torque converter stall speed

I have a c4 automatic and I am in the process of building up a 302 with the e303 cam. Does anyone know what kind of stall speed I will need. Thanks for the time.

Said this a thousand times. EVERYONE"s combo is different. No two cars are EVER the same.
Take the time to call different converter companies. They may want to build a custom converter for you, but with only a few mods, they might have a perfect 'off the shelf' one for you.
Seriously. Just because 'uncle Bob's running a so'and so converter and his cars kinda like yours, doesn't mean it will act ANYTHING like that in your application.
Been there, done that.

Flame suit on.

Some different companies to call. Coan. TCS. B&M. PA. (anything but GER)........[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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I have called companies. All they want to do is sell me there 400 dollar custom converter. I understand that all combos are different. I just want a stall speed that will allow the e303 cammed motor to idle for now. But here are the specs so if someone has run a similar setup maybe they can give me a simple recommendation. Its a '77 maverick weighing 2887lb. The rear axle is 2.79. The motor is bored 20 over with a deck plate. The bottom end is a '77 crank (302) rods and pistons are hyperutetic with moly rings. The cam of course is a e303. The heads are '75 351W with have the smog bumps removed and a good porting job. The valves are 1.94/1.55's.The c4 has the standard 2.46:1 1st gear with a transgo shifter improver kit.

400 dollars is on the high end of the low end of converters.
I'm sure someone will pipe in with a 'known working combo'idea for you, but then again........YOu get what you pay for.
My.002
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For what it's worth, I'd like to relate my experience on buying a t/c on a budget. It was advertized on EBAY as a NEW 2800RPM stall convertor for under $200.00 for my 1991 5.0 Stang. My car's engine is all stock but has a well built AOD and 3.73's. I've seen many of these advertised on ebay but BEWARE! You get what you pay for! After the hassle of installing it, I found that it only stalls at 1800RPM and has never flashed to more than 1900 RPM under any circumstance. The moral of the story is pay a little extra and get a quality product forom a builder who will guarantee performance and stall speed. It will save you a lot of time and money in the end. BTW, I figure my Mustang with it's stock engine needs at least 2500RPM stall to really take off; would need more with an "E" cam.
Good luck!

Again, and not trying to be a ****, (or redundant).[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]
Just because a converter is 'rated' at 3000/6000, does NOT mean that that's what it will 'work' at behind YOUR particular application.
That's like any OTHER generic 'fits all' application. Just ain't so. You get what you pay for.
Now if you happen to have a vehicle EXACTLY like so and so's, (and I mean, down to the last trinket), gears/weight/tire size/add ons, EVERYTHING), and they have a known converter, (i.e. generic), from someone, you MAY get lucky, and one like that MAY stall/work like that in your application, but again there are TOO many variables.
Until you've went thru the process of swapping out a dozen converters, (even from GOOD converter companies), and felt the monetary pain of experimentation, you will never realize what you're up against.
Anyone can toss a converter into any applicaton, and 'bandaid' it with carb mods/gears.
You have to build a veicle, (car/truck/rv), with the total package in mind.
You can't just 'oh, this is what I"ve got now, and I'll be doing more mods later, etc, etc, and expect even the generic converter to keep up. Any hp/tq change changes stall speed/flash speed.
Look down the long road and figure out what you want to do with the car, what you want the car to DO for you.

Ok, I"m off my soap box now. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]
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This will come off as sounding sorta bad but don't waste your money on a converter until you do something about that 2.79 rear gear.

ditto.........[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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I agree with the gear change reco. That was the first thing I thought when I read your post. The good news is gears are not expensive.
BTW, I wouldn't worry about the motor idling. None of the convertors are so tight as to prevent that. What will change are the RPMs to which the motor will "flash" when you stab the throttle.
Either way, that cam in a 302 and 2.79s are a bad combo...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: R Code on 1/29/04 6:56am ]</font>

Another vote to fix your rear gears first. Low dollar, high return.

To achieve maximum acceleration with your converter, choose a stall speed (considering the actual torque output of your engine) that is 500 rpm below the torque peak. If you're going to spend the bucks for a good converter and you don't know your torque peak, spend the few bucks for a single dyno pull to determine that torque peak. Provide that lb./ft. of torque number and rpm to your converter maker, and they should be able to get very close to your desired stall speed of 500 rpm below torque peak.

If your torque peak number is pretty high, say above 3500 rpm, you should consider whether you're willing to deal with the reduced fuel mileage and the high heat production that the loose converter will produce when street-driven. For sure you'll want an excellent tranny cooler. Converters above 3000 rpm are, IMO, pretty extreme and impractical for the street. Sometimes you have to balance ultimate acceleration performance against tractibility and reliability. If your torque peak is 4400 rpm, a 3000 rpm stall converter is not going to produce optimum acceleration. However, coupled with 3.73-4.10 gearing, the 3000 rpm stall will deliver a HUGE performance increase over a stock, factory stall unit. I consider a legitimate 3000 rpm stall to be on the high end of practicality for even a radical street car, with about 2500 rpm my preferred maximum for a real street car.

Steve A.