I'm finally ready to bite the bullit and fork over $700 for a vigilante torque converter. My motor specs are in my sig. so based on that, should I go with the 2800, 3000, or 3200rpm stall or the ranges are too close to realize any major difference between them? With 643ft lbs, I should be able to get the 2800 to flash to 3300 or so but i still want the car to be civilized on the street because its driven all the time except for when snow is on the ground...any positive input would be appreciated guys, thanks.

 

What cam is in there, or better yet since its been on the dyno whats the torque curve like?

I imagine that it drops off pretty sharply in the 2500RPM range.

 

you want the "actual" stall (not the advertised stall speed) to be at the rpm where your cam starts making power. like 84z said, check your dyno sheet, or have the dyno guy show you where it is.
personally, my experience has been better with the higher stall, you won't notice that much slip on the street, as in being mild mannered. I used to drive my '70 454 nova with a 4500 stall and 4.56 gears on the street all the time.
just make sure you have a BIG external trans cooler infront of the radiator.

 

Call Dana at Probuilt Automatics. He helped me pick out my ACT stall from there. They also sell PI (vigilante) too. He took down specs such as: Cubic Inches, Tq, Camshaft, Rear Gear, Intake... etc. I order'd the 2400 RPM for my stock 350 TPI when it arrived it was right on target for that RPM.

That's the nice thing about forking out the big bucks for a torque converter they're ordered for your application specs.

 

I'd be willing to bet, the cam will not be as critical in stall rating in this SC application as it is in a N/A engine. Typically they recommend a lower stall rating with a s/c to make better use of a broader rpm range. for instance, buddy has a DS-1 on his 434 sbc and was told to go with a 1800 stall, one to help it leave without shredding his big tires 31x16.5's, and also so the charger could built into the power instead of winding itself out right away. he also ended up having to drop down gear size out back since he was wound out waay before the finish line after adding the s/c, went down to a 4.33 and now runs low 9's and still traps pretty high rpms...used to be on his high end chip after right after the 1/8 with a 7200 pill.

Talk with the S/C manufacturer and see what they have to say and post back, curious if ther's been a change in thinking since last year, but would be thinking lower 2K range is where it will be at.

 

I spoke to a tech at Precision Industries and one from ATI also...both sounded pretty knowledgeable. With all my specs on the table, the ATI guy recommended 2400-2600 stall mainly because of the the amount of torque the car makes @ the wheels.
His main argument was that with 643ft lbs with a 3.73 gear, teamed with the low 3.06 1st gear of the 700r-4 I don't need a "lot" of stall to get a sick launch...all of which totally made sense to me. The vigilante guy recommended their 9.5" 2800 stall converter with pretty much the same argument as the ATI guy. I'm leaning towards the 2800 stall though lol!