Perfect street/strip converter

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You stated your goals are deep in the 12s and fine going on long 200 + trips. That is EXACTLY what I did at Drag week 2017. Drove right at 1,000 miles between tracks in 5 days. This is a mild 5.9 magnum build and a Ultimate converter that flashes at 4,000 RPM. Drives like a stock converter on the street. The budget you stated will buy you this converter. I promise you won't be disappointed in the money you spend.

This is with a 230/236 @ .50 .507/.513 cam on a 110 LSA, 106 Centerline. I would drive this car to California but has run the best of 7.47 in the 1/8th which would be high 11s.

I hope this helps. I learned on this site to spend some coin on converter.
 
Just realized I didn't put my tires or gear ratio. 28 inch tall tire with 3.91 gears. 904 tans
 
I called dynamic and Lenny at ultimate converter. I’m convinced now that with one of their units I will be just fine cruising along the highway and i am no longer worried about building heat and roasting the transmission.
 
Don't forget FTI converters. I have a 3400-3600 stall 9.5 converter and it runs sweet and neat in the street!!!:steering::thumbsup:
 
doogievlg said:
What is everyone opinion on the perfect street/strip converter for a car with street gears (3:55/3:73).

No cam has been picked so I am thinking I will pick a cam to suit the car. For power it would be nice to throw a big cam in the car and make tons of power but then I would need a higher stall and I get concerned about building heat. I want to drive the car on some trips over 200 miles but I also would like the car to be deep into the twelves with a stock stroke small block.

.30 over 360 with aluminum heads, flat tops, performer rpm intake and Holley 750. 727 trans with 3:55 gears.
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Turbo Action 3500-3800 'tight'.

Many buy the "m" medium or loose and they HATE IT... but that's because those are for the strip only. Jmo
 
doogievlg said:
What is everyone opinion on the perfect street/strip converter for a car with street gears (3:55/3:73).

No cam has been picked so I am thinking I will pick a cam to suit the car. For power it would be nice to throw a big cam in the car and make tons of power but then I would need a higher stall and I get concerned about building heat. I want to drive the car on some trips over 200 miles but I also would like the car to be deep into the twelves with a stock stroke small block.

.30 over 360 with aluminum heads, flat tops, performer rpm intake and Holley 750. 727 trans with 3:55 gears.
Click to expand...

Pick a cam 1st, that's critical as is gear to convertor choice.
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
Turbo Action 3500-3800 'tight'.

Many buy the "m" medium or loose and they HATE IT... but that's because those are for the strip only. Jmo
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I have a new B@m holeshot 3000 stall laying around.. trying to get a better launch out if a 340 w/ 484 mp cam and 4:10s 295/50/15. Strip Dominator intake 750 vacuum. Ported big valve j heads. Currently 2200.mp stall
 
crackedback said:
You should be able to get a good unit for $500-700.

I think edge racing has a piece for 525ish. I know a couple of guys that have them. Andre is good to work with. Work well.
Lenny at Ultimate is really good, might be the high end of your range.
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Lenny is a POS that doesn't stand behind his product when it fails immediately out of the box for 2 seperate reasons. Also most real converter companies laugh at using a 9.5, either run a 10 or use an 8......scam companies sell them because the cores are cheap. A-1 for me all the way and my car runs pretty close to what it should because of it and I also street drive it too.
 
fishmens67 said:
:thumbsup: The best off the shelf convertor hands down.
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They send a new pump bushing with each converter (at least they did when I bought mine) and a one time adjustment if needed to original owner. Others do offer the one adjustment, others don’t but yes, a great converter!
 
I just spent the day driving around in 73 Duster with a 3.92 gear and a PTC 9 inch 3500 converter. That thing is amazing. Drives like a kitten but when you mash on it you know it’s working. Best money you can spend on a converter car is the converter.
 
K.O. SWINGER said:
I like variables speed converter controlled by a third pedal:lol:
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Amen to that Brother! Wish I could find the parts to convert. I called Brewers it's about 6100 bucks to convert my duster over with an all-new kit. I'm sure it's worth it but Lord I'd have to sell my Harley-Davidson
 
crackedback said:
Doogie, I was being honest and sarcastic at the same time. That to me would be the PERFECT converter. You won't find it, but, it's what I'd want.

JMO, Don't cheap out. Same as with my relay kits compared to those $40 chinese set ups, you get what you pay for, QUALITY and TOP Flight Components. I would expect to spend at least 500 for a good converter. I have a couple of 10" hughes 3500 shelf pieces that have worked great. All second hand when buying other stuff. I also know guys that have FTI, Ultimate, Dynamic and Edge converters with great results. I would call them and ask what a 9.5" or 10" 3500 stall that is tight in cruise would run They can build them where it drives very similar too a stock converter, even with less slip at highway speeds than the stock junkers yet get after when you put your foot to it. Your cam choice will make a difference, however, having a little too much stall is better than not enough!

It's not the 80's anymore where a 3000+ converter drove like your were burying your foot in marshmellows. Ask old timers about those hunks o"junk. It's what we had to use. LOL So much better now, tech has come a long way.

I think there are a lot of really good suggestions in here. Cam companies always seem to recommend a stall with a specific camshaft. Lets play the LA mopar game. Say you want a 230-235 @ .050 cam and most of the cam companies will suggest a 3000 converter. Is that in a 273, 318, 318, 340, 360 or 400+ stroker. That cam in 273 is gonna need a ton more stall than in a 408... So the recommendations are rough at best. IMO, always err to the high side of stall if you get a tight on cruise converter.
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Is there really much cruising with 4:10s? Lol
 
RustyRatRod said:
I absolutely disagree and here's why. A 2500 converter is what the factory stock 340 came with. The factory high stall was used behind most if not all 340s and a LOT of other vehicles, too. The factory standard (low) stall rating for Chrysler was around 1200-1500 RPM. Chrysler knew the higher stall would help get the vehicle moving quicker.

The factory high stall was always "around" 1000 RPM higher than the low or standard stall. That's not very much for anything hotter than a stock 340. A 2500 would be the last converter I would ever recommend.

I would recommend something in the neighborhood of 3000-3800 with the gears the OP has suggested, and more with 4 series gears. All this of course is considering a camshaft with the needs of a converter like that. Converter technology has come light years ahead of the muscle car era. You can have a converter custom made to flash to 5000 RPM and yet be tight enough to drive everyday on the street with minimal slippage. Things just ain't how they used to be.
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Thank You Rusty Rat Rod, that kind of opened up my mind a little bit from our conversation last week. the 2200 MP unit i have isn't enough. And the B@M holeshot 3000 is a loose unit. Meaning while I'm rolling at 45/50 I may suffer part throttle slip? Or will the mill have to rev to 3grand to hit? The 2200 I have it here now dream to have a little tiny tiny little spot but it definitely doesn't take 2200 RPM to get her rolling
 
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My PTC behaves the same. You don't even know it's a high stall until you mash it. I love it.

I had that issue of Kenny sending me the converter for the later large input shaft transmission, but in the end, getting a 1974 transmission is stronger with the larger shaft and I now have part throttle kickdown.

MASH - I only heard it being used like that about 3 years ago. I guy I worked with in Trion, GA asked me to mash the button and I said, do what!! Now I use it myself.
:lol:
 
doogievlg said:
What is everyone opinion on the perfect street/strip converter for a car with street gears (3:55/3:73).

No cam has been picked so I am thinking I will pick a cam to suit the car. For power it would be nice to throw a big cam in the car and make tons of power but then I would need a higher stall and I get concerned about building heat. I want to drive the car on some trips over 200 miles but I also would like the car to be deep into the twelves with a stock stroke small block.

.30 over 360 with aluminum heads, flat tops, performer rpm intake and Holley 750. 727 trans with 3:55 gears.
Click to expand...
Its been my experience that there is no perfect street/strip converter, yes you can get close but there are always compromise. Talk to a custom shop that will match a converter to your cam/engine and the rest of your car and be realistic about your goals are and you will end up with a descent setup.
The other Guy always has the perfect converter.
 
My Duster is the light model with the fold down back seat. It has 500 plus hp. I bought a PTC converter and transmission and both have been great for the past 6 years.
I will use PTC for my next build also. These people are great to work with, they will make you happy.
Dustaar
 
Pascamp said:
Torque converters are the most important and least understood piece of a car. I'll attempt a long winded, bouncing around, gross oversimplification.

First off, take 90% of what you read on the internet and throw it out. Most people regurgitate crap they read somewhere else and have never even driven a car with a non-stock converter. A small number have driven cars with crap performance converters. Few have actually driven a car with the proper converter.

Buying a converter with an advertised stall speed is a joke. That "3500" converter is going to perform differently based on application. The converter basically tries to balance two forces...power applied and resistance. The resistance is the force required to move the car. Weight, aerodynamics, rolling resistance, frictional loss, gearing advantage, ect all factor in on the load the converter feels. A converter will slip more and stall higher if either of these two forces increases. A converter that stalls at 3000rpm in a 3000lb 400hp car may stall at 4000+rpm in a 4000lb 600hp car.

A properly designed converter for your cars power and resistance will act like a stock converter when you drive the car normally. You don't have to rev it to 4000 to get the car moving, and it won't be slipping any more than a stock stall during normal driving. The only time extra slippage occurs is when you apply enough power to overcome the coupling ability of the converter. To help visualize the balancing effect the converter has between force and resistance, lets picture a launch. When you leave off the line at 4000 you don't instantly scream to 7000 and have to shift. The converter allowed the engine to hit 4000, now the resistance (the car) has to catch up. As the car accelerates the resistance lessens and the engine is allowed to apply more power and rev further. Watch some in car videos of properly setup cars launching. You will see the car accelerating way out of proportion with the movement of the tach needle.

You certainly can luck out with an off the shelf converter. It's been stated many times by very experienced guys...buy a good converter! It's the absolute best money you can spend. People will spend hundreds or thousands on wheels, valve covers, ect, and ***** about the price for a quality torque converter.
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512Stroker said:
Its been my experience that there is no perfect street/strip converter, yes you can get close but there are always compromise. Talk to a custom shop that will match a converter to your cam/engine and the rest of your car and be realistic about your goals are and you will end up with a descent setup.
The other Guy always has the perfect converter.
Click to expand...
Awesome job explaining that. Now I dig it! Thank You! Sometimes my mind doesn't actually comprehend that " thing" goes in " there" and does " that" the why n hows explain a lot to me and I can figure more out....not trying to hijack, it just seems to make more sense to attempt to join the conversation already on the same topic... so basically it looks like I need to throw the 3000 B@M holeshot I have in my car, other than the 2200 Mopar stall I have, but in reality if it drives like a pig , don't be surprised?
 
dustaar said:
My Duster is the light model with the fold down back seat. It has 500 plus hp. I bought a PTC converter and transmission and both have been great for the past 6 years.
I will use PTC for my next build also. These people are great to work with, they will make you happy.
Dustaar
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76 Feather Duster? Cool! I had a 73 with the fold down back seat I loved it
 
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