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So apparently my converter decided to retire so it's time for a new one. The old one was a mystery converter and worked more or less fine right up to this year but I have no idea what it really was
In it's current configuration:
454 .030 over with a mild domed / relieve piston using stock CI heads (reworked pretty good but still not great breathers) calculated at 9.5:1 but probably closer to 9.25
XR270HR roller cam .510 lift, dur 270/276 (@.006 lift) 218/224
TH400 with a good kit in it.
3.55 gears and 27" diameter tires
Hasn't seen a track in a long time, mainly a crawler with some stop light and the odd passenger thrill launches
Looking for stall speed recommendations from actual experiences (reminding that this is not a SB)
I personally am a big fan of boss hog torque converters. They have a very comprehensive and detailed questionnaire you can fill out and one of their techs will email you their recommended stall speed. At first I wanted to go with a 2400-2800, they recommended a 2800-3200 and they were spot on.
the only recommendation i can give you is to do your research on who you purchase one from. It's worth it to pay a little extra for a quality converter. i got a converter made for my 496 to match the cam i have, it has a 3500 stall and under normal driving you don't even know there is a converter in the car. hit the gas it's a different story. a lot of the less expensive mass produced converters will have noticable slippage even with lower stall speeds.
I don't see why you couldn't go with a 3K. The RPMs come up so fast on your torque monster that the difference between 2800 and 3,000 would be nil.
Some people in the past have bashed B&M. Perhaps they bought the economy unit. I believe they have a $200 unit and a $450 unit.
I have the ten-inch Hole-Shot 3K stall. Its mounted behind around 400+ lbs of torque / 411 rear. No complaints. Love it.
Heard good things about Hughes and TCI
What ever brand you decide on, you might want to go to a deeper pan for cooling and a small remote trans cooler out front. I found a used Hughes extra capacity pan on Ebay for a fraction of new. Its cast aluminum, 2 extra Qts plus drain plug. The pan hangs no lower than my extra capacity oil pan.
I have used Hughes in the past.......good product.......
I don't feel you need a loose converter with 500ft/lb. torque capability.......2600-2800 rating is going to be more than that behind a Big Block.......call Hughes and ask them at what torque the rating is determined.....
ACC came back with a
46022 GM TH-400 Street Bandit 24-2,800 RPM, 9.6 inch Core.
Hughes recommended
GM20HD 2000 RPM Stall, 12" dia. (The way they explained it was that since the car is on the heavy side and the engine is producing lots of torque, I should stick with a large diameter to get the "torque multiplier" (whatever that is) and a smaller converter with higher stall will likely flash higher than I need
Also went into town and talked to the semi-local transmission guy who's been building these forever and his recommendation was 2200 but that's his gut feel for a BB muscle car with 3.55 gears rather than the other places getting all the specs for the motor and cam, still in the same ball park-ish
Now to decide and pull the trigger...
New Torque Converter Time
