Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

I'm rebuilding the engine in my car and looking to make some upgrades. The cam I was looking at suggests a 2500 stall speed and I'm not sure if this is too much for my car as I'm usually cruising right around that maybe even slightly under at highway speeds.

Engine is a 383 with 10:1 compression and AFR 195 heads to come. Trans is a 700R4 and there are 3.42 gears in the rear I believe. Will I have problems with it not locking up on me and burning up my trans?

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

buy a lock up converter and for a 383 i'd say anthing under a 3000 stall would be too small.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

With an LPE219 in an 383, you've got a fairly docile combo, and should be idling under 1000rpm. You probably make great torque right from idle, so from that standpoint, you don't need a radical converter. a 2400-2600 9.5" would be just fine for street use in my opinion. if this is more of a street/strip car than a daily driver, then you can step up to 2800-3000 or so. But you don't really _need_ anything more than that with a mild combo, in my opinion.

stall speed has nothing to do with lockup. lockup is computer controlled.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

Sorry I forgot to mention that I'm swapping cams as well to something in the ballpark of 242/246 at .050 so it won't be quite as mild anymore. The tech guy at Comp said that the minimum stall for that cam should be atleast 2500 but I was worried about burning up the trans since most of my driving is at low speeds on local roads going back and forth to car shows. Let me know what you guys think with that new info.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

The TCC will keep it from burning up at crusing speeds.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

a torque converter is as big a decision as a cam selection. but its a catch22, because your cam should be set based on your stall speed, and your stall speed should be set based your cam specs. but i see that your 383 is prob makin peak torque at a higher RPM, so something like 2500RPM will be just fine(probably on the conservative side actually).
the lockup function works when your trans oil hits a certian pressure. and if your 700r4 is built to handle the power, your converter can handle it, and your TV cable is set properly, then it will be fine.

PS: you got any dyno results of your engine at the flywheel? is it a crate engine or did you put it together yourself?

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

242/246? I think xpndbl3 must be able to see into the future, but i'd be tend to agree with him, at LEAST 3000RPM stall speed with that cam, or else it'll be doglike.
A 3000RPM stall speed is very driveable from what i've heard, and like Apeiron mentioned, the TCC will lock it up on the highway. mwnova66 ran a big cam like that in his 305, with a 4000RPM stall speed, virtually a daily driver car. I think that's pushing the limits of "daily driveable", but I think a 3000 RPM stall in your case is within the limits.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

Sounds like just the answer I was looking for. Thanks guys.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

i'd consider the 3600 stall in my camaro to be daily driver material as well, it doesn't slip much on the bottom end and after a week driving the car I don't even notice it's there. With a 242/246 I'd be looking 3500 at least, there are LS1 daily driver guys out there running 4200-4400 stalls and daily driving them. These aren't the same stalls from the 70s and 80s that heated up and slipped badly.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to look in the 3200 range at this point.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

I know I am bringing up an old thread but I can't find the answer I am looking for. My question is how would a 2500 lock up stall act in first gear under normal accelaration? Would I have to get above 2100 rpms to get moving and slow driving like in a parking lot?

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

No. It will feel "slippy" but the car will definitely move well below 2100rpm, especially if you get a good converter (a high quality, smaller diameter converter like a vigilante or yank)

you can certainly get the rpm up above 2000 by giving it more throttle, but you're going to be accelerating a whole lot quicker, too ;)

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

Thanks for the reply. That was just the answer I was looking for. I have a stock stall convertor in my car with a mild cam and a bunch of bolt ons, and I am thinking about upgrading to worked vortec heads and a larger cam. I just don't want to have to lose the streetability for a daily driver in the summer.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

Yep it just feels a little squishy. You just need to watch steep grades you can actually start to roll backwards in forward gear if you're not on the brakes.

The RPM is just the flash rating. If you went and smashed the throttle it should spike the RPMs to the rated speed (if the converter was setup properly for the application). I had no issues with parking lots and my 2400 RPM 9.5" Lockup Converter behind my stock 350 with 3.27s.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

What convertor size and brand do you recomend? I am stuck on the lock up rpm, between 2200 and 2500. The cam I am wanting to put in is good from 2000 to 5700. I have 4:11 in the rear and the b&m manual shift slap stick.

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

Good companies will usually take down your specs and then recommend the stall speed. It's all dependent on your motor setup (intake, cam, etc). A 2400 RPM 9.5" Lockup worked nicely on the street for me. Really you probably won't notice between a 2200 to 2500 RPM anyways. If you're going for max output like a drag setup you'll want to probably have the motor dyno'd first then pick the the RPM that gave you the most torque output to get you off the line the fastest (assuming you can hook at that number).

Re: Is a 2500 stall too much for my car?
 

I'd get a vigilante somewhere between 2300-2600. you can always put it in and if you want more stall you can send it back and they'll adjust it higher for you for free. I bought mine at 2800 off of craigslist and I kind of wish I sent it out to have it adjusted to 2400 or so. But I didnt. Maybe some other day. But anyway I have 3.42's and I have a nice cooler and fan setup on it and I have no overheating problems, tranny always shifts the same. I am very happy.