Have you ever heard of D & P Torque Converters?

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Bill Crowell

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I'd like to tell you about a conversation I had today with my transmission shop and get your opinion. This man has built me several really nice transmissions and differentials; he definitely knows what he is doing and has a nice, fully-equipped shop, and I have always been satisfied with his work, but he is a man of few words, doesn't suffer fools gladly and his "bedside manner" leaves something to be desired. Like Rusty, in other words.

I told him I wanted to swap out my present (cheap, aftermarket) 2,200-stall torque converter for a 3,500 stall, and told him I was thinking of a Dynamic 9-1/2" unit. He said he won't use them, and the only brand he will use is D & P. He acted like price should be no object, but of course I asked him how much it would cost. He later called back and said D & P told him my torque converter would cost $800. That seems like a lot! I asked him if the higher price was due to better quality and would it be streetable, and he said "yes". He didn't seem to want to discuss it any further.

Do you think he is running some kind of game on me?? Or maybe he is right and has found a supplier of very high-quality T.C.s and thinks I wouldn't be satisfied with a cheaper one, since I want to visit the strip. So maybe I should buy one, damn the cost? Or should I just buy a cheaper torque converter instead? Thanks for responding!
 
Give this guy a call Lenny at Ultimate Converters he'll build you exactely what you need and it'll do exactely what he says,he's the "best" in the business for my money..
 
400-1000 bucks,is pretty much what a custom converter goes for... Never heard of that particular supplier,I tend to stick with known brands....You already know Dynamics a good piece,so is Coan,Edge,Turbo Action.Just my personal opinion,others will likely chime in...
 
Never heard of d and p. But I can tell you dynamic is very good. Have one of their 9.5 converters and am very pleased. Bought it used on ebay. Its been in my car for 8 yrs. Very consistent and very little slip. Its a 3500 and has run 1.42 60s . Very popular here with the mopar guys.
 
Thats who HE uses. As your local shop and "friend", tread carefully. Frank Lupo indeed knows his stuff. Cant go wrong there. I have 2 Coan units, 1 new and love the quality and good reviews.
 
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A quick Google search lead to a company called D & P products in Sacramento. There was only one review and it was not a good one.
I always found that most transmission shops had very little or no knowledge on performance converters. They never asked the right questions other than what stall are you looking for. They seldom if ever,asked about what had been done to the engine, what gear ratio was in the rear end, tire size, etc. All questions that need to be asked so you can get the RIGHT CONVERTER for your application. This is not a knock on transmission shops, but most transmission shops while knowledgeable on how to fix your transmission, very few know much about high performance.
My advise to you would be to contact one of the many performance converter builders and find out what they say will best suit your setup. Price wise, you get what you pay for. Good converters with good internal components are not the least expensive for sure, but the poorly made ones are of course price attractive. A well made high stall will typically be : furnace brazed, will have 3 sets of torington bearings in it, have a hardened steel hub, srag assembly built to withstand more abuse, HD mounting pads, electronically balanced etc. When you go that extra mile for extreme horsepower and you'll get anti-ballooning plates, custom made billet steel front cover, diode style sprag, and other items designed for high performance use.
 
I called the owner of D & P and he was very nice. He explained to me why his converters are better than cheaper aftermarket ones. He uses all forged and hardened parts, and he builds it from scratch, not from a kit. But when I asked him if his 3,500-stall converter would be streetable, he was honest and said no. So now I need to figure out who makes a really high-quality 3,500-stall converter that wouldn't be too bad to drive on the street as well as the strip.
 
when I asked him if his 3,500-stall converter would be streetable, he was honest and said no.

IMO, he doesn't know what to do... look elsewhere. There are plenty of streetable converters that flash to 3500-4000 range out there. You need to find someone that knows how to build one. Dynamic (Sean) and Lenny at Ultimate are two good ones to speak with along with some others suggested.
 
Do you know for a fact that you need a 3500 stall converter? You've not given much information as to what exactly your setup is as far as engine improvements, diff. ratio, tire size etc. are particular to your car.
Check out the information sheet that TCS(www.tcsproducts.com) wants you to fill out before you order a converter, and the questions on the information sheet are the same as any quality converter builder will ask you. You can't just say I want a 3500 stall converter and expect a stock or slightly warmed over engine to work properly. That's like throwing a Dominator carb on a stock engine. Sounds great when you tell your Buds about it, but runs like crap.
Don't throw your $$$ away on something that may not be what you need.
 
I have a dynamic 4200 for a 904 for sale! If you have a 904. Used for 700 miles
 
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