craigblack85

hi all, i have a 302 with an aod and the standard stall converter. so what i am hoping you can help me with is why should i go with a higher stall converter? i do not really want to do drags or 0-60s. so would a standard converter be ok with this spec?
stock 1988 HO with the injection junked and a holley vac secondry 600cfm carb
weiand action plus+ inlet manifold
stock heads with the ports matched up and smoothed out
1 5/8 headers
procomp hei dizzy
I am from the uk and am building this engine to slot in to a european capri so the car will be light. any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance Craig

creekrat

higher stalll speeds let the engine rpms come up to where it starts making more power(depending on engine combo) before it starts to "grab" harder. If you are racing? maybe a race converter is for you depending on your budget. At least get a cooler and shift kit.

tinman

As sort of a 'rule' a lighter car will not require a higher stall converter.
Just how light is the Capri?

craigblack85

the capri should come in at around 2200lb to 2500lb. not in to racing just want to make awhole load oftorque. i am going to put in a shift kit and probably a rebuild the tranny using uprated parts. thanks for your answers so far.

TheDrivenMan

Converter stall is generally mis-quoted, like a 2400 stall is generally really a 2200-2400rpm take off, depending on the power being generated at that rpm. A stock stall is usually 1600-1800 or 1800-2000. If you are drag racing, a higher stall converter can help you launch when you are making your best power. The downside is, the higher the stall speed the harder it will be to drive the car smoothly on the street as you will constantly be forced to bring the engine rpm up to an uncomforable level before the car rolls forward. I have a 2800 stall in my car, and while it takes off like it was shot from a gun, putting in the garage and inching forward without driving through the back of the garage can be a challenge.

Long story short... a mild increase in stall speed, say 2200-2400 would probably give you some performance advantages without making the car less streetable. A shift kit and a lighter flex plate/converter combo can help get the car rolling quicker too.