I hiave had several people now tell me that it sounds like the probl;em with my brother's transmission is actually just the torque converter. Whether or not I rebuild the transmission currently in my brother's van, I will be buying a new torque converter anyway.

What torque converter (size, stall speed, brand?) would you recommend for this application:

1983 Dodge shorty van, 225, 727. One barrel carb, low 3's on the rear axle gearing. The van weighs roughly 4000 pounds, and will be a daily driver. I am looking for gas mileage more than performance. It is not a lock-up transmission either.

Any tips would be appreciated.

thanks!

Talk to Andre at http://www.edgeracingconverters.com/

Thanks Pierre! I'll get in touch with them.

It may have an 11 inch unit in it, the bigger converter will have lower stall and can be made to work more efficently.
Down side, a low stall behind a SL6 in a big Van will make for painfully slow starts "off the line".
Check the size converter you currently have. Flex plates are different between the 10 & 11 inch converters.
DD

Thanks again Doc! I will check the diameters when I pull the tranny from the van.

FWIW, the torque converter in my transmission has a sticker on it that says "High Stall". The junk yard I got it from says it came from a '73 Dart. So, maybe if you ask for that application, you'll get one that will work for you. Now, whether or not a 904 torque converter will fit in a 727 will have to be answered by someone who knows. I'll ask a guy I work with where the local source for torque converters is (I believe its in Georgetown, in south Seattle).

Thanks Eric! At this point I am guessing that I need to be looking at getting a ten inch converter (if possible) with a stall speed of 200o-2500 RPM for the slant (I guess this would be like 3000 RPM for a smallblock?) My brother has indicated that he would like to use the van to tow a trailer, so I figure I need to make sure the van can make as much power as possible.

On the upside I discovered that the hard yellow plastic substance in the transmission pan was indeed the sheared off teeth of the speedo gear. I pulled the gear and it is completely shaved of all teeth.

When I get the new converter I think I will try simply replacing the filter and pan gasket and bolting this "new" transmission up to the van and seeing how it works. The fluid in the pan looked nice and red and there were no metal shaving or burnt smeel present. I just can't imagine that a slant six could kill a 727 without having a turbo and doing neutral drops...

Thanks again Eric! You're the man!