Torque converter advice

[My9302002]

69 charger
440 with old school "MP 484" cam (runs really well, don't want to change it. I know there are better cams out there)
.030 rebuild, 10:1 compression
27.1" tires
906 heads
Dual plane intake with Holley 750 (vac sec)

Car is street driven, mostly highway, want the occasional good tire burn.
Motor feels perfect at 3,000-3400 rpm's

Currently have a 10" TCI converter with advertised 3,000-3,500 stall (feels more like 4,500 when I do the "floor it in third gear test")

Sooooo, I'm getting way to much slippage with this converter for the highway. I have 3.23 gears .....
Thinking that a 11" converter with a 2800 stall would be the ticket.

Opinions?
Seen good info from Mike in the past, feel free to chime in!

[469 runner]

TCI doesn't make the best convertor in my opinion.  I think what would work well with your setup would be something like what Turbo Action offers as their HEMI convertor.  It sould be tighter than what you have and be far more efficient.  You can have them customize the convertor as being a little looser or tighter as well.

[My9302002]

No listed stall on the Hemi converter.
Any idea?

[firefighter3931]

With 3.23 gears the TA street hemi converter would be a good choice. Descent stall when you drop the hammer and very efficient at highway speeds. TA is light years ahead of TCI 

Stall speed will vary depending on the engine output....the same converter behind 2 different engines will result in different stall speeds. The more power it makes...the higher the stall speed 

That being said, the typical street 440 with light mods will stall ~ 2800 with the TA street hemi 11in unit.



Ron

[My9302002]

Thanks guys!
Ron, if you had a choice which company would
you go with ?
TA or Dynamic, or Cope Racing.

[firefighter3931]

John Cope sells PTC converters and they are descent. TA and Dynamic are also very good. I've had both a TA and a Dynamic and both worked flawlessly. No direct experience with PTC but i've recommended them to members here with great results. 

Dynamic will try to sell you a 9.5in unit which is what they recommend to everybody  That's too loose for your needs so i'd go with either TA or PTC (through Cope) 

I loved my Dynamic 9.5in unit but it was behind a more serious effort 446 making 535hp/540tq running 4.10 gears. That was the right converter for that application but not yours. 



Ron

[My9302002]

Spoke with Paul at TA, he suggested a "10 inch tight"
converter with a 3,000 stall.
He states that a 11" might "pull down" the idle
to much with that cam.
Thoughts?

[469 runner]

I have that same convertor in a 1970 roadrunner with a very similar setup to yours.  Same 3:23 gears.  Paul Forte knows his convertors and I think you will be very happy with that recommendation. I know he didn't steer me wrong.

[firefighter3931]

It really depends on the build and how well your ignition/carb is dialed in. The 10in tight will work and if that's what he is recommending i say give it a try.

Ron

[My9302002]

Have a Unilite dizzy with a fireball crane ignition box (1990's era build looks like)
Going to eventually switch out to an MP set-up, but working well for now.
Going to see how much vacuum I pull in gear at 700 rpm, Paul said this info would help him decide between
the 11" or 10" for sure.

[firefighter3931]

Increasing the base timing will improve idle vacuum. I try to dial in as much base timing as the engine wants then limit the mechanical advance to to achieve 36* total and bring it all in by 2500. 

*The 284 is going to want at least 20* at idle to be happy

The fuel curve on your 750 vac secondary carb is too conservative for the cam profile, inmo  The vac sec carbs are better suited to cams in the 225-230* range on a wide lobe seperation angle (110*Lsa or more) The 484 is 238*@.050 on a 108 LSA 


Ron

[My9302002]

Thanks Ron...
Going to get more basic info to help
me make my decision.
I still think the 11" Hemi converter you suggested
is still probably the best for me. We 'll see.
(Almost forgot, I do have headers also.)

[Cooter]

The 484 is 238*@.050 on a 108 LSA 


Ron

Ron, I thought the "484" PS cam was 241 @ .050?

[firefighter3931]

The 484 is 238*@.050 on a 108 LSA 


Ron

Ron, I thought the "484" PS cam was 241 @ .050?

You are correct Cooter....good catch ! 

The 280/474 is 238*@.050 & the 284/484 is 241*@.050


Ron

[GPULLER]

When you get ready to swap your ignition I would suggest getting a Firecore plug and play or ready to run distributor from Ron.  I had an old MP unit and mechanical advance wasnt adjustable without a bunch of mods.  The Firecore I got was a plug and play, dropped in place of the old unit and within 1/2 hour I had the timing dialed in.
I'm running the same cam you are, my 440 liked 25 deg of initial timing, no vac advance hooked up.  Limited it to 35 by 3000.  For the price you cant beat the Firecore.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,102245.msg1212071.html#msg1212071

[My9302002]

Thanks for the info..
What converter/rear end combo you have?

[GPULLER]

Thanks for the info..
What converter/rear end combo you have?

Running a TCI converter also.  It's been in the car for a long time, pretty sure its the Breakaway, TCI claims 24-2600 stall.
Gears are 3:23's.

Reed

[My9302002]

Thanks!

[cudaken]

OK real old school but give a try. See if you can find a 74 400 polices converter. Knock of the counter weight. Stall should be around 2500 RPM. I ran it in my 69 Charger, slight cam (not quite the Hemi Purple but close) with a 440 with 2.76 Sure Grip. I could get rubber on a 20 MPH roll. 10 years ago I found a rebuilt unit for $75.00 from a trans supplier. 

Cuda Ken