So I'm just brewing over things right now for future plans, and the question dawned on me - every time you see a shelf converter it has a range of stall speed for it. Unless you order from EDGE or someone who knows exactly what your build is - is there a way to calculate your actual stall speed with your given motors/trans specs in relation to the amount of torque applied? The reason why I ask is because I'm curious at what the difference is with a 2500 stall in a built 355, versus the stall speed if it's in a 383 or 396 smallblock. Essentially - how far 'up' in speed would it go with the extra cubes involved?

 

Stall speed is also affected by vehicle weight and a score of other things. Generally you select stall speed that is right below the peak torque of your car so that your launching at peak power.

 

That response is for racing. For a street cruiser, it ain't so.
My converter experience is street-only, I've only ever driven 1 automatic race car, but on the street, that advice would have you combining a 3000 stall with a 204-at-0.050" cam. A cam that mild will like a stock or 2000 stall.
If you study TCI's website, you'll notice that each converter listing tells the SB stall, and the BB stall. They're assuming a 3500 pound car, and typical street gearing, which means a first gear times axle ratio, between 8:1 and 10:1.
And that's exactly how it worked out when I put their 2500-stall converter in my first Camaro. I had a modest 350, with torque peak around 4000 rpm. And my combined gearing was just under 10:1 in first gear. It drove great!

 

You could buy a new converter and install it behind 2 different engines and it will have a different stall speed. The stall speed depends on how much torque is put into it. The only way to find the true stall speed behind any engine is with a transbrake. With a transbrake engaged, the converter will allow the engine to rev up to whatever the stall speed is of the converter. Trying to do a flash stall gets you in the ballpark but it won't be a true stall speed.

To buy a converter perfectly matched for your vehicle to provide the best performance, the first thing you need to do is get the engine on an engine dyno. Give the dyno sheet to the converter manufacturer along with vehicle specs and they'll provide a converter that's build just for your vehicle.

You can always ballpark the required stall speed. It's all based off the cam grind. For street/strip use, a converter should stall around 500 rpm into the powerband. For full race, about 1000 rpm.

If the camcard says the rpm range is 2500-6500 then for street/strip, you would want a converter with around 3000 stall speed.

 

All I can say is its one of the best mods ever even if you don't listen to your builder.

When I had a trans built for my V8 car he asked, and I have never done it and went shy, went with a 2200 12in, WOW even not in the best range its better then stock and a butt load of fun. I don't come around a corner and open up all 4, I just flash the TC and launch like I did stomp it to the floor.

I want the 25-2800 10in I should have gotten.

 

I have a 9.5 inch 2800 vigilante in my car. A little too much but it was a good deal. I am dropping 1.9 60's foot times. It lowered them from 2.1 when I was running a 2400 summit stall

 

That's another thing. You could have the same stall speed in different diameter converters and they'll all act differently. A 3000 stall in a 9.5" converter will act very differently compared to a 3000 stall in a 10" or 12" converter.

 

No idea what times I ran stock with my V8 car,
best now with built trans n TC is 2.5 60ft and that was only like the 5th try,
I need to practice launching it right.

 

i had a 10" 2,800 stall converter in my car for a short while, and HATED it. it felt like it was 6k stall lol. it seemed to skip alot of my torque band and went straight to the peak hp and STAYED until the the MPH caught up before it would switch gear. so i went back with the 12-13" 2,500 stall, and it acted totaly differant. but better i believe. would that little converter work better with my car if i had 373's instead of my stock 323's in the rear? i beleive the heaver the car, the higher it might stall??? so by taking some of the "load" away by going 373's, would the converter grab sooner because of the effects from the gear making it seem like a "lighter load"?? or was that converter a piece of junk? if felt "soft" too....

 

Note not all TC are made or built the same, if not done right it will be real sloppy. Off the shelf uni built units are often a crap shot. I know lots of folks who had trouble with everything, till they paid to do it right.

ALways best to have one built for your spec, not off the shelf.

I got lucky, real happy with my off the shelf ACC TC
http://www.accperformance.com/contact.htm

But if I had a grand + to drop,
it would be custom built per my specs by Coaan
http://www.coanracing.com

Now I should know allot more on what makes them good, cause I worked in a TC shop where they bought em for $2-4 at junkyards in bulk and rebuilt them. But all I know is how little they can do is we dind't do much. We cut them open on a lathe, washed it, repalced a washer or a bearing, banged on the fins with a mallet, welded it back together, check run out on snout, air checked it, balanced it, painted it an ugly purple and sold it for $100 wholesale to other places who put it in their box.

 

My converter is a tight converter it still slips though. Depending on the converter configuration. But Vigilante says a 12 inch converter with a high stall with slip more than a smaller converter with the same stall.

 

My race converter is a little more than $1000. It's an 8" converter that's specifically built for racing. It also stalls at 6200 behind my engine.

 

If I needed that much stall id have to get a switchpitch built so I could still drive street

 

I went with a 3400 RPM Vigilante. It's not that bad at all on the street and it gets me 1.7 60 ft times in my very "tame" car.

IMHO a QUALITY 9.5" converter is worth every penny.