8 inch converter questions...
I am not so sure why everyone hears 8" converter and then thinks "how streetable?"
8" is just the size...although 8" converters by nature do create more heat and flash stall quicker then larger diameter converters, that does not make them unstreetable. How tight or loose the converter is will effect the cruise rpm's the car sees and transmission temps as well, but even with a loose converter, you just aren't going to have a bear of a time on the street like everyone makes it seem. Comparing other peoples cruise rpms with a similar size converter will also be misleading- every converter is going to slip slightly differently, and that will effect cruise rpms.
I street drive my A1 8" converter with 5500 stall EVERYWHERE...Drives like a regular car, that is until I stomp the gas to make a stop light or play around with it and it flashes to 5k in a hurry, which if anything is fun, not bad lol. I run a B&M trans cooler in front of the rad (fluid does not pass through the rad) and my trans temps have NEVER gotten over 180 on the hottest of days. On the highway I cruise at 3200rpms around 60mph with a 28" tall tire and 4.10 gears...My limiting factor is my half filled block and oil getting too hot, not the trans at all. Even at the track, back to back passes in very hot humid weather the trans never gets hot (I have trouble putting temp into it!)
I also wouldn't go through the trouble of switching to a 904- I usually build my stuff "strong once", but I chose to go 904 when I went auto thinking it would hold my power goals...well I am about to surpass those goals this season, and am wishing I had gone 727 to start...just my 2 cents.
Not sure why all the converter companies make 8" race converters sound like the death of a street driven car, or why people think "high stall converters" are un streetable...Its a regular car until you mat it, and it sure is fun to smash the gas and fly past everyone around you (while also at the same time having them **** their pants). Put a good cooler on it and you'll be fine.
For the record, I wouldn't use A1 again, but thats just my personal preference. I have a 9.5" nitrous converter on the way from another company. As was mentioned, getting a converter right is like voodoo.