Torque Converter 78 L48

[1978L48jafo]

I am looking for some advise on a torque converter for a TH350. My engine is built and still on the stand. I just put new seals in the transmission and cleaned it up. There is a wear line on the shaft of the converter. Not bad you can just barely feel it. My concern is that this car leaked everything I hate to reuse the old converter and have a leak.

I also don't quite understand the stall ratings. The motor is build with 9.5:1 Crane energizer cam, roller rockers, aluminum intake, and HEI performance chip. My vet will never see the drag strip but I do like a bit of performance.

Can I safely use emery cloth on the worn area? Or which converter is recommended for my situation? I am looking at the summit 1500-1900 rpm stall at the moment.
Thanks
John

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

John,
i would install a new converter for two reasons. first, the groove worn in your old one is not going to form as good a seal do to the shaft is worn smaller than stock. it will probably work fine with a new seal for a little while, but it will start leaking before long. second i would run a 2200-2400 stall converter. it will really wake up your car but not make it undrivable in traffic. if you are running 3.55 or 3.70 rear gear, it will be fully "locked" at highway speeds. slower speeds and it will push the car nicely and even mellow out a shift kit if you went that route. stall converters are cheap "feel good" performance parts and you already have the tranny accesible!! Brian

 

[1978L48jafo]

Brian thank you,
I have my eye on a B&M. It obviously not a popular subject in the forum but there are a lot of threads from past discussions. I will admit even after reading through the discussions and their links I don't necessarily understand the ins and outs of a stall converter but it sounds like there is no down side for a daily driver and a low 2000 - 2400 stall range.
Thanks for your reply and this is the direction I will move.
Regards.
John

 

[cruisin-davey-g]

I am looking for some advise on a torque converter for a TH350. My engine is built and still on the stand. I just put new seals in the transmission and cleaned it up. There is a wear line on the shaft of the converter. Not bad you can just barely feel it. My concern is that this car leaked everything I hate to reuse the old converter and have a leak.

I also don't quite understand the stall ratings. The motor is build with 9.5:1 Crane energizer cam, roller rockers, aluminum intake, and HEI performance chip. My vet will never see the drag strip but I do like a bit of performance.

Can I safely use emery cloth on the worn area? Or which converter is recommended for my situation? I am looking at the summit 1500-1900 rpm stall at the moment.
Thanks
John

John: Hey, here's a "tip" for 'ya. If you've got the tranny out of the car & changed the front & rear seals, make sure you change the front pump cover gasket while your at it. Alot of front trans leakage problems come from this front pump cover gasket & is often mistakenly taken for the front seal. Also, the other post about the converter is "Right on" :BOW Good luck with your project & have fun "Cruisin' in your Vette!"


Dave: "CORVETTE" AMERICA'S ONLY TRUE SPORTS CAR!

 

[Privategod]

That 1500-1900rpm converter falls in the stock range, 1800-2000rpm would be a step above stock, and 2000-2400 two steps above stock. You can usually contact companies like B&M, give them a little info on your current setup, and they will recommend which one of thier products will best suit your needs.

 

[1978L48jafo]

Dave said

"If you've got the tranny out of the car & changed the front & rear seals, make sure you change the front pump cover gasket while your at it. Alot of front trans leakage problems come from this front pump cover gasket & is often mistakenly taken for the front seal."

I tried to replace a front pump once on a ford mustang (I was young and dumb) and everything fell out when I removed the cover. Are you saying if If I remove the cover I won't end up with a automatic transmission puzzle on my garage floor:eek I realize that it should most likely be done wit the trans pointing stright up...
Please advise.
John

 

[1BAD80]

Hi John, there is a rule of thumb for converter's. You want to go 300 RPM over the camshaft base RPM. This is so the motor can start to make power before loading up the motor.
Say your cam is 2,000 to 6,500 RPM you would go with a 2,300 stall converter. I prefer Coan converter's, their a little more but worth the insurance. I used one of the other good brands and blew the sprag's in a few hole shot's.
George

 

[1978L48jafo]

Thanks George that is just what I needed to hear. My cam is a Energizer 100052 and the RPM listed on the card is 2000-5000.

I have bid on a B&M converter specifically B&M Torque Master 2000 rpm stall converter Part# BMM-20400 1900 to 2100 rpm stall. Does this seem appropriate for my application?
Thanks again you thumb rule helps make sense of the choices.
John

 

[1BAD80]

Being a lite car, plus you have the motor, you should be safe. But I would have gone a little higher, you should be OK. Im running 2,500 cam and 2,500 conv. Don't forget to add 4 qts. into the converter before installing, and you should have from loose to 1/8" gap between the converter and the pump for/aft before bolting to flywheel. If to tight you can wipe out the pump. When installing have the converter on the trans so you know its engaged into the slots. I also use Royal Purple trans fluid, and all their products, esp. the oil.
Their rearend lub stopped all the gear noise because of the shear strength. I have put it in 5 other Vette's and it helped all of them.
Good luck with your project.
George

 

[Privategod]

Summit Racing sells it for $92.95 new, so don't bid too high.

 

[1978L48jafo]

Thank you I have not but I might have bid too much, I thought this was a more expensive converter. I should have checked myself.

John
:duh