I have a 78 f250 with a 400, and my torque converter is about to go sonce it is making grinding noises. i was looking for a quality torque that is good for towing and offroad. I was looking for something for a stall speed of about 1600 rpm since the 400 makes peak torque around that range. My 400 is stock expect for intake and 600cfm carb. I probably will spend as much as $250 for it. I was also wondering if i need the stall speed around 2000 rpm or something in that range since i am a little fuzzy in what a stall converter is.

 

I'm no expert at this but I've read good things about the Hughes Performance Fuel Miser torque converters. Hughes claims better fuel economy due to less fluid slippage in their fuel miser converters and they have one for the Ford C6. From Hughes website:

Full Miser 1000-1200
This is our gas mileage converter. By reducing the amount of slippage in our Fuel Miser converter by 25-30% we can effectively increase gas mileage by 2-4 miles per gallon, with a closer 1 to 1 lock-up.. Your transmission will run cooler with less friction, reducing heat build-up. Actual mileage gains may vary according to your type of driving and installation. Recommended for 400 cubic inch and larger gas engines as well as all diesel applications.

Cost about $240, plus shipping. I have a Ford 400M with a few power improvements (cam, intake manifold, and TBI fuel injection) and I'm thinking of buying one of these; For the C6 it's a Hughes' model F43Fuel.

Let me know what you decide on?

 

http://www3.telus.net/cbradley/Engin...fications.html
You don't want it stalling that high up, Try the brake test and see where yours grabs
now. A higher stall in a truck is a no no unless you are dragging it!! And the motor is
tuned to make higher rpm power. You should want around 1200rpm no higher unless
that motor is modified and can withstand high rpms. For every day street driving and towing a low stall is needed a higher stall can lead to some bad manners. Most of the
info you will find is geared to the drag strip and high rpm high hp motors which is contrary to what truck drivers need. If you have a good tranny shop around you I would go talk to them and see if they can recommend something for your use, gearing
motors peak torque and the average speeds you drive it (highway versus city)
http://www.becontrols.com/tech/ch8tconvinfo.htm

 

Well i got the hughes fuel miser and so far i love it i love having that low stall speed which eliminates most of the bog when i stomp it. I went from stomping the pedal and the bogging and the truck starting to move slow, to spinning the tires when stomped. I don't know if my gas mileage went though.

 

79f100six,

Thanks for the followup post and glad to hear you're enjoying some extra pep to the real wheels! I too have purchased a Hughes' Fuel Miser TC for my 1980 F350 400M pickup, but don't have it installed as of yet. I'm in the process of rebuilding my C6 now and am installing a wide ratio gear set which will lower first gear by 10% - lower 2nd gear by 5%. My tires are a bit oversized and I wanted a bit more low end torque to get the truck started while still maintaining my 3rd gear for highway fuel mileage. Once I get the rebuilt tranny installed with the new Hughes' TC, I'll let you know how I like it.

You're seeing no improved fuel mileage at all? Or you haven't kept tabs on it in order to know yet... I was hoping for a slight boost in fuel economy. I paid $4.00 per gallon for some diesel fuel for the first time in my life yesterday. Ouch!

I won't know about my truck's fuel mileage until this September when I complete a 1000 mile hunting trip. I'll let you know if I see any improvement in fuel economy at that time compared to the pre-Hughes TC trips.

 

Well i'm not saying it didn't improve my mileage, i just never calculated the mileage before and after. But going from a cheap torque converter to a good brand of torque so my gas mileage probably went up a little.