I don't have a clue as to which stall speed I should put on my 52 Dodge Truck. The truck probably weights in the 3200-3500 lb range with my new engine in there. 354 Hemi with a Sig Erson racing cam and 8.5:1 compression...not too wild an engine. TH350 automatic trans 3.55 rear axle gears. Not going to be used as a high speed runner. Mostly used on streets (45mph avg speed) and occasional highway use. With the stock suspension I have, highway speeds would probably be in the 55-65mph range (can't see wanting to go much faster) What should I be looking for specs wise for a torque converter?
Without knowing your cam profile, it is a bit of a guess....but, I'm going to ASS-U-ME your cam is about 260-280 degrees of duration advertized and maybe 225-230 @.050. The cam profile factors into how much torque your engine will make and torque, along with weight are the biggest factors in stall speed. Without getting too super technical, I would suggest a 12 or 11 inch converter with an advertized stall speed of 2200-2400rpm. Your kind of heavy car and your kind of torquey engine will move your stall slightly closer to 2400 rather than 2200. 22-2400 will also keep your converter locked up at highway speeds avoiding excessive heat build up. Wouldn't hurt to install a good cooler and a trans temp gauge. (temp should be 150-220 ish) Also, this converter would keep you from having to put the car in neutral at stop lights. With this converter and your combination, expect to be able to stand on the brake pedal, give it some gas and the engine will rev to about 2000 rpms before your tires start to squeel. That is not the scientific method of torque converter rating, but it will work just fine for us knuckle draggers. Good luck, -Abone.
Thank you for the info. I have a trans cooler that's integrated into the aluminum radiator. Here's the specs for the cam. Sig Erson cam for the 354 Hemi. Part Number: RV-10-H. It has 0.415" lift, and advertised duration of 256 deg (208 @ 050).
Dan, Abone means a cooler in addition to the one built into the radiator. That cooler alone is not adequate for most higher stall converters. They generate an enormous amount of heat. The way to run these are from the trans into the aux. cooler and then into the rad cooler, and back into the trans. I work closely with one of the biggest names in the business, and have a 3500 stall in my daily driver. 208 @ .050" is not much of a cam, you should have a decent amount of manifold vacuum, as well as a good recommendation of stall speed and size from Abone, TR
I'm using Aeroquip brand black socketless hose and fittings for the trans cooler lines. It's good enough for oil lines (which runs hotter and with more pressure), so I figure it's ok for the trans cooler line. Right?
Dan, I wanted to say too, that a seperate trans cooler can also be used alone in place of the rad cooler, provided it is more efficient. The point here is that the trans cooler part of the lower rad is not that efficient beyond stock requirements, with the radiator already working double-duty to cool the engine.
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