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Mike,

I have a turbo 400 behind a 572 BBC in a 3000 lb. car; 4.88 rear gearing with an 8-inch typical Super Gas style converter. Eighth-mile e.t of 5.76 at 120 on the motor. With nitrous the best e.t. so far is only 555. at 128.

The car is very violent the first 60 feet. I tried a very tight 9-inch converter, but slowed to 5.62/125 mph.

Is a powerglide the way to go for me, and, if so, what is the deal with all the different planetaries - vasco, supersets, etc.

I know someone with a Pro Stock car who ran in a Comp class with a glide. He kept breaking these high dollar planets. Finally he tried a stock 1.76 and it lasted 24 runs. What's up?

Thanks,
Mike Lemmons

Mike,

Less gear is definitely the way to go with the squeeze. It will calm the car down and normally get better e.t. and speed. When you start talking about the rear sets and such, it really comes down to "if you want it to last, you need the good stuff!"

There are a lot of buzz words like vasco, billet, etc. You need to look at a company that specializes in high horsepower stuff and set things up just as they tell you about fluid, cooler, etc.

OEM 1.76 planets can be amazingly strong but visually you can't tell a good one from a not-so-good one. The asphalt dyno is the only way to tell. Kinda like Russian Roulette.

Mike Stewart is owner of Mike’s Transmission in Lancaster, California. He will answer your questions about automatic or powerglide transmissions.

Email: Mike@racingnetsource.com

Mike Stewart

 

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