Torque Converter

[Vettefan87]

Well im going to have to pull the motor to rebuild it because there is definetly main bearing noise. I was thinking since i was going to pull the motor i might get a torque converter. what are the pros and cons to getting one and what kind should i get i ran across this one but it seems kind of pricy http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=BMM%2D70419


Thanks

 

[jenavet]

haha!!
pricey!!...i just spent 1050.00 for a converter from coan.my opinion is a good stall converter is worth getting,depending on what you are doing with the car.but i wouldnt get a generically built one from the large wharehouses.if you call one of these shops,they can custom build one for you for about the same price as summits. this way you can tell them exactly what mods you have done to the car,what type of driving/racing you plan on doing,and then they can custom tailor one for your vet,instead of buying a one size fits all.in racing/street competition...these are some of the best...i still think coan makes one of the best converters out there.
www.coanengineering.com
www.atiperformanceproducts.com
www.rosslertrans.com [these guys do alot of trans/converters for lingenfelter performance]

 

[Mad-Mic]

vigilante

yank

one of these 2 will work. get a 2400-3000 stall converter. these are flash stall #'s brake stall will be 400-600 less. what this means is no gas full brake nail gas let off brake this is the flash stall. brake stall will be 400-600 less when you are on the brake and bring the rpms up with the gas. ideally you want about 400 less rpm stall than your max torque. on my 87 max torque was below 3000 rpm.

 

[jenavet]

mad
here is the only possible problem i see with your recomendation......as you know combinations have to work together in order to increase performance...if something in the combination dosent match with everything else you have done,it could actually hurt the cars performance....and converters are a good example of it..these mass produced converters are made using a stock corvette"s specs.....but lets say vettefan,when he rebuilds his motor,decides to change cams,or changes cylinder head combos,injector and throttle bore sizes or rear end ratio etc..etc...then a mass produced converter that uses general corvette specs when its built,will actually not do him any favors........even your car for example...you have a 2.59 rear ratio with 285/40/17,which are not the stock overall diameter...these 2 factors alone could greatly affect how the mass produced converter you have performs.........when you have a converter built for your application...here are the most important questions they will ask.....vehicle weight[most vets weigh about the same/except for the drivers weight so not an issue vs mass produced converter]........engine size/bore/stroke[not an issue if stock,but if you bored yours out or dropped a stroker motor in,it will make a big change from factory specs and performance]....type of cylinder head and induction[as you know cylinder head work,injector and throttle bore size can greatly affect performance/torque of motor vs oe]........lift and duration of cam as well as duration at .050[not an issue if stock,but what if vetfan when rebuilding his motor makes a cam change that is far different than oe,that changes the whole ballgame as far as converter stall/lockup].....rear end gear ratio[major factor for stall speed...mad,you have 2.59..what if vetfan has a 3.08 or lower...thats a totally different animal than your car then]....overall tire diameter[this affects overall gear ratio...mad,you have a tall tire[285/40/17] on the rear,which is taller than your 87 had oe and is actually going to affect your 2.59 ratio so its even higher than if you had 255/50/16 etc..major factor in determining converter stall/performance]..........so i guess what i am trying to say is,i bet alot of corvette drivers on this site are seeing alot less performance out of their vets then they actually should...reason??,not thinking out their combinations and just throwing performance parts on their car that might work on joe blows car the next town over,but actually hurt the performance of their own car........so my opinion vetfan...if you are leaving everything bone stock then the mass produced converters will work perfect...but if you are changing induction/camshafts/rear end ratios/overall tire diameters etc...then call a good converter shop and have it custom built to your combination......just my opinion.

 

[Mad-Mic]

Jena,

i hear where you are coming from and only offered more alternatives. i judged it based of a stock 87 C4 with either a 2.59 or 3.07 gear. i just dynoed my car with mild bolt ons (very mild) and my max torque was right at 3000 rpm. i do not base my judgements off other people but i do watch what people are doing. this is how i have dropped off a full 1.5 seconds in less than a year with very limited bolt ons. (less than 500 dollars)

on the converter thing i will agree. stock application or a midly bolt on application there is nothing wrong with a Vigilante or Yank stalls. they will work fine.

if you want to race the car alot and add a heads and cam package go with a good builder that will custom design a converter for you. this is what i am doing as we have a guy that just went out on his own and opened his own shop doing converters. the shop i help out with when they are busy and do my work at is http://www.FBodyCentral.com a good converter man will ask you additional questions like how hard do you want the car to hit? do you want it to slip when after the initial hit or continue to grab. even with todays lock up TC's they can still be adjusted more to the individuals taste and launching technique with out going the cookie cutter route. Alot of these builders such as ours will give you 1 or 2 restalls for free. this means if it's not as tight or loose or the hit is too hard or need more or less stall speed they will adjust it. this is really good if you continue to do mods to your car like add nitrous or a Supercharger down the road.

and on tire size from a 255/50/16 to a 285/40/17 is only a 50 rpm difference. the height is very near identical. now the tire patch is alot larger

mad
here is the only possible problem i see with your recomendation......as you know combinations have to work together in order to increase performance...if something in the combination dosent match with everything else you have done,it could actually hurt the cars performance....and converters are a good example of it..these mass produced converters are made using a stock corvette"s specs.....but lets say vettefan,when he rebuilds his motor,decides to change cams,or changes cylinder head combos,injector and throttle bore sizes or rear end ratio etc..etc...then a mass produced converter that uses general corvette specs when its built,will actually not do him any favors........even your car for example...you have a 2.59 rear ratio with 285/40/17,which are not the stock overall diameter...these 2 factors alone could greatly affect how the mass produced converter you have performs.........when you have a converter built for your application...here are the most important questions they will ask.....vehicle weight[most vets weigh about the same/except for the drivers weight so not an issue vs mass produced converter]........engine size/bore/stroke[not an issue if stock,but if you bored yours out or dropped a stroker motor in,it will make a big change from factory specs and performance]....type of cylinder head and induction[as you know cylinder head work,injector and throttle bore size can greatly affect performance/torque of motor vs oe]........lift and duration of cam as well as duration at .050[not an issue if stock,but what if vetfan when rebuilding his motor makes a cam change that is far different than oe,that changes the whole ballgame as far as converter stall/lockup].....rear end gear ratio[major factor for stall speed...mad,you have 2.59..what if vetfan has a 3.08 or lower...thats a totally different animal than your car then]....overall tire diameter[this affects overall gear ratio...mad,you have a tall tire[285/40/17] on the rear,which is taller than your 87 had oe and is actually going to affect your 2.59 ratio so its even higher than if you had 255/50/16 etc..major factor in determining converter stall/performance]..........so i guess what i am trying to say is,i bet alot of corvette drivers on this site are seeing alot less performance out of their vets then they actually should...reason??,not thinking out their combinations and just throwing performance parts on their car that might work on joe blows car the next town over,but actually hurt the performance of their own car........so my opinion vetfan...if you are leaving everything bone stock then the mass produced converters will work perfect...but if you are changing induction/camshafts/rear end ratios/overall tire diameters etc...then call a good converter shop and have it custom built to your combination......just my opinion.

 

[jenavet]

i am still extremely impressed with an L98 with minor mods,2.59 gear and an even taller tire,which i am guessing might make it a 2.55 or 2.57 gear,that is running 13.187...to me,thats incredible....i am guessing your car and you are in the 3500lb range?? with that et,that would put you at aprox 300 horse at the wheels and 390 or so horse at the flywheel......are you sure you dont have any other mods???

we also have a local guy that builds/alters converters...he gets 189.00 to open your converter and loosen or tighten stall,parts being additional if you need them.

 

[Mad-Mic]

Jena,

last year my average time was 14.4! many have seen my vette and know i haven't even cracked open a valve cover! when i first got this car with 32k i miles it still had stock plugs, wires, cap and rotor! thats how stock this car was. i'm the second owner first was a female. i still have a few bolt on's to do but as she sits with a set of DR's and good air i'm hoping for 12.8's. after the long tube header install i dynoed the car very hot and blew the EGR tube in the first and only run and pulled 235 rwhp and 340 rwtq. i'm confident cooled down and with the EGR fixed she'd pull 260+ rwhp and around 370 rwtq. don't believe the online HP calculators

here is the vid of the runs. didn't have the DA i wanted since it was very humid out and slightly spinning on launch.
http://www.hushds.com/Mad-Mic/13.18%20@%20105.84%20mph.mpg

Current Mods:
K&N open air box, MAF descreened, TB Bypassed, 160* T-Stat, Accel Super Coil, 12* degree advance timing, TPiS Long Tube Headers, !Air, and No Mufflers. Hayden Tranny cooler. Stock 1600 rpm stall, 2.59 rear gear on 18 psi Goodyear F1 285/40/17" street tires.

i am still extremely impressed with an L98 with minor mods,2.59 gear and an even taller tire,which i am guessing might make it a 2.55 or 2.57 gear,that is running 13.187...to me,thats incredible....i am guessing your car and you are in the 3500lb range?? with that et,that would put you at aprox 300 horse at the wheels and 390 or so horse at the flywheel......are you sure you dont have any other mods???

we also have a local guy that builds/alters converters...he gets 189.00 to open your converter and loosen or tighten stall,parts being additional if you need them.

 

[redc4corvette]

vigilante
This is the converter I use good for 1/2 sec in quarter they warranty for 2 years and 1 rebuild or stall converter change.
they will need to know cam tire size and so on to get it right.