Small Block Torque Converter Choice

Getting ready to install the 360 and 727 into my 77 Aspen wagon and looking for input on my torque converter choice. Engine is .030 over 360, S/P h116cp pistons, stock stroke, rebuilt stock smogger heads, Comp XE268 cam and matching springs, 9.4 compression. Rebuilt 727, 3:21 rear gears. I bought a 2200 stall converter and now I'm wondering if it's going to be enough? The car is going to be a street cruiser and will probably never see the track. Any thoughts?

I think it'll work out just fine. That sounds like a nice combo.

Here's a Comp dyno sheet for the cam. It's a chevy and the heads are one step above stock but even so, note that torque is over 300 lb-ft at 2000rpm.


http://www.compcams.com/Technical/DynoSheets/XE268H-10_001.asp

R.

2200 is really just a factory high stall. It will be fine but a 9.5 or 10 inch that flashes to 3500 or so would really wake it up. I think it may be a little soft on the bottom otherwise. All depends on what you want performancewise. Using a stock type converter, a step smaller cam like a XE262 might be a better choice.

Cam card calls for a 2000 stall.

rpm range of 1600-5800

Yup. Car is going to be a street cruiser.

I just knew someone was going to jump in and say buy a higher stall speed converter. Advice from this board tends to be slanted towards drag racing and looking for that last hundredth of a second. Advice from this board also tends to "you need to spend more money." It's easy to spend someone else's money. The dyno curves attached to my last post show that there is plenty of torque at 2000 rpm.
R.

Of course I'll jump in. I would bet the difference between a 2200 stall and a 3500 stall with that cam would be a little more than a hundredth or two. I would expect three tenths or more. I feel it would be significant. I don't consider a 3500 stall converter to be a "race" unit , more of a "hot street". The engine you provided a link to made about the same amount of torque at 2000 rpm as a stock 318. and at 3800 rpm it made about 70 ft-lbs more. As I said in my first post, I think the 2200 will be fine. I just don't think it will be optimum. I understand the "street cruiser" part which is why I said in the earlier post that the lower stall speed converter might like a step smaller cam better. And everyones idea of a street cruiser is different. I don't own a modern car. Never have. My daily drivers are a 73 RR and a 68 Satellite. The RR has a 175k Mopar converter that flashes to about 2800 rpm and the Sat has a 9.5 inch Dynamic that flashes to 4500. These aren't just cruisers, they are how I get to work. I'm not trying to spend other peoples money. I'm operating on a shoestring budget myself. It's just that I feel a good converter can make a big difference. Sounds like the OP already has the parts so he may as well use them. It may work out great for him. And of course , you never know what a converter will stall at until you get it in the car and try it out.

Did you use Stock Valvetrain nonadjustable ????

I'm running stock nonadjustable rockers and pushrods, but my XE268 is in a 400 BB. No issues since it was put together in 2003. I have run stock rockers in a 440 with a Comp 292 magnum for 25 years with only one outright rocker failure. They can wear and get sloppy on the shaft after awhile though. Lifter preload may not be correct with the stock nonadjustable setup. You won't know until you put it together. Sometimes the tolerances just won't stack up in your favor. The few small blocks I've owned had stock cams so I have no personal experience with the reliability of the stock SB rockers when using a hotter cam.

I installed new sealed power rocker arms and shafts as well as new pushrods, because I didn't want to chance metal fatigue on 40 year old parts. The xe268 is the biggest cam I've personally used in a 360. I have used similar cams in big blocks with excellent results. Good combination of torque and power.