Torque converter recommendation?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Torque converter recommendation?
Hello. Any recommendations on a torque convertor for my car?
355 ci
9:1 compression
brodix 180cc flows 225 cfm @ .4" lift - flows 230cfm @ .5" lift
comp cams 218 intake 224 exhaust duration @ .05
lift is .462 intake, .477 exhaust 112 centerline
performer intake
rebuilt qjet
long tube headers, dual exhaust
stock L82 rear gears (3.36 ??)
stock th350 trans
primary use, street. Track maybe once a year, if that.
The car is kinda like a dog down low, so I need something.
Anyone with experience got any recommendations?
355 ci
9:1 compression
brodix 180cc flows 225 cfm @ .4" lift - flows 230cfm @ .5" lift
comp cams 218 intake 224 exhaust duration @ .05
lift is .462 intake, .477 exhaust 112 centerline
performer intake
rebuilt qjet
long tube headers, dual exhaust
stock L82 rear gears (3.36 ??)
stock th350 trans
primary use, street. Track maybe once a year, if that.
The car is kinda like a dog down low, so I need something.
Anyone with experience got any recommendations?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,357
Likes: 427
From: Seattle Area WA
Maybe something like a 11" Hughes GM25 rated 2,200-2,500 for a mild street build. I'm sure there are more expensive and better convertors but this one seems to work fine. Otherwise I like Art Carr for a custom built unit.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,266
Likes: 549
The guys at teamchevelle.com like edge converters and ATI. I talked with Chis at ATI last week at SEMA. He was extremely knowledgable and a racer with a passion. Both will give you their best pick after you give them all your specs. A converter is probably the single best mod for your car. I've got a 2800-3000 in my BB 71, am going bigger for the track. And a SS3600 yank in my C5. and if I keep my C4 it'll probably get gears and a converter. Good Luck and have fun.Ron B.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,176
Likes: 88
From: State of Confusion
I believe he spoke with a guy named 'Chris', too, and they built me a 9", but very-streetable, converter, which performed very-well.
Just for laughs, I took the car to the stripe, to see how-much difference there'd be (all we basically did for street-duty was the converter change, replace the exhaust system, and put D.O.T.-legal tires on the back ), so we dropped the pipes and put the slicks back-on:
the car ran within a tenth of it's best!
I eventually raced the Z28 a few more times with the ATI-converter, and it went quicker & faster than it ever-had on a cool day:
the converter wasn't cheap (I recall $700 in 1999? ), but it took all I could throw at it over repeated lengthy burnouts and leaning on it pretty-hard.
The car wasn't as-consistent as it'd been with the race-only piece, nor was it as-loose as the previous converter (and I couldn't raise/lower my launch to vary my Reaction Time as-desired ), but the MPH was higher, too, telling me the ATI unit was more effecient near the finish-line:
I'm going to begin racing the Z28 again, so I'll put the Trans Specialities 8" converter back into it, and I'll use the ATI-built piece in my '82 Corvette street car.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
I contacted both B&M and TCI.
B&M recommended the Holeshot #20412 2300-2500rpm stall.
TCI recommended the Breakaway #241100 2200-2400rpm stall.
So, both are basically similar. Any thoughts on these? Preference between the two companies?
B&M recommended the Holeshot #20412 2300-2500rpm stall.
TCI recommended the Breakaway #241100 2200-2400rpm stall.
So, both are basically similar. Any thoughts on these? Preference between the two companies?
