy to get confused when everybody's throwin opinions at you. Just tell him what you want and don't want. ......hell, write it down so you will have it in front of you and won't forget anything. That way, when you get off the phone you won't be like "damn I forgot to tell him so and so". I've done it a million times. Good luck and let us know what he says.

 

[440beep]

Goin with the "converter specialist" recommended 3800 stall.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Cool. Sounds like a plan.

 

[440beep]

Yea, it makes sense when I think about it, and tried getting the guy to dumb it down for me.


But we shall see for sure in about a month when the new motor/tranny gets installed.