I have a 355 sbc with a Howards Rattler Cam 525/530 lift, 226.6/234.6 dur. @ .500, /1800-5600 rpm band, AFR 195 heads, TH400 trans, and 373 rear gear. Should be about 500hp. This is in a 3400# Street/Strip (mostly street) '51 Chevy. What stall and manufacturer would you recommend? Thanks for your input
The only higher stall converter I got right the first time was after futzing around with what I thought would be best, I called Comp and spent a lotta time on the phone with them. Hopefully someone with a similar setup can give you the info you need.
Agreed..."call Howards Cams", let them tell you. After all, it is...their camshaft. They'll know it best, and where the torque is well into it's power range. Otherwise, I'd go with an 1800-2000 rpm converter. No converter will cover a single rpm range (like saying 2000rpm). Can't happen. Mike
Converter is, in my opinion, the single most important part in making the car feel “right”. Call any reputable converter builder with as much info as you have on intentional use, expected power etc... They will pinpoint a converter for you. I would suggest staying away from an “in stock” converter from summit/jegs . Get one built for your specific combo.
I disagree with the 1800-2000 recommendation. Im thinking you’ll be in the 2800-3200 range if the engine is a true 500 hp at that cubic inch.
I I don't think that combination of heads and cam is going t make 500 HP. I have 383 with considerably bigger heads and cam and it just makes 500HP.
The AFR heads can make 500 HP, I’ve seen some dyno runs on other sites about them, but not at 5800 rpm, more in the 6500 or so range. But they are known as a great street head and by design if I remember right, give a real nice lower rpm flow velocity as well.
Oh, I know the AFR's are great heads. I just don't think they are 500 hp good heads on a 355 with that cam.
I don’t think a SBC can make 500 HP at 5800 myself, a BBC sure. Now that I said that someone will show me I’m wrong Just to clarify I’m speaking/typing about a 4inch bore SBC with a 3.48 stroke
I have a 427 SBC with Brodix wild thing heads 640 lift roller 110 lsa with a 3310 Holley I think it is in the 585 hp range. Car weigh 2255. Sent from my SM-J737T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Depending on the compression ratio of this engine, with this hydraulic cam and the 195 heads 375-400 would be a real horsepower number. The 2800-3200 10" converter would be a good choice for a fun to drive hot.
Huh, sounds oddly familiar! Remember the "torque" in torque converter, equally if not more important as hp when choosing a converter.
I was thinking 360 - 375 is more like it, but that's still a strong good street engine, nothing wrong with that at all.
Myself I would go Hugh's Street master 2500 stall, # GM25-400bp , ran it with a blown 327, cam came on at 2K, Worked Mint!
set the transmission up to use a switch pitch converte, and get the converter set up to give 1800 in low, 2500 or so in high. Lotsa fun. Or just go with a normal 2500 stall and see how you like it.
Damn... I forgot about Those! Had one in a gutted 63 Nova, 400, tr1 ram, Would stall up to 2800 let her go.. Left front would clear a beer can... Those were the day's... 18 in hi school
You do not want your stall speed to be higher than your highway-speed rpm. If it is, your transmission will overheat from slippage. There are online calculators that will help you determine what your cruise rpm will be with your tires and gearing. FYI: Torque converter manufacturers, like Hughes, base their stall speed on big-block applications. The actual stall speed for a small-block application will be lower. I bought a Hughes 41-20 Ford C4 torque converter/w 2000 rpm stall speed. My Schneider cam range is 1800-5000. My cruise rpm at 65 mph is 2200-2300. My 55 T-bird weighs approximately 3000 lbs.
Call Craig at Coan Engineering. They can tell you exactly what you need. That’s the only converter I would use. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I've been using TCI convertor and transmissions in my Hot Rods and race cars for over 35 years. In my Coupe I have a TCI 10" that in my combination will run right up to 3400-3600 rpm if I want it to. Pick up the phone and call: Tech Support (M-F, 8 AM - 5 PM CST) Toll Free: 1-888-776-9824 Be honest about your engines real combination, trans, rear gear ratio, tire height and real car weight. This is my advice.
Bubzy, based on your info., your cruise rpm at 65 mph has to be about 3.000. If your tire diameter is less than 26.9", it will be higher. If your tires are tall, it will be lower. The weight of your car may increase stall speed (more weight=higher stall). I would look at converters that will have an actual stall speed as close to 3,000 as you can get, unless you cruise at 55 mph, in which case, 2500 would be a good target. My brother-in-law has a rated stall of 3,000 rpm in his 1988 5.0 Mustang convertible, which weighs about 3,200 lbs. His transmission is an AOD/w shift kit. 3.55 rear gears. He's happy with the transmission's stall speed. He has an E303 cam/w 220 duration @ .050. 2500-5500 rpm range. I don't know his actual stall speed or brand of converter.
Difference is that AOD is direct driven once in 3rd and 4 th gear. Full mechanical lockup due to direct drive shaft. Stall speed in 1st and 2nd. After that it’s mechanically locked up. Unless it has a Art Carr input shaft. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
You need to call a good converter company like Yank, Abruzi, TCI etc. With all the info on your engine, weight of your car, rear gear, tire width, transmission and it's gearing if changed, they will let you know which converter is right for your combo. If they don't ask you all those details then move on because you won't be getting a matched to your application converter, and that's also why you don't ask a bunch of guys on a message board what converter to get.
Stall speed depends on the power of the engine, same converter in a 300hp car will stall higher in a 500hp car. I would be as concerned with lock up rpm as I would flash rpm, you won't be happy driving around with a converter always slipping! Throw a six cylinder T350 converter in and drive around to see how it acts, or even a stock 400 converter, you need some sort of baseline before committing to a very expensive converter you may not like. A 400 or 500 hp engine shouldn't need a lot stall if the torque curve is right.
This confuses me. Others have said the same thing, but it seems contradictory in that the same converter in a heavier car will have a lower stall speed if used in a lighter car. It would seem that less weight would have the same effect as increased power, but apparently not.
Where you stall with any converter is not based on HP at all. HP to start with cannot be measured it is calculated based on torque and RPM. A heavy vehicle with a mill that makes lots of torque is going to stall at a different RPM than a light car and lower torque. What you are buying is a torque converter that is estimated to stall at a given RPM and the bigger the number the looser it is. Where you flash or where you actually stall is vehicle dependent. If I am running a ton of cam shaft in any motor I usually look at what the cam manufacturer suggests and then still call the torque converter manufacturer with that in mind and get a second opinion. Then go from there.
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