Let me start by first saying "I'm a drag racer"...so don't flame me too hard if these questions sound totally off the wall!

Anyway, I have several friends that have pulling trucks around here, and I've always had some "what if" setup questions in my head that no one has answers to...

...like an automatic transmission. Doesn't matter what class, but manual trannies are kings in these parts. But I can't help but wonder if a guy could run a high stall converter like a drag car, or even go one step further with a clutch-turbo type setup (clutch replaces converter) and actually *shift* early in the pull to gain more wheel speed? Or is this a "no no"? Do automatics simply eat too much HP?

...or big Torque engines versus everyone building for HP/rpm. In drag racing, I know that some of the S/S cars with long strokes & big torques (like the big cube Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles) have to *cheat* their HP peaks up the rpm range to take advantage of gearing, but I figured on a pulling truck the sled is eventually gonna pull the engine back down to it's torque peak, and on a more low end/torque biased motor the sled would be bringing the engine back into it's power band. Granted, all of the trucks around are gasoline engines, but they all wanna spin them to the moon...I've had a couple of guys ask me about engine combos, and their main goal is to have a big block than can spin 8,000 rpms...I asked them "why, if that's not where you make power then you're just pissing up a rope", but they always wanna rev the snot out of them.

So, are these ideas doomed combos, and that's why no one around here has an answer for me?

I guess you haven't been to a pull that has a good running automatic, if you haven't seen one with a high stall. I can hit almost 2800 rpm at the line with mine. I really don't think mine is one of the top running autos either. There are some that can go over that I am sure.

I guess you haven't been to a pull that has a good running automatic, if you haven't seen one with a high stall.
No sir, I haven't! Remember, I'm talking gas engines here, but I only know of *1* automatic truck I've seen around here in probably 15+ years I've been spectating...and it's a modified 4wd Dodge w/440, that rarely sees the top-5. I always ask "what if", but all everyone wants to run is the same old heavy truck trans tied to a Rockwell rear...?

Yes, autos rob a lot of power. The best way to go with an auto would be a powerglide with a divorced case. Glides use up the least amount of power and if you change the gears close enough together you would have two gears to choose from. This would also mean you would have to change axle ratios to get your final reduction back where you would need it. Easier and cheaper to do a manual and you don't lose anything through the converter unless you get a lockup converter which wouldn't be too bad then.

Also with the four speeds you can get the pro-fab kits so that you have three gears that you can use. This is very helpful when you go to different types of tracks.

So after all this rambling this is JMO. Hopefully this helps out though.

Yes, autos rob a lot of power. The best way to go with an auto would be a powerglide with a divorced case.
I always thought a Clutch-turbo or a Clutch-flite would be the way to go...we have a couple of old Clutch-turbo trannies that have came with a couple of past nostalgia projects (funny car & straight axle car), and I always thought they'd be the cat's pajamas in a pulling truck! Dump the clutch like a stick, but you have the option of shifting like an automatic...too far out in left field to work?

Not a bad idea but a lot of money to try. I actually thought about doing something like that but don't have the funds to try it. Like I said you would have to get the ratios of the gears real close together to make it work going into the second gear. Also those Clutch-turbo setups are hard to come by now aren't they? Just thought about the clutch portion of it also, could you get a slipper clutch to work with one? I don't know a whole lot about them, just wondering.

Not much to a clutch/automatic setup...in fact, I'd bet a guy could pick them up real cheap as they're an outdated go-fast goodie, or would be pretty easy to make your own. The 2 we have are turbo 400s with the bell cut off, a manual bell attached, input shaft from a manual, and then throw the clutch/flywheel on...there's a line on the front pump you have to plumb together if I remember right, but I haven't been over to the old shop in a while so the exact description may be a *tad* off. Our 2 came from a '68 funny car and a straight axle car we owned for a while I think...cool old school setups.