My Challenger, when I got it, was 318/3.23/auto with smallish tires and most likely stock converter. It worked fine on the highway... 3.23 with a tight converter (bigger diameter as posted above) should work fine with a stroker also. I don't know how aggressive your cam is... that matters a lot for stall and acceleration but 3.23's, big tire and tight converter should work fine on the highway.

One car with 4.30s another with 4.56s and both spooled with a 28 inch tire and a vert that flashes to 5k and love them both.

The whole converter slippage deal is something that would really get under my skin. With the 5 speed and a 3.27 first gear 3.54 rear gears felt really perfect in my Savoy.
When I ran the 4 speed with a 2.65 first gear I needed to run a 4.56 gear to make the clutch survive.
Now I'm back to a street HEMI box with syncronizers instead of face-plate or pro-shift gears I'm still flipping over 3.54 or 4.10's.
Running down the highway at 3000 never bothered me and I know the engine doesn't mind in fact it really likes to cruise at 3000 and seems to really smooth out at 3100 and seems really happy right there.
Gus

I'd like to but I doubt it would be durable enough for a 500" MW engine. I don't really ever plan on racing this car but if I ever change my mind I don't want to have to worry about the transmission so much.

By the way guys, my cam is the 557 MP purpleshaft, for those of you that have asked.

Gus I think it has alot to do with the exhaust system, but road noise and stuff like that come in to play also. My car is great at 2400, fairly annoying at 2800 and over 3000 is miserable. I'm looking at quieter turbo mufflers, and maybe tailpipes.
Last night's the first time I really laid into this car for an 1/8 mile type pass and it is much quicker than I ever anticipated, I'm dying to get some aftermarket axles and drag radials and see what this thing can do but it may never happen as I don't want to put a roll bar in it.

I would think a stock diameter, moderately increased stall speed converter + 3.23 rear would work well for general use (but no converter expert). This would leave a little on the table for max effort acceleration and cruise well. The 500 MW should have plenty of torque once it wakes up starting around 2200 or 2300 with that cam and CID as a guess.

My 496 with Ed heads and .55" lift fast rate mechanical cam pulls well from 2000 or so (manual transmission).

3:91's and I hate em...cr8crshr/Bill

Thanks for all the info everyone, it has really helped point me in the right direction. I've decided to remove the 3.55's and install the 3.23's.
And I'm gonna remove the 9.5" Dynamic street/strip converter and get me a heavy duty 11"(maybe a Hughes?). I think that combo will make me plenty happy and will save the tons of money it would take me to buy an overdrive setup.
My MP 557 cam is very smooth even right off idle so if I can cruise down the highway at less than 2500 RPM's I'll be all set.

Late to the party, but I'll add: Car has a 9-1/2" converter. Been running 3.91's and 255/60's (27") for a few years. Last year I did the NWDT, drove it to a few hundred miles on the freeway. Not too bad; about 3150 at 65 MPH. This year I've gone to 4.10's. Street driven plenty. I dig the deep gears, but admit I'd love to add a gear-vendors OD.

"What gear ratio are you running without an overdrive?"
4.10 with 28"x12.5"x15" tires
Since the local track closed a few years ago, it's only driven on the street.

It may be difficult to find a decent 11" converter. Lenny at Ultimate Converter Concepts once said that 11" cores are drying up and nobody was making new ones, but this was about a year ago.

Mine runs 2900ish at 75 MPH. 3.23's with 28" tall 275/60/15 tires.

What stall is your converter? I'd change the gears first and see how the converter likes it before I would change it.

Kevin

Back in the day it was nothing to order a performance vehicle with 3.55 or 3.91 gears and drive the speed limit all day without a care in the world. Always figure with a normal diameter tire sizing that came on the car that with a 3.91 gear the engine would be turning very close to double the mile an hour. IE: 70MPH at 3500 RPM.

There's quite a few 11" converters in stock in my area.
Summit has a Heavy Duty 11" Hughes 2500 stall.

I had a 10" nitrous converter years ago that would literally bog down a 432" motor without nitrous, that thing was super tight. I just want something that doesn't quite feel as mushy on the highway as my good 9.5 converter and highway gears. My 9.5 would be a great converter for a 9 or 10 second street/strip car with 3.73 gears or more.

It's a 9.5" Dynamic, I haven't tested the flash on it as I haven't even had any sticky tires on the car yet, it's probably around 4000-4400 with my 500" motor. I'm gonna try the gears but I really think the 3.23's will make the converter slip more.

FWIW... I'm using a 3.90 gear with a 30.7" tall tire,I'll be turning 3000 rpm's at 70 mph.

It has been said several times... but I'll add a comment anyhow. A BB, especially stroker, will handle 3.23's and a nice big tight converter just fine. I think you will like the car a lot better set up that way.

Imo...im thinkn ur vert is prob not right.

I had a 9.5 ptc that had zero with 3.23s, 3.55s and 4.30s. Also had a 9 inch fairbanks that acted the same with the same gear sets. I do have a 9 inch ptc that started life as a TA J. It isnt as nice on the street.

Just dropped my gears back to 3.55 w 30 inch tires and 8 inch TA vert. Took a 150 mile trip yesterday. Honestly acted very nice. I was concerned it might be pretty mushy, but even on a long hills, wasnt bad.

I tried to read through everything but frankly I'm not a fast reader so I might have missed some stuff. You had mentioned early in the thread a number of times that when your convertor locked up...........I'm assuming you mean when it reached it lowest slip point and not actually that is was a lock up converter. The reason I bring that up that up is I know they made a lock up 727 in trucks for small blocks, not sure there was every a big block application or not (assuming again that with 500 cubes you are running a BB) but I think I remember from conversations in the past that it only realy requires the change of the input shaft, the converter and maybe the front pump to convert it to a lock up convertor. Sowould it be fisible to change your trans to untilize a lock up convertor? Does someone make one or can someone build one strong enough to hold your torque? I know some lock ups are solinode operated but do I remember some were locked by fluid pressure or centrifugal force or something. If that can be done you will loose the slipage and 3.55s will be fine with a 28 inch tire.

I run 3.91s in my AAR with 28 inch tires but a 4 speed and I'll hang it on about 3 grand and let it ride, it's soemwhere around 68-70 mph. I have driven it 1000 miles 1 way several times in the last couple of years.

I run 3.54s in my Coronet with 28 inch tires also a 4 speed and really don't have an issue keeping up with traffic but it actually sounds like it is working harder than the AAR. I'vedriven it 1000 miles 1 way once and several hundred miles 1 way a few times.

I run 3.23s in my Charger with 28 inch tires and a 727 and I have to pay attention or I'll be passing everything (might have to do with driving the other cars ). Strangely enough I haven't taken it over 100 miles one way but I think it is getting the 1000 mile trip this year.

I run 3.25s in my Comet with a 260 and a 2 speeds auto with 25.5 inch tires and it sounds like it's gonna grenade at 70+ mph but it hasn't yet. Numerous 500 and 1000 mile 1 way trips, many quarts of oil.

Those are the only ones I drive any distance that gears would matter.

This^^^^^

We're all spoiled these days driving numb and silent camry's and Accords that feel like driving a sewing machine. Theres nothing wrong with driving along at 3k RPM's. It just doesn't feel the same as your neutered family sedan. My opinion is: Thank god for that! Its WHY I have a HotRod.