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Help with converter selection

BPBP440

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So, now that you guys helped me decide to stick with my current cam, I need to choose a converter. Again, this car will be driven on the expressway a fair bit, plus cruising with family. Engine specs below. Currently a 2.94 gear, hoping to upgrade to a 3.23 suregrip soon. The coverter now appears to be a 3000 stall, which coupled with 2.94 and the previous 7.65:1 CR took quite a bit of throttle to get moving. Can anyone recommend a converter which will be good for my street cruiser+highway, without spending a bunch-o-cash?

View attachment 111919
 
Yup. Get a reman factory high stall unit from Dacco.
Rusty - How will I know it is a high stall? 10 3/4", or is there a different identifier? Roughly what stall would that be (realizing the exact stall is torque dependant).
 
If it's a factory unit, it will have "HS" stamped on it. Hell, I went back and looked......you said you're going to a 3.23, right? Put a stock converter in it. It will run great.
 
If it's a factory unit, it will have "HS" stamped on it. Hell, I went back and looked......you said you're going to a 3.23, right? Put a stock converter in it. It will run great.

Correct. I will go to a 3.23 suregrip eventually, but will be sticking with the 2.94 peg leg for a bit until I find the right pig.
 
A stock b-b conv. is some where round 1800 maybe a little less! A small block conv. on a b-b will give you around 22-2400
 
What size rear tires are you gonna run? You probably only need a stock converter. You don't want the converter slipping going down the road in high gear producing a lot of excess heat and losing a lot of what could be going to the road. Mild street applications like this are actually tougher to choose a converter for because of that. Something with a 4.10 gear is gonna more easily have a converter locked up at highway speed. Most people figure cruising speed at 65 MPH, but the truth of it is on a street car, that averages out much less. So keep that in mind. I always figure 50-55, because I invision cruising with some other cars like going to a car show for instance. With gas 4 bucks a gallon, how ofter are you really gonna cruise a car that gets barely double digits at 65 MPH? With a 27" tall tire, I come up with 2683 RPM at 65. SO, what will it be at 55? 2270. I'm not too sure you want a 2400 stall converter in that application. MoPar converters are loose compared to other makes to begin with. A stock converter stalls at around 1700 RPM and the factory high stalls were about 1000 over that. Also, it will be more snappy right off the line with a stock converter and that highway gear because the converter will be closer to lockup. I'm not trying to talk you into anything.....It's your car. Put what you want in it. Maybe if you were going with a 3.55 I would say a 2400 or 2500 would be good. I just don't think you need it.

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A stock b-b conv. is some where round 1800 maybe a little less! A small block conv. on a b-b will give you around 22-2400

So why is more better with his combination?
 
What size rear tires are you gonna run? You probably only need a stock converter. You don't want the converter slipping going down the road in high gear producing a lot of excess heat and losing a lot of what could be going to the road. Mild street applications like this are actually tougher to choose a converter for because of that. Something with a 4.10 gear is gonna more easily have a converter locked up at highway speed. Most people figure cruising speed at 65 MPH, but the truth of it is on a street car, that averages out much less. So keep that in mind. I always figure 50-55, because I invision cruising with some other cars like going to a car show for instance. With gas 4 bucks a gallon, how ofter are you really gonna cruise a car that gets barely double digits at 65 MPH? With a 27" tall tire, I come up with 2683 RPM at 65. SO, what will it be at 55? 2270. I'm not too sure you want a 2400 stall converter in that application. MoPar converters are loose compared to other makes to begin with. A stock converter stalls at around 1700 RPM and the factory high stalls were about 1000 over that. Also, it will be more snappy right off the line with a stock converter and that highway gear because the converter will be closer to lockup. I'm not trying to talk you into anything.....It's your car. Put what you want in it. Maybe if you were going with a 3.55 I would say a 2400 or 2500 would be good. I just don't think you need it.

Thanks for the details Rusty, knowing the factory stall versus factory high speed stall helps me. Attached is what I had calculated as FDR vs RPM at 65MPH for my vehicle. Go slower than 65MPH in rush hour on I-75 and you can be crushed.
FDR vs RPM.JPG
 
How does the converter diameter come into play? I am also planning on a slightly more than stock converter around 2200rpm with 3.55's and 28" tall rear tires on my 451. I see you can get anywhere between 9.5"-11" I think in that rpm range. Least that's what I thought I heard.
 
It doesn't play much of a role at all anymore. Diameter has little to do with converter stall speed with modern converters.
 
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