Which Converter?

[68racer]

I run a 1968 C10 with a 502/502 crate motor thru a TH400. I am getting the gearbox rebuilt and need a new converter. I bracket race it (11.7's) and drive on the street. I am always changing things on the truck, I want to swap in a solid roller cam next. Do I get an off the shelf converter such as a Hughes HD35 or go the custom route? I understand a custom is better but more money. Is there an off the shelf converter that is definately strong enough to cope with 11's and maybe 10's? Any recommendations or don'ts?

[Marv D]

PTC is about the best race converter I know of but WOW are they pricey! I run a Hughes in my Nova because there about 20 minutes from my door. In my truck I have one of Dennis Sneaths (Midwest converters) custom 10.5" Pro converters. OK for cruising around at 2000-2500 rpm but stalls on the brake at 4600 (target was 4800 so Dennis hit it pretty good) . His 10.5" Reactor series was all the rage in the NMCA crowd a few years ago. Good people, great product and price is in line, or better than comparable converters.

[nomrlz]

any good convertor is gonna start at $600 and be closer to a grand for that torque monster

[Shon]

I like Yank, Vig/PI, and lots of people have started liking the Circle D's.

[team39763]

What's the deal with the different sizes? Like 8", 9.5", and 10.5"....Why choose one size over the other? I had a 9.5" converter that I wanted loosened up some, but I was told it couldn't be done and if it could, it'd be inefficient. I was told I needed to get a 8" if I wanted a stall that loose. Will a 5500rpm 9.5" converter be garbage? That's what we planned to put in my uncle's tube chassis Luv(2400lbs, 327ci, PG).

[68 C-10 KID]

I would save the money and go custom. I did end of summer and will never go back.
They drive better and they are tuned to your motor combo. I took out a Hughes 3500HD. It was so so loose compared to the custom that I have now but stalls the same on the Brake.

[djracer]

If you are looking at a cam swap I would do that before I got the new converter. If the duration changes much it will likely need a different converter.

[68racer]

It looks like I will spec a custom converter for the intended cam, thanks for the input.

[cableguy0]

You definately get what you pay for when it comes to torque converters. Ati also makes nice stuff. Most of the higher end converter companies wont even sell you a converter without knowing everything about the vehicle. The cam swap definately needs to be done first or at least give the specs on the new cam before you order the converter.

[shawnt]

Originally Posted by djracer

If you are looking at a cam swap I would do that before I got the new converter. If the duration changes much it will likely need a different converter.

X2... And like cableguy said, ATI makes great stuff, as does Coan. The 2 things you do NOT go cheap on is Converter and Cam. You choose converter off of many things, you don't just pick a stall speed and put one in. The ATI and Coan are pricey but it will be worth it in the end. You do want the most power possible to make it to the ground right?

Shawn