Hi everyone... Wife bought me a 1973 with a 350.
here is the ad http://baltimore.craigslist.org/ctd/952501138.html
the engine sounds great and it runs... but.... feels like i am towing a truck... does not go even when i floor it. i am new to this and love the car... anyhelp would be greatly appreciated

 

Sounds like a transmission issue, but the ad does suggest there's a lot of modifications to the car... NOM motor, hood, etc, so its hard to say whats going on there. Did the wife have it checked out before she bought it? I'd suggest paying a trusted mechanic to go over it nose to tail for you, as well as a Corvette-experienced person from a club or some other organization, look at it from a Corvette-specific perspective. It will be worth paying them for their time.

 

You have a great wife!

Do you know what kind of converter is in it?

"The transmission is a 400 turbo recently rebuilt with a new stahl converter."

 

thanks for the response... one thing i have found is that corvette lovers are very nice and want to help. I called the guy and he said it had a stahl transmittion kit and that is why it wount go, does this makle any sence to you

 

hi
i am new to cars and i have know idea... i think the ad said 400 turbo

 

Did you check the fluid?If the PO put in a high stall converter,it won't want to start moving till you get to the stall speed and then its gonna take off!

 

the Transmission fluid is a little high...does that matter?

 

what is a stall speed? i am very new to this.

 

I doubt that is the issue. I had a 9" 5000 stall race converter in my TH350 and it drove great on the street. The car moved instantly. If your driving at 30 mph in drive and hammer the gas to the floor, watch the tach and see when the car really picks up thats the stall speed. The other thing Coan told me was to watch the tach on the 1-2 shift. Where the tach drops on the shift can also be considered stall speed.

Now if the converter is screwed and way too loose, the car will drive like a bag of crap, the motor will rev and the car wont go anywhere.

Have you tried leaving in low and shifting up through the gears.or have you gone from a roll and kicked it down into passing gear , hold it to the floor and let it shift up by itself?

My 1980 vette is a complete dog. 190 hp and a 3.08 gear. I am building a 360 HP 350 for it and installing 3.55 gears. That will wake it up.

 

thats what happends... the engine sounds great... hit the pedal and it still sounds great but goes no where! I dont want to drive it if there is smoething wrong with it. i am going to take it to a friend who has worked on cars his whole life... he said we could work on it together so i can learn(which is what i want to do)

 

Obviously you haven't been to OT yet.

 

Does the car move at all or does it feel like something is holding it back, of it dosn`t move at all how did you get it to your house.

 

Hi LK,
Is there any chance that there's a brake problem that's causing them to drag? Have you checked to see if they're hot after you drive a little? That would make the car feel like it's dragging it's feet when you're trying to make it go.
Did it do this when you test drove it before buying it?
Good Luck.
Happy New Year!
Regards,
Alan

 

Thats where I was going it might be a sticking parking brake or a stuck caliper

 

Hi,
Welcome to the '73 club. Looks like a sweet car. You must have a wonderful wife.
I don't know if anyone has explained this completely yet but I'll give it a shot. When they talk about a high stall converter, they are talking about the torque converter. It is a round (kinda donut shaped thing) that sits between the engine and transmission. It is what provides the link between the two. When you are sitting at a light, it provides a little slip in the system so that the engine can run at idle but the transmission doesn't move. An original (from the factory) torque converter will "slip" until about 900 rpm or so. Then it "locks up" and provides a connection to the transmission. It's basically the clutch for an automatic transmission.
A high stall torque converter essentially has more "slip" built into it. Depending on what you buy, it may not "lock up" until 2500 rpm or more. This allows the engine to be spinning faster and making more horsepower when it locks up. These are mostly used on high performance and drag racing cars.
I've never driven a car with one of these, but I would think you could check by taking it out on the street and slowly push on the gas. See if there is a point where the power really kicks in. You may have to put one foot on the brake just a little to keep it from rolling forward before you hit the stall speed.
Once the converter locks up, it should run and drive great. It would just be a matter of getting used to the higher stall speed.
Now, if it is still acting strange after 2500 rpm or so, there is a problem.
If it were me, I would change it back to an original type converter. It will be much more drivable for day to day cruising around.
If you can still talk to the previous owner, give him a call and see what the stall speed was supposed to be. I'd also ask him when was the last time he changed spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, and fuel filter. Also the points if it still has them. A good tune up can do wonders for these old cars.
Good luck and ask questions. We will help if we can.


Here is a link to a place selling high stall converters if you want to see what they look like.
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...115+4294904018

 

There is a big difference between a Stahl transmission kit and the STALL speed of the torque converter. You could well have a stock converter with a Stahl kit in the transmission. Two different animals!

 

Sorry, no idea what a stahl transmission kit is.

 

Stahl is a company that makes headers, cams and stuff like that I seem to remember that they make a trans shift kit a while back. It`s a kit that changes the valving inside the transmission the same way a B&M shift kit does. I was just making sure we weren`t talking apples and oranges between a Stahl transmission kit and the Stall speed of the converter.

 

thank you sooo much. this expalins a lot and i will try it in the morning. I will report back to everyone!

 

If the car accelerates fine from a dead stop but is slow when you punch, going 40-50 mph, its not downshifting into a passing gear. If thats the case, after you punch it, pull it back into 2nd gear and see if it takes off.