I'd like to hear input you guys have on brands of torque converters that you like and ones to stay away from.

383 with heads, 10-ish compression, cam. I think I want something up around a 2800-3000 flash, but has very minimal slip at light throttle cruise. Also looking for economical. I don't want a cheap unit that stalls all the time, but also don't want a $1200 converter. The car is just a cruiser.

I know vehicle weight and engine torque will play into actual stall RPM. But I don't have those figures. It's a 68 roadrunner but cam has not been selected. I'd like to target around 425 crank hp with good street manners and torque. It's got manual brakes so vacuum isn't an issue, but I know I can't go too crazy with a cam without also doing gears and killing the overall drivability.

Anyway... asking about converter brands. Should I be shopping from a trans guru or are the off the shelf stuffcat Jegs/summit good choices?

I'm running a Ultimate fr0om Lenny in my
street rod.. I wanted something with a bit
more stall, I'm at about 4500 and I am running
a 4.10 gear with a 518 OD trans with 570hp
and it seems to work the way I want.. I also
have 3 TA converters which have been great and
I also have Trans Specialties and a Coan.. the
last 2 dont trill me

I called PTC for some tech help and the young man helper wanted to help but going back forth to the boss to find out info was hard to do.I did not get everything answered.

Turbo action 11"

I was told that Summit and Jegs least returned items are B&M converters

Call Andre at Edge Racing Converters.

You might try Quickdraw, I think he is out of the Newark, Oh area. Lots of local racers have had good luck with him. If you need it adjusted he's local

I've always used ATI, but Quickdraw and Perfect converter company are both used a lot in this area.

X2 on Quickdraw, he built one of his billit case racing converters for my 904 and it has worked flawless, he is also the only guy that if you take a converter to he will cut it open while you are there and inspect it and tell you what you need and will quote a price so you know what to expect.

Thanks. I'll have to check out QuickDraw. Never heard of them before... but there was once a time where I had never heard of kammer and kammer in Dayton too

I've got 3 T/A convertors and love them. Dave

I have two Turbo-Action converters redone by Lenny at Ultimate and he redid the lockup converter for my the 518 in my D150 all work great. Coan boned my buddy on a trans A few years ago , I would never use or recommend them.

You can't buy a converter until you have the engine data, especially the cam, and stock power + 100 (425) needs more than a cam.

Get a solid engine plan in place to give a converter builder a decent shot of doing it right. You are right to figure on a mild cam. Focus on head work and other engine parts to build a strong motor with a mild cam. A solid lifter cam will have an edge over a hydraulic. A converter with stall high enough to get well into the torque band will be more forgiving if you want taller gears for cruising.

Continental for ever for me and the 8" in my car now is about 15 years old w/zero issues, 1.33 60 ft so far foot braking and never heats up on these HOT 110+ summer days.Can't beat that...........

I know it needs more than a cam. It's getting fully rebuilt. Aluminum heads, higher compression pistons, better intake, better carb, headers, etc. I have no doubt a free flowing 383 couldn't make 425 crank hp.

Falling out of a tree............

from the sounds of your build and expections, you don't need a custom converter. What info you need is cam duration at .050, centerline it's installed at, rear gear and car weight. Your not bracket racing everyweek, or trying to set personel best et everyweek. Buy something affordable and enjoy the car. If it turns out the converter is way off, let Quickdraw tune it to your meet your needs. You will still be $$ ahead.

I use a Luppo Dynamic and it has worked great for me for 11 years so far. Also have used Turbo Action with great results. Ron