I did some searching and some research and i'm still a bit confused. I am building up my 350 and i am confused about this whole torque/stall converter thing. First, do i need to purchase one? I am getting a new cam, headers, possibly heads, and carb. I am trying to make a street car used for some weekend drag racing and also a daily driver. I have heard of people getting a new torque converter but im not sure if i need one. Second, exactly what is "stall" and when do people want/need a higher stall. My auto trans already has a shift kit. Is this good enough?

 

What are the cam specs you intend to use? That can help determine a stall speed recommendation.

Read these
http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/torqueconverters.html
http://www.hardtail.com/techtips/sel...converter.html

 

the cam is a comp cams xtreme energy, .477/.480 lift, 268/280 duration, rmp range 1600-5800. i havent bought anything yet so i could always go with a different part if i needed to. also forgot to mention i am getting a new intake too.

 

I would go with a 2600 stall, 2800 would be the cut off for that cam. What kind of heads/intake are you going to use? if you have "decent" heads and intake along with around 9:5:1-10:1 CR, you can run a much better cam with a little more stall and make damn good power....but that all depends on you and what your goals are.

 

Comp Cams suggests a converter with 2000+ stall is required for that cam. I would recommend a minimum of 2100-2200 stall with 2500 being about the most you should use. That puts the stall speed roughly 500 rpm into the cam's powerband where it will do the most good.

Don't forget that any converter higher than stock stall speeds also needs an aftermarket tranny cooler to help remove the extra heat generated by the higher stall.