Performance Torque Converters, opinions and experiences?

[QBuff02]

So in rebuilding the engine in my truck and adding some power to it, the new cam calls for a 2,400 rpm stall converter. No biggie right? except torque converters are somewhat voodoo to a lot of us, because they don't always do exactly what the manufacturer says. In talking with a couple of manufacturers and some people i'd deem to be experts about stuff like this I have found that A 2,400rpm stall might not be a true 2,400 rpm stall. Because in the fine print a lot of stall speeds are rated that way based off of an engine ft/lbs torque rating of X at Y. (and this is usually around a 300ft/lbs at 3,000rpm figure) So a 2,400rpm stall in a 2,800 lb car with a 355 and say a 4.10 gear might actually stall closer to 3,000rpm in a 4,000 lb car with a 454 and a 4.10 gear. Because the load the converter sees is different. Not wanting to do this twice since I have the engine out and the converter staring me in the face, I called a couple different tech lines and spoke with a few people and I got as many different answers as people I talked to. I gave them all the best information I could (engine info, vehicle info, weight, gear ratios, cam specs, etc) And I will say that when I called B&M you could tell that their "tech" guy was almost reading from a script. He kept repeating things like "but the cam specs call for a 2,400 stall so that's what you need" And i'd ask, "what about the weight and it being a heavy truck with a performance big block, does the converter need an anti balloon plate, is this going to change the characteristics of the converter, etc" And at the end of the call with B&M I just wasn't happy at all. I called a somewhat local to me company and they wanted to build me a custom converter, which for what i'm doing was quite PRICEY ($600-700ish) i'm not going to lie, but he did give me some good information and recommendations. So with the trans in the truck being a TCI prepped unit, I called them, and after some initial back and forth with the first recommendation being a converter that was closer to the 3,000rpm range, we discussed everything in detail again, especially cruise speeds and majority of use the truck will see. Because lets be honest, we all have a 500 horsepressures, fire breathing, tire shredding, race fuel drinking monster! Lol But no, in all seriousness, I told him everything I wanted to do, and he gave some thoughts on it, and he said that behind a big block an anti balloon plate is a must, and that the converter he recommended me might stall a couple hundred rpm higher than advertised, but he felt it was going to be a good converter for my application. So, I ordered it and an SFI approved flexplate and on it's way it was! Right! Right? I unboxed my goodies and I must admit, i'm a little nervous now..! Because the converter I got is literally half the size of the converter it's replacing! Lol And the converter I had stalled around 1,700-1,800 (rebuilt/modified stocker unit), so here's my questions.. Have any of you guys called the tech lines and gotten the same different number of answers as me? have you picked an "off the shelf" converter with good success? What kind of actual stall speeds have you seen between what you ordered and what you're getting? Any thoughts on my situation? Or should I slap that baby in there and report to everyone what I end up with? (which i'm pretty much going to do anyway) I can always change it this winter if i'm not happy and call TCI to let them know my thoughts! Or maybe i'm just over analyzing this build to death because it's taken me 2 months instead of a few weeks. However, I will report that there is light at the end of the Engine building tunnel! Pic is the new 2,400rpm converter I ordered from TCI.

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[Catbox]

But what are your truck/engine specs and plans for use?

Is this a 2wd mostly street / sometimes drag truck?
Big 4wd offroad monster?

It sounds like a street truck to me from what you have said.
BBC, lopey cam, 2400 stall converter.

 

[QBuff02]

But what are your truck/engine specs and plans for use?

Is this a 2wd mostly street / sometimes drag truck?
Big 4wd offroad monster?

It sounds like a street truck to me from what you have said.
BBC, lopey cam, 2400 stall converter.

Its mostly just a weekend toy of sorts. 82 1 ton 4x4, I'm building it for the middle of the road actually is my intentions. Enough power to have fun with, but still have good drivability and decent street manners. (Sometimes the Mrs. takes off in it, so a big chunky cam, doesn't want to idle and loading up, bad drivability situation was not really in the cards... Lol) It's a .060 over 454, 4 bolt block, good crank, balanced, heavy duty rods, arp fasteners, forged domed pistons, 10.5:1 compression, worked over 049 heads, 2.19 intake/1.88 exhaust, 850 demon carb, performer rpm intake, 268/276 cam. 1.72 roller tip rockers, th400, np205 transfer case, 4.10 gears with 33" tires. Sometimes it only gets driven a few miles here and there, sometimes it might get driven upwards of 40-50, I use it down at our hunt club and play in the mud and if all goes well, a little "cheater stock" truck pulling next summer. But also, if I feel like cruising my old truck 25 miles to Menards on a Saturday afternoon for drywall I can. That's why I was kind of conflicted on this build, because we all want ALL the power, but sometimes it's not practical.. So we settled with a nice build that should compliment the things I want to do, and do them pretty well. I can build engines all day, But that torque converter stuff was/is a real learning curve, and i'm thinking it should compliment the package, but time will tell.. Lol

 

[Catbox]

It should be fun with the converter that you have picked up.

From all my understanding of torque converters, the more torque you make the higher they will seem to stall.
It has been a while since I have had to play that game though.
My old Nova with a mild 350 would stall at 2400 with a 1800 rated converter in it.
Fluid dynamics are not my thing.

I think you are on the right track for some fun though...