With a light weight car like a short FED I would run the 1.76 gear. As far as converters go the rule of thumb is 1000 to 1500 rpms below your shift. The lighter the car the closer to 1000 rpms below your shift you can get. I would put your combo somewhere between 5800 and 6000. guessing your somewhere around 1600 to 1700lbs.
hope this helps,
Dan