Best bolt ons for a small block
If the tires don't spin, a higher stall Convertor is the only thing that will get you moving quicker from a dead stop. The difference can be astonishing. I have done this now several times in the last 45/50 years and never once have I been disappointed.
Gears are a great second choice, but they trade away cruise rpm to get a lil help once the car gets moving, but you stll gotta wait for the engine to get into her powerband;
whereas the hi stall puts her there instantly, before the car ever moves an inch. If your current TC stalls at 1700rpm, your engine might make 120* ftlbs there which is less than 40 hp.
You can put a 4 bbl on it , and it will not make 1 hp more at 1700.
You can put duals on it and headers, and at 1700 possibly not gain one single hp.
But if you install a 2800TC , maybe your engine has, naturally, 240* ftlbs there, which is 128 hp, more than 3 times the power it had at 1700.
I rest my case.
(*) The torque numbers are a best guess, and while no one knows how accurate they might be; the end result is the same; NOTHING besides supercharging, can compare to a good Convertor, with a stall 1000 rpm higher.