["Puddles the Pontiac"]

this is my issue, i like to drive my Lemans cross country. but i love having 3200rpm stall at the strip. i was given a 2004r out of an SS Monte Carlo. i have read, here and there, that lockup converters give up some durability (not counting the big dollar units). now i expect my torque to be upwards of 500lbft at around 3200-3400 (not for sure till i hit the dyno). i still have the 3.23 gear and will step up to 9" ford for easy gear changes.

lets say i put the 2004r in and use a stall converter (32-3400rpm). will this negate the whole reason to have over drive (my th400 already gives me about 3000rpm at 70mph)?

i guess i am woundering if i WILL need the lockup to get full advantage of overdrive without overheating my tranny fluid. or if driving at rpms below stall has any effect on trans fluid temp at all, or even if i can get my rpm below stall while on the interstate (i know i can do it cruising at about 35mph).

i wish i knew it all like i thought i did about 10 years ago

[myckee]

The hallmark of a good converter is one that retains a high efficiency while at part throttle and only hits the stall at heavy throttle. So you would then, while driving easy around town or crusing on the highway, not notice you have a higher than stock stall speed converter. The cheap inefficient units will slip like crazy even at slight throttle, heating the hell out of the trans. So if you buy a good converter you can have your cake and eat it too.

With the .67 overdrive of the 2004R your 3000rpm at 70mph will drop to 2000. With the converter locked you can take another 200 or so rpm from that, so you will cruise at 70 at about 1800rpm.

[TTS]

Just a few thoughts.

Originally Posted by Puddles the Pontiac

this is my issue, i like to drive my Lemans cross country. but i love having 3200rpm stall at the strip. i was given a 2004r out of an SS Monte Carlo. i have read, here and there, that lockup converters give up some durability (not counting the big dollar units). now i expect my torque to be upwards of 500lbft at around 3200-3400 (not for sure till i hit the dyno). i still have the 3.23 gear and will step up to 9" ford for easy gear changes.

A stock 2004R from any origin is going to be tested in that car.

The 3.23 gear set will give an equivilant 2.16 final drive. Far too little gear for most camshafts that require a 3200 stall. Not a huge deal in a Pontiac, but without a converter clutch I think you will overheat the transmission easily.

2004R's live in performance cars for a price. A 3.23 gear is a short lever for a thinish transmission. Buy the best converter you can, I recommend Precision Industries. Yank makes some good ones too. I see other older converter manufacturers names mentioned from time to time, but have not been impressed with the performance. Not on the street, or track.

lets say i put the 2004r in and use a stall converter (32-3400rpm). will this negate the whole reason to have over drive (my th400 already gives me about 3000rpm at 70mph)?

Not if you have a converter clutch.

i guess i am woundering if i WILL need the lockup to get full advantage of overdrive without overheating my tranny fluid. or if driving at rpms below stall has any effect on trans fluid temp at all, or even if i can get my rpm below stall while on the interstate (i know i can do it cruising at about 35mph).

If you don't intend to install a steeper rear gear, I would not advise going OD. An OD transmission shines with more gear, higher stalls, and smaller engines . If anything, a converter for your current rig may be more advantagous. I don't know what you have now, but isn't 3000 RPM at 70 w/ 3.23 rear high? Sounds like your stalling on a cruise to me.

i wish i knew it all like i thought i did about 10 years ago

[TTS]

Still haven't mastered the quote functions

["Puddles the Pontiac"]

i should have mentioned that the 9" will go in before i put the the 2004r. so gear selection will be pretty wide open. i guess a simplified version to my question is...

can i run a stall of around 32-3400rpm in my 2004r, while maintaining steady "low rpm 70mph" cruising down the interstate, without burning up my tranny fluid? and if so, what is a good converter?

i use a Boss Hogg 32-3400stall on my th400. thanks for the answers so far, i will look up Yank converters and others.

the engine is a, bread and butter, 455. 6x-4 iron with ALOT of port work and chamber work. cam will be either my favorite solid flat tappet (290b-6) or a roller that i purchased from a member (308-r10). i know the cams are night and day, the flat tappet will most likely be the choice untill i finally get the "e-heads" i want. T2 intake, SRP and eagle internals.

thanks, Michael.

[myckee]

Originally Posted by Puddles the Pontiac

can i run a stall of around 32-3400rpm in my 2004r, while maintaining steady "low rpm 70mph" cruising down the interstate, without burning up my tranny fluid? and if so, what is a good converter?

Yes you can. I have a 3.42 rear gear behind my 2004R and 462 with Comp EE 288HR and at 60mph, locked up, I am at about 1800 RPM.

I went with guy that Pontiac Dude recommends; PTC in Alabama. They built me an awesome 10" lockup Nitrous converter which stalls at 3200 for $450. At light throttle you can't tell it is a higher stall converter. But it stalls when you get on the gas.

If you google Kenny Ford or PTC, you will find that not only does Pontiac Dude recommend him, but there are tons of people out there singing his praise. One of the most common comments I saw was "He got the stall right first try." He got it right first try on mine too.

However there are lots of good converter guys out there. One that many people on this forum people like is Continental Converters.