Torque converter advice

[AaronPaige]

So long story short, wife had a horse riding oops and broke her back and now the buggy shifts/comes off idle to harsh for her to enjoy...

The engine is a lt1 stroked to 383, the trans a th400 with what I believe is a stock torque converter, just off idle ( no matter how gentle you are) the buggy jumps usually barking tires... my hopes are that a high stall torque converter would slip untel the buggy gets rolling making a smoother ride but still transferring power on slow rocky climbs....

Would I be making it shift harder/ later on the power curve or is this a good idea?

 

[zmotorsports]

I don't like loose converters mainly because they generate more heat in the transmission which is never a good thing. You can raise the stall slightly with minimal heat but keep in mind it will be a trade off. The most I would push it is to about 2k RPM. If you have plenty of cooling capacity then you will be less affected but I've seen guys push it to low 3k range and toast trans or converters so it's just not worth the trade off. For racing I used to run fairly loose converters but those were only ran 1/4 mile at a time and long term heat wasn't as big a deal.

Mike

 

[AaronPaige]

Thanks for the input, I’m reading up on my options and looking for my engine built sheet, before I just start throwing money at the problem. My gearing and over all weight is so low(4200lbs on Rockwell’s) I’m currently pushing through the brakes, a little more research and I’ll give a converter a try if I don’t just swap a easer to control engine

 

[mbryson]

I'm assuming you have a "shift kit" installed in your valve body of your transmission? Would you be able to "tune" the firmness of the shifts out with that rather than swapping a converter?

 

[AaronPaige]

I'm assuming you have a "shift kit" installed in your valve body of your transmission? Would you be able to "tune" the firmness of the shifts out with that rather than swapping a converter?

Another good idea, or piece to add to the “to do list” this is why I brought this to you guys

 

[Mouse]

I second the "remove the shift kit" idea. A call to a transmission shop might yield some options as well. The transmission in my scrambler (700r4) shifts to harshly for my likes too. I bought a "stock" valvebody plate and plan to swap it out when the temp warms up.