So, you want a racing torque converter with a little attitude?

By:  Rusty Woodall a.k.a. "Rocketman"
With special thanks to Bill Davies - West Coast Converters


So, if you want an aftermarket torque converter with a little looser stall for your 4R70W transmission, then go see Bill at West Coast Racing Torque Converters in Simi Valley, CA      www.westcoastconverters.com
Call 805/527-4647   Toll Free  800/331-8299


West Coast Racing Torque Converters, Torque Converters With Attitude!


That is exactly what I decided to do.  I was looking to give my factory stock 4R70W tranny in my freak'n 03 GT a little more attitude and hopefully cut my 60' foot times below that 2.0 second time that is so hard to beat with an automatic.

So I went to see Bill Davies at West Coast Racing Converters in Simi Valley, CA.  Bill has owned West Coast Converters now for over 20 years and has been in the same location that whole time.
Originally this family business started out repairing transmissions and since then has transitioned over to torque converters as a mainstay.



"We had a really hard time finding quality torque converters built to our exacting specifications so, we decided to start building them ourselves."



West Coast Converters now supplies stock and racing torque converters to shops throughout Los Angeles and Ventura County.



West Coast Converters covers all applications of torque converters from mild to converters with a whole lotta "ATTITUDE."  Racing converters are becoming one of their bigger business sectors where they provide racers with torque converters spec'd to handle stock applications all the way to 2200 horsepower funny cars.  Stall can very depending on application with ranges from 2200 RPM all the way to 6900 RPM.  West Coast Racing Converters now covers the racing spectrum from street all the way to blown alcohol, blown fuel, multi-stage nitrous and A-fuel.

West Coast Converters is also a big sponsor to CIFCA, California Independent Funny Car Association.



Here Bill points out one of the funny cars he currently sponsors.



Since I haven't seen a 60' foot time below 2.0 seconds I decided it was time to add my next mod to see if I could correct that small problem.
After talking to Bill, I filled out the West Coast Converters Application Sheet that help's determine what type of converter and stall I would need to get those 60' foot times down to where I wanted them.



After reviewing all my data Bill spec'd out a 3000 RPM stall 10 inch converter for my 2003 GT applicaiton.  This is one of West Coast Convereters best racing converter set up for both a street and strip application.  This is my daily driven car and I neeeded something to get me to work everyday as well as down the track.  Bill said "this converter will give you the best of both worlds, good driveability and a hard launch."



Not knowing that much about the technology of torque converters I decided to tag along with Bill as he assembled and tested my 3000 RPM 10 inch racing converter.

The assembly process is started by laying out all the piece parts together.



Each piece part goes through a comprehensive inspection as the assembly process begins.









West Coast Converters is a firm believer in customer service.  Bill stated "If we pick the stall based on the provided information on the application sheet and the stall isn't to your liking, we will re-stall it for free."  Now that is what I call customer service.



Here, Noel, the Chief Technician at West Coast Converters, sets up the Pow-Con Welder to weld the turbine to the input shaft assembly.





Bill designed and custom built the Pow-Con welder just for this application.



Here Bill checks the mounting ring assembly with the aligning jig and TIG welds the assembly into place.









During the build up Bill stopped for a minute to show me the difference between a stock Ford converter and my 10 inch racing converter.



One of the advantages to a West Coast Racing Converter, besides the stall, is the weight.  Reducing rotating mass is a big advantage when going with a racing converter.  The stock converter weighs in at a whopping 43 lbs.  The West Coast 10 inch Racing Converter weighs in at 28 lbs.  That is a nice weight savings that will definitly be applied when reducing those 60' foot times.





Here Noel does the final prep on the mounting ring in preparation for final weld.

Bill starts the final assembly process by performing several visual and mechanical inspections prior to final weld.





Once everything checks out then the final assembly is welded together.









Now that the converter is together into one final piece, several final steps are now ready to be performed.



Here Noel performs a final balance on the completed assembly and TIG welds on a balance weight.



The fianal assembly is pressurized to 80 PSI and a leak check is performed using running water to check for leaks.





Once everything checks out during final inspection, Noel applies the finish coast of  paint.



In the shipping department each converter is packed in heavy duty shipping boxes.



Here Bill puts the final touches on the shipping box for my new 2800 RPM Stall 10 inch West Coast Racing Torque Converter.



And the final product is marked and covers are installed to protect the input shaft.



And here I show off my West Coast Racing Converter.  Thanks Bill and Noel for doing such an outstanding job building my converter.  A new time slip will be posted shortly so, stay tuned.