I've got a 68 RS SS with a 406 full roller, fully ported heads 2.02/1.65, 4 brl holley, large tube headers, 10.5/1 comp, 3.73 posi. The cam is CompCam Xtream Energy 12-422-8. RPM 1600-5400 Torque & HP around 450. 400+ torque starts around 2200 and holds pretty level till 4500. Cam is rated for stalls of 1600 to 2800. CompCam is recommending a stock stall, which I believe to be 1600. I’m thinking of going with a 2000 to give me a good launch, yet still have good economy and run cool, but I really don’t know converters well.

I’d like to hear from other people who have a similar setup what their experiences on stall speeds and converter brands has been.

How about a B&M holeshot 2400. That is what I am putting in my 700R4. With my TH350 tranny with stock stall I had to use a little more brake as you could feel it tug. Also at that time the man that put a fine tune on my car suggested a mid 2000 stall. I am running a 350 sb .030 over, 2.02 hump heads, eddy 600 cfm, headers and 3.55 posi. Not sure of the cam specs but was told it was like a Z-28 cam. Can't give you any experiences with them though.

Used a 2400 B&M holeshot in a Vette we built and it worked real good.

I have a 2000 no name and it works fine even with a 280H cam. With the 3.73 gears and 3.06 1st gear in the trans your gonna launch pretty good anyway.

Thanks everyone for your replies.:hurray:

I have a 2800 in it now and it hits very hard, quite a hand full. But Comp Cam says I'm wasting all my low end power with a stall that high. It'd be great if I turned 7000. I'm now looking at converters in the 2000 to 2400 range.

I did find a company in Iowa that sounded interesting. The build converters different then all the rest I've seen. Their claim to fame is they hand build each converter, no automation. They MIG weld everything, instead of furnace brazing, use industrial bearings instead of light duty needle bearings, and aircraft aluminum washers instead of fiber washers. The company is ACC or Alabama Converter and their brand is called Boss Hog Night Stalker. The converters range from stock, 1600/2200 2400/2800 and larger.

Anyone ever hear of them or this converter before?

Hmm, how do I say this and NOT lose credibility? Especially on a camaro board..LOL . I built a 7004r many years ago and it held up surprisingly well.What did not was torque convertors.I will give a run down of my application and you judge from there.I built an adapter plate to mount a gm trans. behind a 460 ford .It was in a 4200 lb. truck with 3.50 gears.The motor is a 10.5:1 hyd. roller cam, roller rockers, ported heads,headers, balanced etc. It revs like a small block ,explosive from 2600-6000 rpm.The transmission never failed.I did however replace the convertor 7 times, 6 times for failure.I was using brazed convertors.IIRC 3-4 failures were in the lockup portion of the convertor.It would break the damper springs or shread the clutch, so much so that it caused a vibration from imbalance.I cut several apart for inspection.What I found was the primary problem from so much torque was failure of the thrust area in the convertor.The thrust washers /bearings would fail, then the stator would not be controlled,next it started clipping turbine fins.. it gets very ugly after that. Case ballooning was suspected as well.BTW I had the splined hub that drives the input shaft shear completely out of the drive plate once upon a 1-2 gearshift..shock load got it. One convertor I bought advertised as a 2000 stall actually went to 3000 rpm, so it was removed shortly after purchase. Number one thing to remember is to protect the lockup clutch from being engaged upon upshifts,engine braking,or even moderate throttle.A fourth gear pressure switch is not sufficient IMO.The motor overcomes the clutch before a downshift can occur.The transmision was removed and inspected/cleaned each time.It never failed.It now lives in a 72 chevrolet truck with a stout smallblock, and good convertor.I was buying brazed performance/towing convertors directly from a trans. parts supplier.So I don't have a brand loyalty.

Kevin, your comments are very interesting. Since the day I purchased the car I've not been able to get my current the torque converter to lockup. The previous owner built this trany and put all the HD hard parts in it. But, told me that the lock up had quit working and suspected that the fourth gear switch had gone bad. I totally replace the lockup kit, which included a new fourth gear switch, with no improvements. From what you described, that sounds like my lockup clutch has failed. The trany doesn't have any vibration at this point, just the economy isn't there. which is why the 700R4 was swapped in in the first place. So in your opinion, buying an expensive top of the line converter not really a solution to the lockup clutch problem. With my engine it might be time to start looking at a T56 or an M22 overdrived.

Kevin, your comments are very interesting. Since the day I purchased the car I've not been able to get my current the torque converter to lockup. The previous owner built this trany and put all the HD hard parts in it. But, told me that the lock up had quit working and suspected that the fourth gear switch had gone bad. I totally replace the lockup kit, which included a new fourth gear switch, with no improvements. From what you described, that sounds like my lockup clutch has failed. The trany doesn't have any vibration at this point, just the economy isn't there. which is why the 700R4 was swapped in in the first place. So in your opinion, buying an expensive top of the line converter not really a solution to the lockup clutch problem. With my engine it might be time to start looking at a T56 or an M22 overdrived.


Actually buying a quality convertor is a must.A good convertor will have the brazing and increased thrust bearing capacity to handle the extra HP.The torque convertor clutch management is another problem that must be addressed. The lock up clutch was never intended to endure the conditions encountered in retrofit.It was designed to carry the vehicle at cruise speeds under light throttle for increased efficiency.It will not tolerate harsh applies,high torque load, hammering(throttle loading,unloading). Very high end multiple disc convertors are the only ones to come close. $$$ . I swapped my transmission back to a bulletproof C6 since I no longer put many miles on that truck.My motor output probably exceeds yours, and weight as well, so I am at the threshold of the 700r4 capacities.The best way to protect the clutch is easily accomplished.

1. Add a brake switch to interrupt power to solenoid.(cruise switch works fine) This prevents shock load under engine braking/on off throttle.

2. Route power from there to a throttle microswitch.(adjust to break circuit at the point where you maintain highway speeds,grades ,and passing, but before downshift.It should unlock when trying to pass.(This prevents the motor from overcoming the clutch under torque load, and shock load of downshift.

3.Finally go thru a 4th gear pressure switch. It will prevent up shift while engaged, or lugging under a coast condition.

BTW the tell-tale sign of a bad clutch usually shows up in plugged cooler and lines.The friction material shreds up and eventually starves the transmission for fluid.

Kevin, Thanks for the tips on deactivating the lockup clutch. However, I don't quite understand how to accomplish tip #3. Can you explain how this wiring is done. The only access to the forth gear switch I can determine is through the external electrical plug connection on the driver side of the trany. If I remember this correctly, there are 4 pins in this plug and one was for switched 12v, one was ground and one went to the brake light switch or a vacuum micro switch. The fourth wire was not used.

Tip# 2 I understand, but where and how did you mount this switch and have it adjustable to only have it activated at the cruz position.

I did a quick sketch for the wiring and switch function if interested. They are PDF's so email and I send them to you.I will try to get a pic of the install as well.
Something like this should be sufficient as long as you protect the lockup clutch.

http://www.ptcrace.com/torque-converter-p-1262.html