Operation Converter Installation

[67-400]

Hey guys, well thanks for all the recommendations on torque converters from my past thread, i have gone with the 3200 custom built through a racing place connected with Darrel's Transmission at a cost of $550. Thanks for the referral John. So I wanted to post a thread about this, not just for me but for others if they search also.

To start off with I have one simple question, i'm about to bring the transmission down, do I have to remove panels off the center council near the shifter from the interior or is there linkage that I can access and disconnect from the trans while i'm underneath the car? I don't want to all of a sudden pull the shifter through the center council when i'm droppin the trans down. I've never done this type of operation to a car to know what i'm gettin into. Any other hints or tips are appreciated! Thanks!

[juicedimpss]

put a new pump seal in while you have the trans out.

[PonyKiller87]

Hey guys, well thanks for all the recommendations on torque converters from my past thread, i have gone with the 3200 custom built through a racing place connected with Darrel's Transmission at a cost of $550. Thanks for the referral John. So I wanted to post a thread about this, not just for me but for others if they search also.

To start off with I have one simple question, i'm about to bring the transmission down, do I have to remove panels off the center council near the shifter from the interior or is there linkage that I can access and disconnect from the trans while i'm underneath the car? I don't want to all of a sudden pull the shifter through the center council when i'm droppin the trans down. I've never done this type of operation to a car to know what i'm gettin into. Any other hints or tips are appreciated! Thanks!

The cables all connect to the trans on the side, disconnect them before you drop the tranny. You shouldn't have to take the center console apart at all. Should be 2 cables (TV and shifter) and then there will be 1 or 2 plugs for the electrical stuff, both will be twards the rear of the trans.

[Heat Seeker WS6]

Not a prob at all- glad it worked out! Looking forward to seeing your car
I was gonna do the trans swap myself & some other work, but instead had the shop just take care of it & not have any worries at all- plus having them do the test drive & work out any bugs. Ive never done it before and didnt want to chance anything going wrong by missing anything.

[67-400]

I wish I had the money to spend to give it to someone to take care of, got any extra that I can have? eh, doing it myself also gives me the feel for it, i've done everything to my car but the transmission, so its about time I learn. Well, and the rear dif, but there I have no need to fix...yet. With the launching i'm expecting to achieve now, somethin is gonna give sooner or later! Drive-shaft loop is in the works

[PonyKiller87]

I wish I had the money to spend to give it to someone to take care of, got any extra that I can have? eh, doing it myself also gives me the feel for it, i've done everything to my car but the transmission, so its about time I learn. Well, and the rear dif, but there I have no need to fix...yet. With the launching i'm expecting to achieve now, somethin is gonna give sooner or later! Drive-shaft loop is in the works

Spohn makes a nice DS loop that bolts onto the tranny mount bolts, works way better than those kind that bolt to the floor.

[67-400]

Spohn makes a nice DS loop that bolts onto the tranny mount bolts, works way better than those kind that bolt to the floor.

hmmm, ill keep that in mind, thanks!

[Syclone0044]

Make SURE you know what you're doing when you reinstall the new converter to the trans, and put the trans up to the engine. If you get it wrong, you can destroy your tranny and converter. There needs to be like a 5/8" gap from the converter to the flywheel when the tranny is mounted up, and then you slide the converter forward to bolt it to the flywheel.

[67-400]

Make SURE you know what you're doing when you reinstall the new converter to the trans, and put the trans up to the engine. If you get it wrong, you can destroy your tranny and converter. There needs to be like a 5/8" gap from the converter to the flywheel when the tranny is mounted up, and then you slide the converter forward to bolt it to the flywheel.

Uh oh, there was about 3/8 or so. Another website states that you should have minimum 1/8 but no more than 3/8. I went off that, didn't get your msg til now. We'll see what happens, all is runnin good now! I'm headin up to Culvers for a good butterburger after all that work!!

[BadAzzGTA89]

How does it "feel" now??
I know i am in need of one also and will be putting one in soon!

[67-400]

How does it "feel" now??
I know i am in need of one also and will be putting one in soon!

The converter I took out was a 12" converter. The one I installed yesterday was a 3000-3200 Stall 10" converter. The ONLY difference I notice is the quicker response of power to the wheels. Turning less mass i assume = more power distribution to the wheels.

On the flip side, I was at a dead stop, brakes are on just as in the staging lanes of the track. I revved the motor up to see if the RPMs would climb higher than 2100 before the tires spun. The result was the tires still broke loose at 2100rpms, as it did before with the old converter. I was expecting the car to rev higher, hence the "3200 stall. Am I confused about the purpose of the higher stall? Anyways, overall the car's power/torque response has acceptionally increased!!

[Heat Seeker WS6]

Nice!

[forest]

The ONLY difference I notice is the quicker response of power to the wheels.

On the flip side, I was at a dead stop, brakes are on just as in the staging lanes of the track. I revved the motor up to see if the RPMs would climb higher than 2100 before the tires spun. The result was the tires still broke loose at 2100rpms, as it did before with the old converter. I was expecting the car to rev higher, hence the "3200 stall. Am I confused about the purpose of the higher stall?

nope, sounds like you didn't get the right stall at all, a 3200 stall will start to engage around 2900 and be locked up at 3100 on a foot brake, 3200 if you flash stall it from an idle. go get your money back or have them restall your verter for free. it will feel WAY better than the one you have now.

[BAD LS1]

There is alot more than determining stall by how much it can be foot braked...

the converter will "flash" to 3200 the moment you hit it with enough torque AND hard enough... Your brakes might not hold it to get it there, and your tires/suspension probably wont hold traction enough to see it spike.

The higher stall is just giving some play in how quickly it begins to move the car forward with authority and letting it slip into the meaty part of engines power band before it really starts to move the car with all it can deliver. Stall torque ratios play a part in this too...

This is why you get what you pay for... you call yank or P.I., tell them what kinda feel you want out of it, your mods and they ship you a converter thats more efficent than some bent fin stocker and often times will reach their desired stall on a foot brake if they are "loose" enough. You can havea loose and tight 3200 that will act totally diff from each other

[juicedimpss]

i agree with tom,money spent on a good convertor will be a nice piece that is not quite as noticable when "driving normal" yet flash at the desired speed puttng the engine into its powerband.
furthermore,what kind of tach are you using to determine what it footbrake stalls to? it wouldnt surprise me for a factory tach to not read correctly.

[forest]

i agree with you both, but a converter that doesn't stall within a couple hundred rpm of its rated stall speed on a foot brake isn't worth a damn really. this guy is talkin 1/3rd of his stall speed missing so to speak! 1000 rpm lower there is no excuse for at all especially on only a 3200 converter.

[juicedimpss]

i agree with you both, but a converter that doesn't stall within a couple hundred rpm of its rated stall speed on a foot brake isn't worth a damn really. this guy is talkin 1/3rd of his stall speed missing so to speak! 1000 rpm lower there is no excuse for at all especially on only a 3200 converter.

i dunno,my imp would footbrake 2400 and flash 3200 on motor,on the gun it would flash a lil more

[67-400]

I just called Darrels & the receptionist says her "Transmission guy is out sick today." I'll have to talk to him tomorrow. True, I wasn't really all that impressed with the results after spending $600 + on all materials to gain that little extra feeling of power. Sure, I got some, but thats the difference from 12inch to the 10inch converter. From what I was told, I was expecting better results. I'll find out tomorrow.

[67-400]

i agree with you both, but a converter that doesn't stall within a couple hundred rpm of its rated stall speed on a foot brake isn't worth a damn really. this guy is talkin 1/3rd of his stall speed missing so to speak! 1000 rpm lower there is no excuse for at all especially on only a 3200 converter.

I'm tryin to get ahold of Brian from Sheboygan, hopefully schedule a dyno-tune for Sunday, you available on that day?

[67-400]

i agree with tom,money spent on a good convertor will be a nice piece that is not quite as noticable when "driving normal" yet flash at the desired speed puttng the engine into its powerband.
furthermore,what kind of tach are you using to determine what it footbrake stalls to? it wouldnt surprise me for a factory tach to not read correctly.

Yah, its the stock tach, but it read 2100 for both the old converter & the new one when tires broke loose.