145k Equivalent Torque Converter for My 68 440HP

Hey, folks, as part of the transmission rebuild, I'm looking at replacing the converter that is almost certainly original to my L-code 68 Sport Fury. It looks like the MP 145k unit is likely the closest fit. However, I'm not sure there are any of those units still sitting on shelves, it appears to have been discontinued some time ago. The Hughes 24-20 looks like a decent alternative. Are there others that I should be considering? Car is a convertible, so mostly a cruiser, but the HP440 makes it a bit of a hotrod and I intend to play with the old girl like she was intended, too.

THanks!

Clair

Why not consider the one that is in it now?

Good point, I should have explained that... the trans had an issue with the cooler in the radiator that resulted in a strawberry milkshake in the trans and the radiator... when I flushed and drained everything, I found a lot of crunchy bits and I just don't know if I got it all - or can get it all out of the converter. With over 110k miles on the car, it seemed like going new would be a good investment for a fresh transmission.

That said, I don't want to throw money away, so feel free to educate me on converter life expectancy and cleaning options for otherwise functional parts.

If it's the original converter from 68 it should have a drain plug. Follow the procedure in the service manual to flush it. Take an input shaft and insert it in to the converter and turn the input clockwise and counterclockwise several time to churn up the fluid. It also helps to rotate the converter at a 45 degree angle before doing this. Then drain all the fluid. Install the plug and pour in clean kerosene or mineral spirits and repeat this procedure a few times or as many times as necessary until nothing comes out but clean fluid. Once clean and thouroughly drained install the plug, torque it and add a quart of the trans fluid you are planning on using. Rotate that input shaft a few times and you are good to go. Back in the late 60's and mid 70's during the core return program over 90% of the converters that came back from dealers were pristine inside upon cut-open. That's before we went to lockup converters. The service manual,also has a procedure to check the stator ORC - if you drive this converter and it seemed ok you should be ok but it doesn't hurt to test it anyways. Especially if very fine metallic debris comes out. If this was a lockup and you had water in the fluid then the lockup disc is junk and flushing will not prevent its failure of the disc.

THanks, Transman,
I would say that in general, the transmission works OK except for a slip / RPM flare on the 2-3 shift. After finding the trans cooler leak, I changed the fluid, but somehow didn't find the drain plug on the converter so it didn't get drained. This material was what came out after running the initial flush for a bit:
2013-12-28_Trans_Pan-01 by clair_davis, on Flickr
2013-12-28_Trans_Pan-02 by clair_davis, on Flickr
2013-12-28_Trans_Pan-03 by clair_davis, on Flickr

Not knowing how much junk could be elsewhere in the trans, or even what all the junk was, I don't have a feel for how much damage could have been done to the converter before I got the car, or what might happen if I can't get everything out of the converter when flushing. I don't have a loose input shaft, but I might be able to pull one from the trans during the R&R.

From a logistics standpoint, I'm rebuilding a '77 model from a New Yorker that seemed to drive and shift fine on the short trip home, and I'm going to stash the numbers-matching 727 in the garage. The goal is to get the 77 model rebuilt over the next week or two, and install the rebuilt trans the same day I pull the original trans. If the original converter has problems cleaning up, I'm down for a few days while another converter ships from somewhere.

I'll take a look at the FSM to see if the stator check is something I can do at home.

Thanks for the guidance!

Clair

The water kills the friction material (basically paper with glue and such) which makes it debond from the steel backing. If what you have on your fingers feels like overcooked cookies and crumbles then it is probably the material. I would get a good aftermarket converter before trusting your rebuild with this converter. It may clean up and it may not. If the donor vehicle had a 383 it likely has a decent stall converter in it already. You could just use that one too.

That's a mess, I'll give you that.

Yeah, that's my thinking as well... even though I use the dacron filters every time, why risk the fresh rebuild with an unknown converter? The donor trans from the 77 NYer has a "lo stall" sticker on it, so I think that one is out. Looks mint, though.

So, on the aftermarket question, is the MP 145k converter a decent piece, or did the quality go down before it was discontinued? I wouldn't mind keeping things all Mopar, but I'm not brand loyal to junk...

Thanks again,

Clair

The MP converters were built by a reputable company - the only reason they stopped making them was due to shortage of cores. I never heard of any performance or durability issues with them.

I have heard Hughes is a good brand. For your car the desired stall falls into the range of reasonably priced converters. An honest 2500 RPM stall converter doesnt cost that much- its when you go 3000 RPM plus the price shoots way up. Anyway sounds like you want a mid 2000 stall unit. Ive heard good things about Dayco- great quality and reasonable price. Seems those are purchased thru a Trans shop.

Thanks again, guys. The guy at the trans shop says he can also get a replacement from a local converter rebuilder that he's had good luck with. I guess as long as I end up with a fresh unit that behaves like the original one did, I'm OK. Local reman unit is $150-ish, the MP P4876870AB "145k" is $200-ish, and the Hughes 24-20 is $250-ish. If they're all going to stall around 2,000-2,200 rpm like the original, the only question is quality.

For other options in the 2,000-2,200 range, it looks like the B&M, ACC, and TCI all have units in this range, too. I'll talk with the rebuilder when I deliver the trans today, and will get something sorted out for the converter before he's done with the rebuild.