I had posted this same question a while back, I just can't seem to find it, so I figured I'd post it again.


I'm thinking of getting a higher stall torque converter. Currently I have a B&M holeshot 2000. My specs are 388ci, cam has .488" just don't remember the other specs (I lost the sheet). Tranny is a TH350 with a B&M shift kit, holeshot 2000 converter, B&M tranny cooler, and 4.11s out back. I'm kinda rushing this post cause I've got to log off the computer, so if I'm missing something, please ask away! (I'm basically looking to drop ets, and keep my car as my daily driver). Before I forget, my previous "best" run was an untuned 8.80@79mph 1/8mile track.

More info will definitely be helpful. Ill go out on a limb and assume youve got a high rise dual plane intake, around 200cc heads with 2.02 valves, around 10:1 comp and we will guess that your cam is around 230 duration at .050 and a 110LSA....also Id figure around 3600lbs or more for the car. But of course, these are all guesses.

Definitely do your best to find camshaft specs. If you cant find em, which manufacturer made the camshaft, is it hydraulic, solid....... and which line of cams is it(like if its a comp cam, is it a hydraulic extreme energy or high energy cam for example). We may get lucky.

Also, which intake do you have along with which heads(and was there any porting done), what is the actual compression and what carb and what is the vehicle weight.

Even after we get all this stuff nailed down, we can give you a good idea of what kind of stall speed rpm will be good. But its still best to call up the converter maker of your choice and have them make a reccomendation. You might need a 2800-3000rpm converter to make it work, but a converter thats advertised to stall at 2800-3000rpm might not actually stall at 2800-3000rpm in your drivetrain/vehicle. Too many varibles will dictate how the converter actually stalls reguardless of how its advertised, and the converter maker will be able to sort through all of that.

Well, I'll post what I remember for his car.

1971 Chevelle.
Used to be a 307 car.
Full interior.
All steel body.

Hydraulic Cam. Don't know anymore than he does about it though.

Holley 750cfm Vacuum Secondaries.

Performer RPM intake.

Iron Bow-Tie Angle Plugged heads. I don't know the casting numbers. He knows that they've been ported but he's unsure by who or to what extent. At least the last time I spoke to him about them.

1 3/4 headers, I believe.

Dual Exhaust with an X-pipe made by the exhaust shop. Spin Tech mufflers.

Your combo sounds similiar to mine except you have more gear out back. Try to find the cam specs. I run a Coan pro street converter with a 3000 stall and it works great. Give them a call. With my current set up I've run a best of 8.26 through the 1/8 with a 1.88 60' in a 4100 lbs tank.

i agree with Greg's estimations, somewhere right around 3000.

Make sure you get a 10" based converter, not a high stall 11" or 12". A "low stall" 10" cenverter will have less engagement off idle,then tighten as it gets into the 2000+ RPM range.

Sorry for taking soo long to reply. Thanks Enrique for chiming in! :thumbsup: My phone line was "interrupted" (forgot to pay the bill on time DOH!!! :clonk: ) so I had to wait a few days before the line was back up.

As for my cam specs, I have no idea what they are. I bought the cam about 5 years ago and lost the specs while I was building the motor. I have a feeling I accidentely(sp?) threw them away with the trash :sad: I don't remember what brand it was either. I just remember the cam box being blue with kinda orangish letters. Aside from that, it's a normal hydrualic cam.

As for my car's weight, with me and my tools in it, I'd have to say it weighs over 4000lbs. Anything else you guys need to know?

i agree with Greg's estimations, somewhere right around 3000.

The "funny" part about that is, I called PAW (Performance Automotive Warehouse) and they didn't want to recommend me a converter. They're the ones who said that the Holeshot 2000 would be the best converter for me and that I wouldn't want anything higher (then again, at the time I didn't have a tach in the car to let them know what rpms I was driving in). The day I posted this thread, I spoke to one of their guys who told me that he couldn't recommend one unless I had the cam specs. He said that without that knowledge, a 3000 stall converter could hurt my performance instead of making it better. I'm thinking to myself, ok, this guy is most likely being in "safe mode." He can't/doesn't want to recommend something that could potentially not work, and probably make himself and/or the store look bad, which is understandalbe. But, I've read I don't know how many posts in here about other guys asking the same question I'm asking, and it seems like more often then not, most everybody recommends converter with stalls between 2500-3000rpms (and that's for motors that aren't as "radical" as mine). Sorry, just thought I'd share that.

Found some .488" lift Hyd cams.

Did you buy it from PAW? PAW sells SSI cams and the next one fits the lift figure.

SSI 292/292 234/234 114LSA

Summit Brand "1106" Cam
234/234 (doesn't show any other figures other than the .488 lift.)

Edelbrock RPM
308/318 234/244 .488/.510 112lsa

Edelbrock Torker Plus
292/300 232/234 .488/.488 108lsa

Comp Cams Nitrous HP
274/292 230/244 .488/.501

No, didn't buy the cam from PAW, I bought it from Sod at Hye Tech Performance. I know it's not a Comp, Crane, SSI, or Edelbrock cam. Looking at the specs you got for the SSI, I don't think my cam's LSA is 114*. I'm just guessing here, but, from how loud and lopey my motor is, I'm guessing that it has to be around a 108-110 LSA. How do I come to that conclusion, well, I've never heard any differences persay between motors and their cams, but, figuring that the wider the LSA is, those cams are usually quieter and have less lope to them. Like I said, I'm just guessing. Is there a way to measure and "do the math" with the cam lobes, etc., so that you can figure out the specs?

Only way I know of is with a degree wheel and a dial indicator.

I know there's a way that involves taking various measurements and using formulas, but I have no idea how that works.

Any other specs that you guys need to know?

LXS- I'll be watching this post because I too, am undecided on what size and stall to go with for my combo!