fast89

Please check my signature. I would like to ask you all what non-lockup torque converter stall speed I should buy. I am interested in about a 2800 stall. What are your opinions? Also, how hard is install of TC on car mentioned in signature?

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1989 Pontiac Formula L98 Ported Plenum, Edelbrock 6085 Heads, Edelbrock HI-FLO Intake, BBK 52MM TB, Edelbrock TES, FlowMaster 3" Exhaust, Dual Cats, 3.27 Gear, CompuCam 2032 Cam, 1.5 Rollers, Ed Wright FastChip, Accel Super Coil, MSD 8mm Wires

86TpiTransAm

What's the RPM range of the cam??? If the cam starts at about 1600RPMs or LESS then you don't need a stall converter!! If it starts anywhere above 1600RPMs then you'll need a stall! I think that cam has about a .452/.465 gross lift and about a 224/230 duration right!? Somewhere about there?? If that's about right then I would say you probably will need a 2100 RPM stall! All crane cams start late (unlike the Comp XE cams)!! The stall converters on 700R4's aren't cheap....not as cheap as the TH350 stalls anyway!!

As far as changing the converter!! Drop the tranny, which can be a b*tch if you've never done it before, then install the new converter and reinstall the tranny!! Not very complicated at all!!

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1986 Trans AM
305 TPI
200,000+ miles (speedo/odometer non-funtional! Odometer reads 142,000)
4 Wheel Discs
9 bolt Borg Warner Rear (2.77's....oh joy) :P
Completely Stock
Soon to upgrade to a 350 converted from TPI to Carb, Edelbrock 750CFM Carb, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake, Headman Shorty Headers, Some sort of ported heads (undecided), XE268 Cam, Moroso HEI ignition kit with external MSD Blaster II Coil and an MSD 6-AL Box!!
Current project: Keeping my 305 running until I get my income tax returns!

IROCeastTN

That cams RPM range is 2000-5000. Duration @ .050 lift is 214/220 452/465 lift. I'd say go with a B&M holeshot 2000. It has a stall speed of 1900-2100 and its a lock-up design. Its about $330. You could go with a higher end convertor like the vigilante, but they are very high dollar, like about 900 or so, but they custom make them to go with the mods you've done to your car. I had a 2500 or so stall in my car, non-lockup, and hated it. Liked the stall speed, but not having the lock-up sucks on the highway. But hey it's your car, just my opinion

later

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88 irocz fresh 350 tpi eibach springs, weld draglites, 1 3/4 hedman shortys, flow master, march aluminium underdrive pulleys, T.B. coolant bypass, accel 300+ race wires, 180 thermostat, accel flow booster, 2 lower walls removed from stock uppper plenum, 700r4 with 2500 stall, B&M shift kit, corvette servo, kevlar frictions, K&N filters, emissions delete

fast89

ATTN IROCEASTTN: Is it worth putting the 2100 stall in the car if it comes from th factory with about a 1600 stall? Does teh 1600 to 2100 stall make that much of a difference.

what makes it hard to pull the tranny?

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1989 Pontiac Formula L98 Ported Plenum, Edelbrock 6085 Heads, Edelbrock HI-FLO Intake, BBK 52MM TB, Edelbrock TES, FlowMaster 3" Exhaust, Dual Cats, 3.27 Gear, CompuCam 2032 Cam, 1.5 Rollers, Ed Wright FastChip, Accel Super Coil, MSD 8mm Wires

IROCeastTN

Fast89, if you plan on drag racing much it does help, a little. If you like the long smokey burnouts it helps too But if not I'd stick with the stock one and put those $$$ towards something else. For instance a friend of mine had a 88 IROC-Z like mine. Pretty much the same mods except the tranny and converter, his would barely turn over the 295/50s we were both running, but mine would stall enough to smoke em all the way to the 1-2 shift and into 2nd. But thats a 2500. As far as hard to get the tranny out, its a piece of cake. Took mine out today in about 1 1/2 hrs. Just me and my brother. Just be careful and use a good trans jack.

later

86TpiTransAm

Well I was a little off on the duration of the cam but dead on with the lift!! With a cam that starts at 2000RPM's your will see very sh*tty performance until you hit 2000RPM's.....that's when the cam kicks in!! Yes 2000 or 2100 stall makes a BIG difference over the stock converter with that cam!! My friend has a crane cam that starts at 2200 and he has the stock converter and the car falls flat on it's face until it hit's 2200 RPM's!!

B&M is a good converter, don't get me wrong, but you can get a TCI Saturday Nite Special 2000 RPM stall converter for $265....and the quality is just as good as the B&M!! Just my opinion tho'!!

*Opinions are like a$$holes, we all got 'em*

As far as it being hard to pull the tranny....it's not necessarily hard, just a lot of work!! Not as bad if you have a good floor jack or tranny jack!! We changed my friends 700R4 with just a bottle jack and muddy ground....oh joy, what fun that was!! Took 3 people and 2 days to do it! I used a 2 1/2 ton floor jack when I changed mine and a much longer extension for the top bolts and it wasn't that bad at all!!

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1986 Trans AM
305 TPI
200,000+ miles (speedo/odometer non-funtional! Odometer reads 142,000)
4 Wheel Discs
9 bolt Borg Warner Rear (2.77's....oh joy) :P
Completely Stock
Soon to upgrade to a 350 converted from TPI to Carb, Edelbrock 750CFM Carb, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake, Headman Shorty Headers, Vortec Heads, XE268 Cam, Moroso HEI ignition kit with external MSD Blaster II Coil and an MSD 6-AL Box!!
Current project: Keeping my 305 running until I get my income tax returns!

[This message has been edited by 86TpiTransAm (edited February 27, 2001).]

IROCeastTN

Oh yeah, here's the POS that I'm working on. hehe Gotta love em.


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88 irocz fresh 350 tpi eibach springs, weld draglites, 1 3/4 hedman shortys, flow master, march aluminium underdrive pulleys, T.B. coolant bypass, accel 300+ race wires, 180 thermostat, accel flow booster, 2 lower walls removed from stock uppper plenum, 700r4 with 2500 stall, B&M shift kit, corvette servo, kevlar frictions, K&N filters, emissions delete

[This message has been edited by IROCeastTN (edited February 27, 2001).]

fast89

Thanks guys for the comments. Sounds like I will be dropping my trans and going with a Trans-Go shift kit with servo and a B&M Holeshot TC. I hope this will make a difference for me. What were you all saying about needing a longer extension for the removal of the trans. Is this for the bolts on the top side of the trans mount?

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1989 Pontiac Formula L98 Ported Plenum, Edelbrock 6085 Heads, Edelbrock HI-FLO Intake, BBK 52MM TB, Edelbrock TES, FlowMaster 3" Exhaust, Dual Cats, 3.27 Gear, CompuCam 2032 Cam, 1.5 Rollers, Ed Wright FastChip, Accel Super Coil, MSD 8mm Wires

86TpiTransAm

You'll need a quite long extension and a "wobble" head for easiest removal of the top bolts on the bellhousing (where the tranny bolts to the engine)!!



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1986 Trans AM
305 TPI
200,000+ miles (speedo/odometer non-funtional! Odometer reads 142,000)
4 Wheel Discs
9 bolt Borg Warner Rear (2.77's....oh joy) :P
Completely Stock
Soon to upgrade to a 355 converted from TPI to Carb, Edelbrock 750CFM Carb, Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake, Hedman Shorty Headers, Stock casting pocket ported heads (2.02/1.60 - 65cc), XE268 Cam, Moroso HEI ignition kit with external MSD Blaster II Coil and an MSD 6-AL Box!!
Current project: Keeping my 305 running until I get my income tax returns!