torque converter problems

[V8bug]

I have the engine tuned as good as it is going to get and I am still having problems with the transmission. th350 with a summit converter flash stall 1700rpm.

With the engine idling at a 1000rpm or so I drop it into any gear and it drops to 500rpm and dies. If I quickly get on the gas, I can keep it from stalling but the rear tires start spining!! I mean I was dragging my front tires down the garge in reverse and almost ripped the door off to keep it running. Oh yeah and it is spinning the tires right around 1000rpm! I mean stall speed my a$$ this thing is hooking up right away. It reminds of a baretta I had when the torque converter control solinoid went bad and the converter locked up, except my trans is a none lock up.

other problem with this trans is that when I put it into drive it takes a second or two until it engages and stalls the engine. The shifter linkage might not be adjusted perfect though?
Also I bought this trans for a $100 from a buddy's friend who said it was good. I have done nothing to it.

any ideas/suggestions anything would be great!

[Steve Chryssos]

Very strange and interesting condition if it is somehow related to stall speed. As far as I can decipher from your posts your converter's stall speed is 1000 rpm and yeah, that is too low. While rated stall speed varies with application, I do not see your 1500-1900 converter stalling that low.

I would be looking at your fuel injection's load sensor before diving into a new converter (i.e. MAP sensor)--Especially since you can't get the engine to idle below 900rpm. The converter MIGHT be tugging on the engine at 1000 rpm OR a fuel injection problem MIGHT be preventing the engine from generating sufficient power required to oppose the load generated by your drivetrain. If you have some sort of load sensor issue, it might not reveal itself at idle (out of gear) since there is no load on the engine. So double check the load sensor or the relationship between the load sensor and the TPS sensor. My money is on the fuel injection.