stall converter and 2.79's??

i searched and couldn't come up with anything much on this. i was thinking of keeping my 2.79's cause i like cruising at the lower rpm's but would like a little harder launch. thinking of like a 2500 stall with a stock bottom end 302 with gt40p heads and a summit cam 218/228 .471 lift. what you guys think? waste of time?

 

I'm sure Paul will chime in but I wouldn't do it. I don't think you would see much of a gain and with that combo you'd need a good cooling system for the trans because it would probably build a bunch of heat.

 

Your gears are too high for your application. It will fall on its face every time you took off. A set of 3.50 would be good but a set a bit higher would be best.
For an example a set of 3.50 would get in the neighborhood of 15-18 mpg, which is not bad with a slightly built motor.
Though all of this is just my opiion

 

Its tough to get a good launch with 2.79 gears. Unless of course you've got a torque monster big block. I wouldnt bother with a stall with 2.79's.

 

Get rid of those 2.79's. If you don't you're building a pig.

 

If you have to keep those gears you need a stall speed that will stall at almost the peak torque rpm. The stall speed with your combination should be close to 3500 - the problem with that is that it won't be above stall at your cruising speed. That will make too much heat for the transmission to survive. Find out what your rpm is at your cruising speed on the highway and get a stall that is 500 rpm below that point. Then put a 20000 to 25000 GVW trans-cooler in front of the radiator.

 

thanks a bunch guys. thats kinda what i figured. oh well probably get a set of 3.80's and stay off the highway.

 

No need to stay off the HWY. I run 4:11's on the HWY to work once or twice a week no issues just loud. My motor loves that 3000-3400 range and is surprisingly efficient. Thats my set up though.
but it is really loud and I wouldnt want to do it everyday.

 

How tall are your tires? I'm running a 3.25 with 24.5" tires and I'm in the same rpm range as you. With a 3.70 gear I was at 4000 rpm at 70 mph

 

alright then i'll get a set of 3.80's and hit the highway i'm running 245 60 15 hoosier quick times measure 25.5 inches high i figure about 3000 at 60 mph. what stall would you recommend. i was thinkin 2500 to 2800, but maybe thats too low.

 

2500 should be fine for a stall.

 

This is where the newer cars have it good. Run a monster stall and you have lock-up convertors that make hi-way cruising more bearable.