I don't understand why so many people think you need a glide. Most of the guys I know that run a glide have at least 2 of them and 3 or more converters. I've also seen some go slower with a glide vs 3 speed. Been drag racing 48 years with a torqueflite never blew one up . Been with A&A for over 30 years . I average over 150 passes a year. Have it freshened about every 500-600 runs. I run 8.50's in the 1/4 and 5.40's in the 1/8 . Build a torqueflite with good parts and don't worry about it