I am thinking that my '72 302 would benefit from a slightly higher stall converter than is on the stock C4. Rather than buying after market, are there different stall converters used in different ford vehicles that I could swap in?

Thanks

 

Be aware that a higher stall converter will create more heat, and your mileage will probably decrease a bit.

 

You should remember that it all plays together. From the carb over the induction, heads, motor, exhaust, cam, torque converter, transmission to the rear end / tires. You want to design your system with the whole setup in mind. Playing with only one **** usually does more harm than good.

The only reason to use a higher stall converter would be that you have a torque / hp curve on your engine that starts to kick in quite late, at higher rpms. That means with your high stall converter, from a dead stop, you will be in the higher rpms right away and you get off the line better. These hp/torque curves are typical for high perfomance drag race engines that make gobs of power but not in the low rmp range.

The other reason, and that usually comes with the high rpm umph is a radical cam that will give you trouble idling if you don't have some slack in the torque converter to compensate.

I assume you don't have either of the two situations present? Then why pull the transmission and go through the hassle of a torqe converter swap?

If you should decide to swap converters, do NOT go for a used unit unless you have it flushed and tested at a transmission shop. The converter can have debris from earlier life in it that you will immediately find in your transmission after you bolt it on! For the $ you pay for a flush and test of a used converter you can almost buy a new stock or mild converter. I'd ony use a used converter if it would be a high dollar item to start with.

Now lastly, I think what you might want is better performance from a dead stop? Overall throttle response? How about some slightly steeper rear gears? Or how about an RV grind cam? Both those mods will not cut into your overall picture as much as a torque converter. As mentioned in the earlier post, with a higher stall speed converter, your mileage will suffer, and your heat load on the transmission system will increase.

Hope this helps! Just a few thoughs of mine worth the $.02

Cheers, George

PS: If nothing else, consider a mild shot of nitrous. That should fix your need for umph and you can turn it off when it is time to bring grandma grocery shopping.

 

Sedric, have you ever driven a vehicle on the street with a high stall converter? My friend had one in a '74 van with a souped-up 302. Yeah it pulled hard on full throttle but... under normal driving conditons it always felt like the tranny was slipping. Your foot will be in it more, gas mileage goes down the tubes and engine braking is less.

Barry

 

I am not talking about some radical high stall racing converter but one that is only a bit higher than the one I have...that is why I was asking about other Ford converters. How about a mustang converter...would it be different that my F100's.

Tell me if I am on the right track or not: When I am stopped at a light with my F100 in drive and engine idling the truck would move forward if I didn't have my foot on the brake. My other truck is a full size Ch'y with a 4.3 V6...if I am stopped with that truck in drive it will not move forward unless I step on the gas. Does the Ch'y have a higher stall than the Ford or does this have nothing to do with it?

When I step on the gas of the Ch'y the engine naturally revs higher before the truck moves out which seems to help the acceleration. This is the situation I would like to creat with the Ford.

Thanks