Hey just wondering, Im in the hunt for a different tranny. Im going carb on my 385 LT1. Mods are in the sig. Ive had a couple of buddies that have used powerglides in there LT1's. I just wanted your imput if a powerglide would be good with my combo of mods? Also Im considering swaping out my cam because im not spraying or anything like that and that cam is for that. Also what size TC would I need to have. I have 373's.
Thanks
Chris

 

To make it accelerate well you would need a lot of converter and a lot of gear. I don't know if you are making 300rw or 500rwhp...so...hard to say.

Your converter will have to be very close to the torque peak, possibly a little past it. rpm will determine your gear. 26" tire and 3.73 won't be optimal but it's a start. 4.10/4.30 will probably be needed if you are spinning 6500+ and are making 400+rwhp.

A TH400 will probably be quicker unless you hit the combo of engine/trans/gear just right with the powerglide and it also happens to be a really light car.

Remember...a TH400 will put a LOT more torque to the tire for the very short time that you are in first gear. It's the only reason a 3 speed should be quicker. The heavier the car, the more you would want a 3 speed. Goodluck!

 

Basically no, unless it's a race car with a lot of hp/weight. There isn't enough torque multiplication in first and there is too big a jump between first and high for just about any F-body I have ever seen (unless it's a race car with a BB or huge N2O or something like that).

PG 1.76/1.00
TH350 2.52/1.52/1.00
TH400 2.48/1.48/1.00
4L60E 3.06/1.63/1.00/0.70

The low first gear of the 4L60E is nice to launch a heavy car, but there is a huge drop to second. Of course, the OD is great for the street but the 350 and 400 have better gears for racing (and the 400 can be built to take huge hp). Where the PG excels is consistency for bracket racing and in high power to weight ratio situations with high stall converters. And the parts exist to build one that will stand up to HUGE hp, anything short of a fuel motor. Of course, the fastest/quickest tranny is always going o be a multi-speed clutchless manny tranny. But that is a bucks up proposition that also requires expertise in setting up a clutch. A sportsman level 5-speed Lenco and clutch is going to be in the $7,500 range, double the price of a PG and converter for the same hp. It will be quicker though. If I still were using the Camaro for street/strip I would go the Lenco route - they can be used on the street if set up properly.

Rich

 

If your cars weight is not excessive and you can get a smaller convertor with higher stall I say you'll be fine and you will be quicker and more consistant with the glide. A glide doesn't rob as much power as a turbo 350/400and 4l60 and does not have that massive dropoff like the 4l60 has.

I've street driven several cars with stall speeds in excess of 4500rpms and glides with no real issues, Heck I even drove my Super Stock O automatic (283 glide) 1966 Chevy Impala on the streets and it had no issues.

 

Thanks guys. Ill prolly go with Th400 or 350.
Chris