91Donkeypuncher

Ok, i just finished putting my new heads and torque converter in. im pretty sure i could use something better than my 3.23 i have rite now and my rear end is off a 4th gen ss. i also built my motor for nitrous. and is my daily driver.
heres my list of mods

New L98-355
Micro balanced and polished crank
Shot pined rods
Forged flat top pistons
Comp cam .444/.262
Edelbrock base manifold
Edelbrock runners
Polished plenum
BBk 58mm throttle body
26.4 pound injectors
pro comp heads with comp cam 500 springs, magnum roller rockers and forged valves
Edelbrock headers
MSD Dizzy and wires
Pulley kit
700r4 tranny with kevlar bands, stage 2 shift kit.
balanced flex plate
Tci breakaway torque converter 2400 to 2600 stall
Aluminum drive shaft
all poly mounts
B&M mega shifter
And Sub frame connectors

87tpita

personally I would lose that stall converter and go back to stock, and the tpi system likes the larger gears since its powerband is low and midrange, thats also the power band of your cam( which I would ditch for a comp 276 or 264) so a small gear like a 3.73 or smaller is going to bring your rpms up to fast to utilize your powerband to its full potential and a 2400flash stall is not needed for that little cam it actually may hurt.

AutoRoc

Sounds like a good build and a fun car to drive! I'd run it as is and see if it gets any traction. Traction is the most important thing a TPI engine needs. If you can't hook the tires on that initial low end torque spike, there is no point in doing ANY mods, that's just my opinion though. Once it hooks on motor, now work on making it hook on nitrous. Good tires, LCA's, shocks.. I kind of agree with the above post on gearing. ALL of my cars have had 3.73 gearing and the stock TPI setup didn't feel right with it. First gear was over before the 60ft mark and it wasn't impressive at all... haha Basically.. There is a chance of NO performance advantage of anything higher than 3.23/3.42's.. Gear swaps are not cheap either..

I also agree on more camshaft. Converter? Not sure. If it doesn't flash past all of the bottom end torque on nitrous, it will be fine. I'd never say a stock converter is better.. Only a diesel engine appreciates a 1600rpm stall...

goodluck!

91Donkeypuncher

well the springs i put in my heads will handle up to 500 lift. so what should i go with lift and duration wise in a cam??

SupplySgt.

Your limiting factor with the TPIs is the intake. Making the heads flow better won't do a thing for you unless you open up the intake (which is very expensive and not a whole lot of options to choose from). You need to play to the strengths of your motor, which is low to mid range torque. THAT will be the single best thing to consider when modding your drivetrain. High RPMs are going to slow you down because you're above your powerband. 3.23s or 3.42s are your best bet gear wise. Never seen a TPI gain time on 3.73s alone. Seen plenty lose time though.

Kevin91Z

Your torque converter stall speed is perfect.

3.42 gears would be great. Dont forget to change the plastic speedo gears in the tailshaft of the transmission, too. That way your speedometer will still read correctly.

maniac mechanic

your 3.23's are ok with the steep first gear in the 700r4 trans & should fly on the highway when in OD with too much gear you'd need serious traction to hook up.
it'll be interesting to see how long the stock rear stays together.
you should start loooking for a dana model 44, or a ford 9"
the pro comp heads are another weak link, they're chinese junk & a few of them have had guides or seats drop out...BOOM! they are very poor castings.
it takes a lot of time to clean them up you should have got some AFR's or edelbrock heads.
you'd make more power & have better reliability.
good luck!