Howdy guys(gals);
Just curious who makes a good torque converter good for about 450hp with a 700R4. I am wanting a 2500 to 2800 stall. I know TCI makes good products but I also know that Edge is a great choice as well. If ya'll could list what ya'll have and the benefits that you received. Also, will installing a torque converter wear out my tranny. Its basically stock except for the tranny cooler, B&M shift kit, .500 boost valve, and vette servo. Just wondering if I should even bother with this or just leave it stock until I get a new tranny or am forced to get a new one.

Engine mods-383 and I expect it to be between 400-450hp. According to a dyno desktop, its 440hp and 470 ft lbs.

 

anybody??

 

PDQ is a great place. Try to avoid B&M, TCI is ok.

I have a PDQ 2200 stall. Also, i dont look for a converter that will hold 450hp, any converter will, you need to match the converter to your cam/power band.

There are special converters built for special needs, like turbo's, etc. but in general, the converter will "hold" more than your tranny.

 

Hughes are the best IMO. They will make a custom 'verter based on your needs or you can get one of their off the shelf converters. Very efficient and duable. Their off the shelf 700r4 verters run around $450 for the one I picked up (to put behind a 430hp sb). On a budget, Vigillante is about as low on the ladder as I would go. I've seen plenty of stock LT/LS motors tear them up not to mention their stall speeds are usually off by at least 200 RPM and they like to slip at the top end. Definitely no B&M or Summit brands. Some TCI converters are OK but I havent seen any cars that ran super-duper good with them besides their sponsored cars

 

Yes, hughes is a good brand. I forgot to mention that there are brake stalls and flash stalls, be sure to get a brake stall rated "`verter"

 

Not true. A motor can easily overpower a converter and cause it to burn up the lockup clutch, it can break and flatten the fins, it can break the stator, the cheap bearings inside can fall apart, the inefficient 'budget' converters will slip and heat up which will also tear up the bearings and can overheat the trans. The list goes on. I've seen cheap converters take out a transmission more often than just about anything.

 

Call Edge and talk to a guy by the name of Andre (IIRC). They are great people to deal with and they build a truly custom converter. They will work out what mods you have and what your goal are and build a converter for your application.

They are pretty popular with the B-body crowd. I have one that is soon to be installed in my 91 F-body. I rode in a guys LT1 caprice B-body with an Edge Racing Converters 2800 stall and that thing had all the benefits of a stall converter, but drove perfectly as well. He just bought a 3400 stall Edge as well and is puting the 2800 stall in his Roadmaster wagon (how cool is that!).

 

I have used the Edge & Vigilante with much success, over the years. Stay away from B&M for sure. I do not like TCI for 700R4's & 4L60E's, have had problems with them in the past. Yank & Pro Torque are others that I have heard that work very well. Fuddle is the latest kid on the block, we'll have to see how he does.

 

Hey thanks for the replies all....so seems like Edge is the best and Hughes ranks up there with them. How does a torque converter like a 2800 effect the tranny's life from the stock unit? If it doesn't at all, then that's my next mod if it does....might need to rebuild it for more power then a converter.

 

trans specialties is what i go in my car...right now i'm at 400 hp with a 3000 stall converter. Give bruce at advance transmission in iowa a call. He'll hook you up with whatever u need...641-828-7030. He''s never had a problem with em. Maybe one in the last 5 years. Tell him Jared sent ya

 

even if jus info u want he'll help ya out...he does everyday cars to 2500 hp pro mod cars with automatics in em. He'll even tell ya bout his own pro mod car if u like

 

ok.

will they hurt my tranny life though. I have an aux. tranny cooler so heat is not a problem.

 

no it wont affect life at all. If u dont do any modifications you will notice a bit of difference in your shifts. Shift firmness will be softened because stall converters tend to adsorb (sp?) the harshness of shifts. So i recommend adding a shift kit while your at it if you dont have one installed already. With the 700 turbo's your might also look into a different direct drum and input shaft. Specificly one called a Torq-Drive unit. Stock inputs are the weakest link for that trans. Bruce at Advance has some 700 turbo's behind some 750 hp street rods and street strip cars. One would be mine also with my soon to be procharged 355. Should be around 600-700 hp. he said there will not be any problem durablility wise. Other than those things you should be able to get by.

 

Yea, I do have a shift kit right now with a vette servo and .500 boost valve. I am going to step it up to the strip setting as soon as I find time, right now its in the HD setting. Whats up with the input shafts and direct drum, is this something that will be internal work on the trans?

 

yea you'd have to pull the pump out and do a few things inside. Its not a big big job. Jus depends on how far u wanna go. id say with your hp and stuff your right of the vurge of needing it. But good thing bout it is that its a one time buy thing...if u go with that torq-drive unit input shaft/drum assembly....you'll never need another one and they're good up to around 750-800 hp. Mainly its jus better alloys and stronger drum that i believe fits more clutches in too so holding power is stonger

 

Ok, well, I know how to put a torque converter in, shift kit, vette servos and I'll probably be doing a governor and vss soon so I can get the right shift point and get my torque converter locking up again but other than that, I am tranny illiterate so, I don't think I want to be tackling that myself.