Suggested torque converter for my 87 HO Crown Vic?

[P72Ford]

I have a custom 10" Dirty Dogg 3200-3600 stall NLU converter in my car.

The converter is everything when it comes to performance in an automatic car.

I believe I paid $700 for mine, but its well worth it. I just have a P headed 304, HO cam installed straight up, 1.7s, and a full exhaust, with the 3.73s. If I foot brake it to 2500, let the brake up and mash it, it flashes to 3200 or so and the tires light right off.

You don't need to change the input shaft to go NLU. Going lock up with alot of power will knock the input shaft out of it as soon as it shifts in drive.

I went with a big cooler for any extra heat.

I suspect that in a few months when I get to installing the heads and cam, I may need to have this converter re-stalled.

Camshaft, vehicle weight, gear ratio, engine size, and intended use all weigh heavy when choosing a converter.

And, just cause it has a converter doesn't mean its a slush box at low speeds.

[Mr.Blue]

The best stall is just a t5 swap lol.............but i have to have at least one AOD for the wife, just in case..........

[87gtVIC]

So one can install a non lock up unit without issues into an aod car without changing anything else out.....Hmmm.

[gadget73]

You need a bigger trans cooler if you do that. The lack of lockup produces more trans heat.

[87gtVIC]

I am not set on anything yet but for educational purposes you are saying that a bigger than stock trans cooler (not including the one built into the radiator) would be needed/required for a non lock up torque converter?

[miamibob]

I am not set on anything yet but for educational purposes you are saying that a bigger than stock trans cooler (not including the one built into the radiator) would be needed/required for a non lock up torque converter?

Certainly couldn't hurt as I have them on my GM's and they have standard TC's and tranys.

[gadget73]

there will be torque converter slippage in 3 and 4 that isn't present in the stock design. The stock PI type cooler is about the minimum that really should be on there for good trans life. Adding more heat is probably more than the cooler can really deal with effectively.

[87gtVIC]

gotchya

[Deno McThrash]

The cooler you can keep the trans the better it performs, simple as that. A medium sized cooler would probably be a good fit.

[zoomie]

id get ahold of alan at dirty dog, or hop on click click racing, lot of AOD info on there.

[packman]

I am not set on anything yet but for educational purposes you are saying that a bigger than stock trans cooler (not including the one built into the radiator) would be needed/required for a non lock up torque converter?

Most definitely need a cooler for anything that is not stock. I learned this the hard way with my Malibu. In the early years the 305 used to run hot enough to vapor lock in the summer. My remedy was getting the largest radiator I could find for that car (4-row brass and copper unit). It kept the engine cool, even in the worst traffic in July. Problem is that whilst waiting in traffic one summer night, my engine temp was 195*, but my trans temp was very high; high enough that when I bypassed the traffic, the car wouldn't shift out of 1st. Drove down route 22 like that. The next morning it ran fine, but I had the fluid changed anyways. The mechanic siad that even though I got a big radiator, the trans cooling tubes only make 1 pass through a small section of the radiator before returning to the trans. Not enough to keep it cool in the summer.

I bought a larger than stock trans cooler for the Ranger with no issues. And for the CV, I got an aluminum radiator without the trans cooling lines. I am going to run a large trans cooler as its primary cooling system.


Packman