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plumkrazee70

plumkrazee70

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I finished my 340 build, now I need to go through the trans. My question is will I need a stall converter.

Here are my specs:

70 dart

68 340 .040 over
Keith black hypers 9.5 compression
Big valve j heads
Rpm air gap
Comp cam: .454 lift duration @.050 218 lobe:110

245/60/14 in rear
Gears: 2.76 sure grip (wanting 3.23 eventually)

Weight: probably 3k lbs

I built the motor pretty mild as it's going to be a street cruiser only. Maybe a day at the drag strip a year. Do you guys think a stall converter is needed? I'm going to call PTC and get their advice also.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
id probably run a 2200 stall. just my thoughts if its gonna be a cruiser and not much of a strip car. I have a 3000 stall in my duster behind my 440 but it still is very streetable and shoots out of the hole hard at the strip
 
2200-2500
Gear change 3:23 or 3:55
But you can run that cam on a stock converter .
Also depends how you drive the car .
 
Not to be nitpicky, but if you go talk to any trans shops or anything, there's no such thing as a "stall converter". They are torque converters, and they all have a given stall rating (where actual stall still depends on a number of factors). So yes, you need a torque converter no matter what, the question is what stall is appropriate.
 
I have a nice 3:23 sure grip I'd part ways with for 350.00
Pm if interested ?
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm sorry for the incorrect vocabulary. The 3.23 would be nice, but in need of a trans rebuild and a torque converter first.
 
That's not a wild build by any means and it will work with a stock stall converter, but it would benefit from a higher than stock stall converter. Like the others said something in the 2200-2500 range will do real good. A high stall converter not only gets the engine up in the power band quicker so the car is faster but it also helps a car with a lumpy cam idle in gear because it slips a little down low.

The terminology booboo is no big deal IMO. Forever and a day we've said a lot of things that weren't technically correct and 9 out of 10 guys know what you mean. It's a slang thang, LOL
 
fishy68 said:
That's not a wild build by any means and it will work with a stock stall converter, but it would benefit from a higher than stock stall converter. Like the others said something in the 2200-2500 range will do real good. A high stall converter not only gets the engine up in the power band quicker so the car is faster but it also helps a car with a lumpy cam idle in gear because it slips a little down low.

The terminology booboo is no big deal IMO. Forever and a day we've said a lot of things that weren't technically correct and 9 out of 10 guys know what you mean. It's a slang thang, LOL
Click to expand...

Haha. For sure.

So after doing some research, it seems that the 3.23 are not available for the 489 case (Which I have) So I think I'm going to step up to the 3.55 Gears.

I gave a call to PTC yesterday and gave Tim? my specs, and he suggested a 9.5" converter with a stall speed 2500-2700. The price was $475 + shipping. Do you think that stall is too high?

He did say it will drive nice around town and I won't notice the converter until I put my foot into it. That is what I really want, is to be able to drive the car comfortably, but when I want to get into it, its not embarrassing.

Thoughts on that converter?
 
To be clear, I wasn't chastising with the terminology thing, or even saying it was a big deal. Of course we all know what each other means when we say that. Was just trying to be helpful (?) in case the OP didn't know. From context, I gathered maybe it wasn't intentional slang but rather not really knowing how the word stall related to the term torque converter. Anyway, as you were.
 
72Dodge said:
To be clear, I wasn't chastising with the terminology thing, or even saying it was a big deal. Of course we all know what each other means when we say that. Was just trying to be helpful (?) in case the OP didn't know. From context, I gathered maybe it wasn't intentional slang but rather not really knowing how the word stall related to the term torque converter. Anyway, as you were.
Click to expand...

No offense taken. :glasses7:

Any opinion on my previous post (post eight) and information received from PTC?
 
A stock converter will work fine.
 
RustyRatRod said:
A stock converter will work fine.
Click to expand...

I appreciate everyone's feedback on the subject, but am not sure what to do.

I have called PTC and Dynamic and they both recommend a 9.5" converter that would stall at about 2800 or so. The only difference between the two seems to be price.

PTC: $475
Dynamic: $695


But the "stock converter" has also been brought up, by forum members.

Where would I source a stock converter and would the stall speed be worth it? I know that PTC and Dynamic are very reputable dealers, so I guess I'm not really sure what to do.

:banghead:

I want the car to have excellent street manners, but when I lean into it I want it to get up a go.
 
I have close to the same build as yours and went with a Fti converter and it seems like different car. Stock worked but had horrible low in power. Double checked everything twice, timing, fuel, spark, plugs, carb, etc.. before I went for a new converter. The converter was the best upgrade I have done on the car so far. My stall range is 3400 to 3600 and works great on the street. The plus with Fti is that you will restall it for free within the first year if you are not happy with it so not too much risk except your labor time and shipping if you end up sending it back.

http://fticonverters.com/
 
With your current setup, a stock converter would be just fine, but 2200-2500 would work also, and be better suited to a 3:23 should you step up to that! The 2500-2700 suggested may be better suited to a 3:55-3:91, or better yet a 3:73 with that combo! JMO of course, but I would just run a stock converter for now until you upgrade the rear end ratio! Stock converters are only $150 or so!
 
cosgig said:
With your current setup, a stock converter would be just fine, but 2200-2500 would work also, and be better suited to a 3:23 should you step up to that! The 2500-2700 suggested may be better suited to a 3:55-3:91, or better yet a 3:73 with that combo! JMO of course, but I would just run a stock converter for now until you upgrade the rear end ratio! Stock converters are only $150 or so!
Click to expand...

I think I am going to wait and just get the converter from PTC along with the 3.55 gears. I think this is best, so I'm not wasting money on the stock converter.
 
People seem to conveniently forget that stock Mopar converters stall in the 1700-1900 RPM range and the factory hi stalls are about 1000 RPM higher. So that means a hotter than stock engine will stall a stock converter probably somewhere a little over 2000 to begin with, since converters respond to torque. There's no reason to spend a bajillion dollars on a "stall converter" when the stock one will be more than adequate, but it's your money. Spend it where you want to.
 
Call summit and save yourself some money,I think 2700 is a little high for your cam and gear selection.
I think a summit brand converter SUM-G2709-12 is around 200 bucks 2000-2200 stall.
That is for a 727,I didn't see what transmission your using or HUP-27-20 for the 904 $235.00 2000 stall.
 
RustyRatRod said:
People seem to conveniently forget that stock Mopar converters stall in the 1700-1900 RPM range and the factory hi stalls are about 1000 RPM higher. So that means a hotter than stock engine will stall a stock converter probably somewhere a little over 2000 to begin with, since converters respond to torque. There's no reason to spend a bajillion dollars on a "stall converter" when the stock one will be more than adequate, but it's your money. Spend it where you want to.
Click to expand...

Hi Rusty,

This is exactly why I was asking the questions. I have read numerous threads where the advice given is "Don't cheap out on the converter!" I don't want to make that mistake either. :)

If a factory high stall converter, will suit me well, then I would be glad to save the money. Where would you suggest I source one of these?

I really do appreciate everyones responses. I just wanted to make the right choice and only do it once.

Just to recap, besides the motor specs in the OP, Ive decided to go to 3.55 gears and have a 904 trans.
 
ANy time you can put more stall in a performance application, especially over a stock level is not a bad thing.

Converter tech has come a long way since the 70-80's where high stall converters were sloppy and inefficient as heck.

A 2500-3000 range would be nice piece.
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Haha. For sure.

So after doing some research, it seems that the 3.23 are not available for the 489 case (Which I have) So I think I'm going to step up to the 3.55 Gears.

I gave a call to PTC yesterday and gave Tim? my specs, and he suggested a 9.5" converter with a stall speed 2500-2700. The price was $475 + shipping. Do you think that stall is too high?

He did say it will drive nice around town and I won't notice the converter until I put my foot into it. That is what I really want, is to be able to drive the car comfortably, but when I want to get into it, its not embarrassing.

Thoughts on that converter?
Click to expand...

I've had great luck with PTC converters and think what he suggested will work fine. I'm running one of their 3500 stall converters in my Cuda and love it. Drives super nice at light throttle input but flashes right up there to 3500 when I nail it. My Cuda knocks down 15+ mpg. with 3.55 gears and the PTC 3500 and runs 12.20's so it must be pretty efficient.
 
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