Torque converter help needed please.

[Dartfreak75]

As I'm getting closer to getting my engine back I have been thinking alot about my transmission. The plan was to use the factory original TC but I have learned many things in my journey with this car and the main one is that most of the mechanical parts that's been setting for 20 years are junk now. So I'm thinking about just buying a new one for some insurance so I don't have to tear back into it later. My question is what would be a good street driver convertor for my car I don't want a super high stall or anything that's race only this is a street car and I want it to be a reliable driver. I have a neutral balance flexplate so I'm not worried about it being external balanced. My main question is i see alot of the aftermarket ones dont have the starter teeth on them and you have to buy them separately. Do they just mount up with the flexplate? Or do I have to buy a whole new flexplate with teeth on it. I'm currently looking a tci street rodder TC. Are they pretty good for mid to mild performance engines? My car specs are 360 factory heads and intake with a lunati voodoo 702 cam it's got a 475/495 lift with 220 @50 268 duration factory 904/999 torqueflight with 3.73 gears thanks for your help guys

 

[pishta]

all the after market torque convertors use stock pics of Chevy/Ford convertors that take toothed flexplates. Mopars use welded on toothed rings and will come that way when you spec one.

Lots of people will tell you that 3000 stall convertors will work great on the street or even higher but I have found they are mushy down low but Im talking 30 years ago. Maybe the new stuff is magic and works great at all RPMs.

 

[kursplat]

off the shelf sucks. call TC company of you choice and have all the info on your car and motor ready. check out COPE racing

 

[Dartfreak75]

all the after market torque convertors use stock pics of Chevy/Ford convertors that take toothed flexplates. Mopars use welded on toothed rings and will come that way when you spec one.

Lots of people will tell you that 3000 stall convertors will work great on the street or even higher but I have found they are mushy down low but Im talking 30 years ago. Maybe the new stuff is magic and works great at all RPMs.

Good info thank you. The street rodder is listed as factory stall (whatever that is maybe 1800-2200) ?
I dont want to go extreme I'm thinking like 24-2500

 

[Dartfreak75]

off the shelf sucks. call TC company of you choice and have all the info on your car and motor ready. check out COPE racing

That's actually not a bad price for a custom one the off the shelf one is close to 300

 

[kursplat]

Good info thank you. The street rodder is listed as factory stall (whatever that is maybe 1800-2200) ?
I dont want to go extreme I'm thinking like 24-2500

even if you don't buy, call a couple places and see what they think. how much stall you really get is going to depend on car weight and engine

 

[Dartfreak75]

even if you don't buy, call a couple places and see what they think. how much stall you really get is going to depend on car weight and engine

Ok sounds good thanks bud. I guess I need to weigh the car somehow then?

 

[66fyssh]

I recently finished my build and was looking for a converter. I was very nervous about going too high of a stall.

@RustyRatRod pointed out that torque converter technology is light years ahead of what it was decades ago. He told me to call and talk to a converter company about it but not to get worried when they recommend 3000 ish stall.

I told them about the build and my car was 99% street. Well...I ended up getting a 9.5" that stalls around 3200, but only when you mash the go pedal. Works just about like a stock converter during normal driving. It really blows me away how well it works. I was envisioning revving to 3200 every time I pressed the gas pedal (like 30 years ago!)

Don't be scurred man, go for it

 

[RustyRatRod]

Ask @66fyssh about his. I made a recommendation and he jumped on it. He's very happy. Maybe he'll chime in.


Ha! ^^^^^^^ right on time. LOL

 

[66fyssh]

Lol...I treed ya!!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Lol...I treed ya!!

Yes you did!

 

[Dartfreak75]

I recently finished my build and was looking for a converter. I was very nervous about going too high of a stall.

@RustyRatRod pointed out that torque converter technology is light years ahead of what it was decades ago. He told me to call and talk to a converter company about it but not to get worried when they recommend 3000 ish stall.

I told them about the build and my car was 99% street. Well...I ended up getting a 9.5" that stalls around 3200, but only when you mash the go pedal. Works just about like a stock converter during normal driving. It really blows me away how well it works. I was envisioning revving to 3200 every time I pressed the gas pedal (like 30 years ago!)

Don't be scurred man, go for it

That is what I was wondering and worried about. Being at a red light in town and trying to ease out only to leave at 3000 rpms and leaving black marks haha

 

[RustyRatRod]

That is what I was wondering and worried about. Being at a red light in town and trying to ease out only to leave at 3000 rpms and leaving black marks haha

Even old school converters don't work like that.

 

[kursplat]

...@RustyRatRod pointed out that torque converter technology is light years ahead of what it was decades ago.

Ask @66fyssh about his. I made a recommendation and he jumped on it. He's very happy. Maybe he'll chime in.

is this how you're picking your loto numbers?

 

[kursplat]

you can guestimate the weight pretty close

 

[66fyssh]

That is what I was wondering and worried about. Being at a red light in town and trying to ease out only to leave at 3000 rpms and leaving black marks haha

It really is amazing how well they work. Now, when you mash the go pedal, you better be pointed in the direction you want to go!!

I need wider wheels and tires and a Sur-Grip!

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Get a 3500 stall no less or you will be pulling it back out. Factory stalls for a 340 are 3500 and usually brake stall at 2800 - 3000. Same converter in a 440 is 3200-3400. I had a 72 charger that came here 340 471 purple shaft cam. Some idiot talked him into a low stall 10 inch converter. 2400 stall. 2100 brake stall on a small block. It did not have any power at all from a stop. couldn't even spin factory 14 inch tires from a kick. High 16 second 1/4 mile

I told him it was his converter. The idiots told him gears. We put 410's in it . Still a dog. Carb , dist. , Headers , exhaust, He was spending the money. I didn't care. He didn't want to pay for the converter and installation.

I just pulled my 1971 340 out of my duster and installed a 428. I bought a 5500 tight stall for the street. I told him I would put my factory 340 converter in his car to try for free. No labor.

The deal was it wasn't for sale in fact I still have it. If he wasn't happy I would pull it out and reinstall his for free. If it worked he was paying the labor for two installs. High 13 sec. quarters. He was so happy he begged me to leave it in. He bought a cheap 3500 GER. From a dead stop that car would turn 275 60's through low and part of second on the street.

I am telling you now. get a 3500 tight or you'll be doing it twice. I owned many many 340's over the years and had some come here with chrysler 727 install from junk yards. The cars were dogs after that. Even seen some with converters from 4X4 trucks that had a sticker "LOW STALL" Junk! Good for towing not for a performance motor.

We just installed a 3500 tight in a SBC 350 700R4. Night and day. The truck is still here we did it this week. He was so happy he is Having us do more work. His old converter which was new 2500 with the motor install at a performance shop is in our scrap pile. Don't let an idiot talk you into anything lower then a 3500 tight for performance street use. I drove my Duster on the street all the time with a 5500 tight. My friend bought the same converter for his Ray Barton Hemi GTX. He loves it.

On this video you can see and hear that the motor was leaving just off idle 2000 foot braking and the car and was all ready up against the converter. Through mufflers as I drove it on the street daily.

There was nothing like the 340's new with the original trans and converter. selector in drive they would leave at around 3000 and shift all by themselves at 5800-6000. With a added part throttle kick down servo they were little animals street racing. I have several videos but this by far shows how this car ran constantly mid 10's playing the stereo on the return all original accessories and with the spare and jack still in the trunk.. 3500 tight no less for your car

 

[Dartfreak75]

Next question my transmissions is a 999 torqueflight are they the same tc as 904s?

 

[famous bob]

Get a 3500 stall no less or you will be pulling it back out. Factory stalls for a 340 are 3500 and usually brake stall at 2800 - 3000. Same converter in a 440 is 3200-3400. I had a 72 charger that came here 340 471 purple shaft cam. Some idiot talked him into a low stall 10 inch converter. 2400 stall. 2100 brake stall on a small block. It did not have any power at all from a stop. couldn't even spin factory 14 inch tires from a kick. High 16 second 1/4 mile

I told him it was his converter. The idiots told him gears. We put 410's in it . Still a dog. Carb , dist. , Headers , exhaust, He was spending the money. I didn't care. He didn't want to pay for the converter and installation.

I just pulled my 1971 340 out of my duster and installed a 428. I bought a 5500 tight stall for the street. I told him I would put my factory 340 converter in his car to try for free. No labor.

The deal was it wasn't for sale in fact I still have it. If he wasn't happy I would pull it out and reinstall his for free. If it worked he was paying the labor for two installs. High 13 sec. quarters. He was so happy he begged me to leave it in. He bought a cheap 3500 GER. From a dead stop that car would turn 275 60's through low and part of second on the street.

I am telling you now. get a 3500 tight or you'll be doing it twice. I owned many many 340's over the years and had some come here with chrysler 727 install from junk yards. The cars were dogs after that. Even seen some with converters from 4X4 trucks that had a sticker "LOW STALL" Junk! Good for towing not for a performance motor.

We just installed a 3500 tight in a SBC 350 700R4. Night and day. The truck is still here we did it this week. He was so happy he is Having us do more work. His old converter which was new 2500 with the motor install at a performance shop is in our scrap pile. Don't let an idiot talk you into anything lower then a 3500 tight for performance street use. I drove my Duster on the street all the time with a 5500 tight. My friend bought the same converter for his Ray Barton Hemi GTX. He loves it.

On this video you can see and hear that the motor was leaving just off idle 2000 foot braking and the car and was all ready up against the converter. Through mufflers as I drove it on the street daily.

There was nothing like the 340's new with the original trans and converter. selector in drive they would leave at around 3000 and shift all by themselves at 5800-6000. With a added part throttle kick down servo they were little animals street racing. I have several videos but this by far shows how this car ran constantly mid 10's playing the stereo on the return all original accessories and with the spare and jack still in the trunk.. 3500 tight no less for your car

I ve been paying closer attention to the torque convertor posts lately. I used to run b-m J models in my old hemi belvedere, and switdched to turbo action after a while . I now have an off the shelf 3500 Hughs 10'' in my 440/505 68 fastback , that has been in for about 10 yrs. ,
I`m wondering how much better , a built for my car convertor , would be .
Any thots or ideas ????????????????????????????

 

[Divenut]

At the recommendation of the tech folks at Hughes, I went with a 3500 Hughes unit in my Duster, 340/727 and could not be happier. Primarily street car that will eventually see some track duty.

Be well,
Pat

 

[kursplat]

I ve been paying closer attention to the torque convertor posts lately. I used to run b-m J models in my old hemi belvedere, and switdched to turbo action after a while . I now have an off the shelf 3500 Hughs 10'' in my 440/505 68 fastback , that has been in for about 10 yrs. ,
I`m wondering how much better , a built for my car convertor , would be .
Any thots or ideas ????????????????????????????

you're asking us if you should spend $$? heck ya
it would probably be interesting for you to talk to a couple of builders though. i'd even ask Hughs what they think about their 10yr old model vs what they build now

 

[abodyjoe]

I sound like a broken record in these posts but here it goes..

i see people put thousands into a motor and trans then cheap out on the converter for some reason. that converter will make or break the entire combo.

converter technology has improved incredibly over the years. its incredible what they can do these days. lets take our dart as an example... i called dynamic and told them what i had. told them its a 99.99999% street car and needs to behave on the street. the receipt even states that the customer wants the converter tight for the street. gave him all the info on the car (guesstimated the weight) and he built me the converter.. it flashes to 3500 rpm and cruises the street like a stock converter.. it really is incredible... car only has a 360 with what 10.1 compression and a summit cam with 904 trans and a 3.23 gear.. nothing exotic or "race" in it. like i said it needed to be mostly a street car because it was being built so jamie could drive it anywhere.

what got me hooked on custom built converters was when i was doing the trans in my old yellow dart. that car had a street fighter converter in it. from ati maybe? i forget who made it but it was a well known company's off the shelf converter.. anyway a friend was running a dynamic converter that he raved about so i gave them a call. got the recommendation and a price. ran it by the buddy who builds my transmissions and he thought i was nuts spending 600 bucks on a converter. he had driven the car many times and thought it ran great the way it was.. fast forward a few months. car had been together and i was loving it and how it drove. hell i knew the second that i pulled out of the driveway with that new converter that the car was totally different.. the new dynamic converter would flash to 3800 rpm but i couldn't believe how much better and more streetable it was then before. at the track i could get to 3000rpm easily on the foot brake without the car trying to lung forward or anything....anyway i did some front end work to the car and took it to the guy who built my trans for a front end alignment.. he took it for a test drive to see if he liked the where he put the alignment and comes back and yells WHAT THE **** DID YOU DO TO THAT THING!!!? i almost ended up on the sidewalk when i stabbed the throttle. said it took off like being shot out of a cannon...lol.. the only difference in the car since the last time he drove it other then a few front end parts and a fresh non leaking transmission was that converter. guess what he bought for his track car a few months later... yup a custom built converter for his car..lol..

Lots of people will tell you that 3000 stall convertors will work great on the street or even higher but I have found they are mushy down low but Im talking 30 years ago. Maybe the new stuff is magic and works great at all RPMs.

yup things have really changed over the past 30 years. that 3000 limit went out the door quite a few years ago.





.

 

[oldkimmer]

U can’t beat the new converter technology. Who would of thought u could run a 3500 stall across the country. Many street cars run up to 5500 that never leave the city and can cruise for hours on end without overheating. Kim

 

[AJ/FormS]

My car specs are 360 factory heads and intake with a lunati voodoo 702 cam it's got a 475/495 lift with 220 @50 268 duration factory 904/999 torqueflight with 3.73 gears thanks for your help guys

I love me a 220 to 228 cam
Here are my guesses;

with Cylinder Pressure of ;
160 or more, run what you got which should be a minimum 2200
155 to 160, I'll guess a 2400
150 to 155, I'll guess a 2600
145 to 150, I'll guess a 2800
140 to 145, I'll guess a 3000
135 to 140, I'll guess a 3200
130 to 135, I'll guess a 3400
under 130 yur screwed, I would take the engine apart and fix/change it. As for me, I wouldn't run under 140/145


For a lil more dig off the line, and/or If you have big tires on it,
you can add 200 to 400rpm.
If you do a lotta hiway, without a lock-up, you might want to cruise with a stall equal to or less than your cruise rpm calculated at zero-slip. For you, 65=3000@zero-slip with 27s and 3.73s, so a 3000 might be tops .
If you have a loc-up, forget the 2200, just run something between 3200 to 3800 depending on how much tirespin you want off the line.Ima thinking 3500, cuz that will really help you on the 1-2 shift when the Rs fall to 59% with the 2.45 box and to 56% with the 2.74 box.

That 220* cam should powerpeak around 4900, and will like to be shifted at about 5300. On the 1-2 shift, the Rs would then fall to 3150 with the 2.45/A904, and to 3000 with the 2.74/A999.. Having a 3500 will boost your Rs up to peak torque or so, and increase your average power in the zero to sixty contest..