stall converter

[BigRed 74']

I recently bought a 383 and was wondering what size stall converter i should go with. It has a Scat crankshaft, k.b hyper pistons and h-beam connecting rods edelbrock performer plus cam and lifters, edelbrock performer fuel pump, thunder avs 650 carb, and performer eps manifold. The TH 350 was rebuilt and a shift improver kit was added. The rear end is stock right now. It has a TCI Saturday Night Special (1600-1800 stall) torque converter now, but i am wondering if i should go bigger. i was told the engine should put out about 375hp and 400tq. Should i change the converter?

[S10Fan]

I'd call TCI. They'll take your info and recommend the correct converter. Cam duration, vehicle weight, type of driving, etc etc all play into selecting the right converter.

[camshaftgsxr]

s10fan is right go too big and kiss your gas mileage goodbye too small and it'll be very unhappy all the way to 2500 but an 1800 stall like you have should be right for a street truck... i would think...

[piecesparts]

Every manufacturer of Torque Converters labels their different than the other guy. What one company calls a 1800 stall may be a 2000 stall in another market line. The comments on the cam info is important to a dealer when they set up a torque converter. Also what is your truck dong at the stop light (right now) when you dirve it. Does the idle speed on your engine make the tranny try to push you through a stop or does the engine idle well without a lot of idle RPMs. This is a good sign that you are not right with your "Stall".

[BigRed 74']

thanks I will try to call TCI and see what they say.

[staggerd86c-10]

I would give monster transmissions a call, go to their website, eatmyshift.com, they have a great crew that will explain everything to you and their prices can't be beat. I got my converter through them and I liked it so much I have purchased a few converters for other customers cars and stall is always as advertised.

[spinem]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

Every manufacturer of Torque Converters labels their different than the other guy. What one company calls a 1800 stall may be a 2000 stall in another market line. The comments on the cam info is important to a dealer when they set up a torque converter. Also what is your truck dong at the stop light (right now) when you dirve it. Does the idle speed on your engine make the tranny try to push you through a stop or does the engine idle well without a lot of idle RPMs. This is a good sign that you are not right with your "Stall".

listen to the man

[cableguy0]

There are a ton of factors that will cause a converter to stall higher or lower. There no end all be all to building a converter that will stall at a specific rpm. The factors included are vehicle weight, engine size/torque produced. rear end ratio, camshaft size etc etc etc. A converter that stalls at 2300 in a camaro will likely stall closer to 25-2600 in a heavy truck. An 1800 stall should be right in the ball park. If its actually stalling there.

[gchemist]

Where does the torque curve start? I run a 2500 stall. My engine has a near smooth curve from 1500 (300 ft/lbs) to max 5200 RPMs (405 ft/lbs). It's a little high for my highway setup but fun to drive and stomp on. As a daily driver, I would go with a 2000-2200 range.