[403olds]

Hi,
Ive got a 79 ta with a stroked olds 403. My torque converter is starting to give me problems. Im just looking for some personal opinions on what I should do. Right now Ive got a turbo 350 with a fairly recent rebuild(about7,000 miles) The previous owner put a 4.11 Eaton posi rear end on it. I love the accelleration I get out of the gears, but the car tops out at about 90 a 5 grand, sure it gets there in 8 or 9 seconds, but I don't like racing the motor that high just driving down the highway. I have 3 options that I can think of... just get a new torque converter and call it even, shorten the driveshaft and put in an overdrive unit(the most expensive, it like to stay away from this one unless you guys really think its the best idea), sell the 350 and get a new 700r4. Im looking to get the same accelleration(or pretty close) to what I have now but not cruise at 65 at 4 grand. If it makes a difference, the motors not stock, it puts out 310hp at 3700 and 426 ft-lbs at 2800. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or opinions. Thanks

[403olds]

Hi,
Ive got a 79 ta with a stroked olds 403. My torque converter is starting to give me problems. Im just looking for some personal opinions on what I should do. Right now Ive got a turbo 350 with a fairly recent rebuild(about7,000 miles) The previous owner put a 4.11 Eaton posi rear end on it. I love the accelleration I get out of the gears, but the car tops out at about 90 a 5 grand, sure it gets there in 8 or 9 seconds, but I don't like racing the motor that high just driving down the highway. I have 3 options that I can think of... just get a new torque converter and call it even, shorten the driveshaft and put in an overdrive unit(the most expensive, it like to stay away from this one unless you guys really think its the best idea), sell the 350 and get a new 700r4. Im looking to get the same accelleration(or pretty close) to what I have now but not cruise at 65 at 4 grand. If it makes a difference, the motors not stock, it puts out 310hp at 3700 and 426 ft-lbs at 2800. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or opinions. Thanks

[Goatman]

Your first choice isn't an option.

Why not just change the gears?

From what I hear about the 403's, 4.10 gears are not the ticket. They don't like to rev over 5K.

[Tim Corcoran]

The 700R4 route is not a bad option. You might just change to 3.55 gears and leave it at that. You won't loose any on the 1/4 mile times, might even pick up some. The ultimate would be the 3.55's and the 700R4 depending on how much you want to spend. Of course you would need a decent HP build on the 700R4 which is expensive plus you have to run a TV cable with that trans.

Tim C

[Colin]

I had a '78 with a modified 403 in it TH-400 trans and 3.73 gears...........combo was great.
I agree with Goatman, 403's dont like over 5k very well.I have twisted them to 7k several times without anything bad happening but I wouldnt expect one to last long reving that high on a regular basis.

[Otto Tharp]

If the torque converter is giving you problems the trans may need repairs also. Lower gears are great around town, but suck on the freeway. How much do you want to speed? Thats what it boils down to.There are some good deals on 700R4 out there. Good luck

[harry k]

nice to see on the forum Otto ,other than the track