I'm on a tight budget (relatively speaking), I don't want to spend 500+ on a custom torque converter. My car is my '85 Regal, suspect it weighs about 3600lbs with me in it (was a 231 car, weight is around 3450 stock), has a 3.42 GN rear end to be installed soon, running 235/60/15 cooper cobras. The stock 1300 stall has GOT to go. I was thinking something from Hughes... their GMBPO 2500 stall caught my eye. Says it'd stall a few hundred rpm lower with a small block. I daily drive this car. every day. rain or shine, snow or sunny weather. It's my only car, has been for 5 years, save for a 4 month stint with a '70 4 door thunderbird I had until the 429 bent a pushrod and I sold it. So, what do you guys think? Daily driven car. '70 SP 350 Buick with 800cfm qjet, TA HEI, and crower level 3 cam. Bone stock everywhere else. Th350 with transgo 350-1-2 shift kit, and 3.42 gears and the 235/60/15s. Any input is appreciated as always.
That Hughes would probably stall around 2100. I think you mentioned you advance cam 4 degrees? Which should give good lower torque. So you should be good. But if you want alittle more aggressive, get one that’s 28-3000. It should stall around 2400. Which should come off the line nice. With that one you may want to add an external trans cooler.
I ran a Hughes 3500 stall and it was on the tight side so I would say the 2500 one would be ok for you. You might be able to push it to 2100 foot braking it but probably not maybe more like 1900. I run a Pro Torque 3000 stall and I can only push it to about 2600 before it starts to push the car with the brakes on. You could probably get away with about a 2800 stall if you want to go that high and don't forget the car will move at 1100 rpm it will not wait till it gets to 2 grand to start moving. probably around 1500 with moderate gas. This much I do know for sure the more stall, the faster it comes out of the hole. For all the time driver the 2500 is good for you, if you street and track some go to 3000 stall you won't be disappointed with the results. This is where the 2004 trans comes to life, you can put in a 3000 stall, have a lower first gear, run up to a 411 gear use a lockup style Torque Convertor and you will be a street terrorizer.
Save the $ and see if you can get the GN trans you got the rear end from and put the $$ in that. Even with 3.42 rear gears and the 2.74:1 1st gear and the .67:1 O/D that thing will be very decent out of the hole and get great mileage! Final drive with that gear would be .67 X 3.42 = 2.2914:1, better than you have now with the 2.41 rear gears! Plus your engine should have the low RPM grunt to handle that low of an O/D gear @ 45 mph.
One thing I ran into getting a hughes torque converter from Jegs is they only have Chevy bolt pattern. I ended up getting a hughes perf. from summit. So which ever you get make sure it B.O.P. pattern
I had the TCI street special fighter or whatever it is/was called behind my 350. Ran good, but my custom from JW runs AWESOME
It was just a guy who had the rear end. He rolled the car into a ditch and decided to scrap it. shame. I wish he had the taillights as well, needed a pair at the time. I do want a 200r4 in there eventually, but I want to do it up right. Buckets, factory console, etc.
I looked at a TA and original flexplate I had lying around, both had 3 sets of 3 mounting holes. I guess for Th350/Th400 transmissions. So I'd be fine going with that hughes 2500 then? It's got a 10.75 bolt circle.
AFAIK, there are two bolt hole patterns, small and large. I know the TA flex plates are drilled for both.
Since you are going to change the convertor you should get the TA SFI flex plate too. If you have a shift kit in the trans the flex plate will end up getting cracked at some point. Have it all out might as well upgrade. The Hughes convertor will probably give you one upgrade if the stall speed is not what you really want. Usually for free or very little cost. Off the shelf ones usually don't give you that option plus you get what you pay for with these convertors.
I see it this way. In the long run, a JW converter is some of the best money you can invest in a fast car. The off the shelf converter will be worth nothing when you decide to upgrade. For a few hundred bucks more now, you will not have to change it later. Compared to rear end, heads, cam swap, nothing is cheaper than a good converter. Buy it now, you wont regret it later.
I went with the hughes. The engine is going to be in there for quite a while ('70 SP), depending on when the TA heads are released. I didn't feel it was necessary to spend double, maybe triple on a converter for my current combo that would've been wrong for my future combo, and spending again. I do like the sounds of JW's converters the more I hear about them... will definitely consider one when I get the 10:1 short block done up with the TA heads.
When you buy one of Jim's converters, you can send it back to have the stall speed changed. So when you change your combo, you send the converter back to Jim. A converter is one of the most important parts you invest in. Maybe you can do that with the Hughes, I don't know, but something to consider. http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/tsp-9-5-street-strip-converters-lifetime-warrantee.147066/ "All my converters can be sent back, and changed to any stall speed you wish, or changed from a STG 1 to STG 2 or 3, or simply re-stalled to fit your combo as it evolves. Cost is $125 labor, plus any parts you may wish to upgrade."
Sorry, I being way late on this internet issues and work. Not sure on the big issues between a standard GM turbo 350 vs. Turbo 350 Bop. But 6yrs ago when I bought mine Jegs only offered Chevy pattern where summit offers both from Hughes. Sorry again
