Thread: Trying to pick a converter

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Assuming that the present converter is operational to slip to 2100 (as designed), it should do a pretty good job of moving your heap off the line. Your final drive ratio is 11.41:1 in first gear (3.06 X 3.73), twisting through a 27" tire (with a modicum of engine torque, you should be close to getting some daylight under the left front tire on launch). You may not realize it, but the looser you go on the converter, the farther away you move the car from being streetable and you may just as well begin yanking out the extra seats, bumpers, bumper braces, etc., etc. as well as moving the battery to the extreme right rear of the car, using #2 welding cable from the trunk to the engine bay. Drill a hole in the bumper to mount a good quality master on-off switch (required by drag rules when you remount the battery anywhere other than the stock location. In my opinion, you have a great, streetable combination now, and going looser on the converter will only wreck that.

I'm going to change lanes and suggest that you make other changes to produce additional engine torque before you opt for the looser converter. You may or may not be familiar with ported vacuum versus manifold vacuum. Ported is vacuum taken from ABOVE the throttle plate. Manifold is vacuum taken from BELOW the throttle plate. All of us old guys are familiar with using manifold vacuum because that's the only type that was available to us before the advent of the Federal Government forcing auto manufacturers to clean up their act, beginning in 1967.

What I have in mind for you is a DUI (Davis Unified Ignition) distributor, together with the best plug wires money can buy and routing them away from each other by at least a full inch from the cap to the plugs, using standoffs and/or separators that will not conduct electricity. You will provide all the facts and figures about your combination and the engineers at Performance Distributors in Memphis will dial in your new distributor before shipping it to you. YOWZA, YOWZA. (901) 396-5782. I strongly recommend purchasing direct, not through a speed shop.
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/16...nition-timing/
Ported vs. Manifold Vacuum
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...acuum.1103404/
https://bangshift.com/forum/forum/ba...vacuum-advance

By the way, do you have some find of non-slip device in the 3rd member?

This might be a good place to explain to some of the younger members, why most stock cars with have "one-wheel peel" on acceleration, with the left rear providing acceleration while the right rear tire spins and smokes. Here's the story.....A front-motor, rear drive automobile will twist the chassis diagonally on acceleration. The left front and right rear get light, while the right front and left rear get heavy. Of course the proper fix is a limited-slip or lock-up differential, but they are a bit pricey. So, I will outline a different way of getting both rear tires to grip evenly for somewhat less money. Most all manufacturers of tube shocks will also manufacture an air shock, which has an air line affixed so that you can change the rate of resistance in the shock. Remove the stock shock from the right rear only and replace it with an air shock designed for your car. Run the air supply line to a place in the trunk that is easy to get to or mount it outside the car, maybe on the bumper or a bumper bracket. Adjust more and more air pressure into the air shock until stripes from both rear tires are equal in length on the pavement in acceleration mode. When you have the combination correct, the right rear of the car will sit a little higher than the left rear. This is the price you have to pay for better acceleration and using both rear tires to their max. Of course if it were me, I would concoct some hocus-pocus story about the car coming from the factory like that when someone asked about the difference in height left to right.