I need some advice with my rebuild

[mr440]

I need some help, Firstly, here is an attatchment of my engine details, I aim to rebuid it in the winter, It was last done 12 years ago and is getting a bit lazy, I have a stock converter and a 727 box and a 3.23 rear end, the best time i have run so far is a 14.7. I would like to get under the 14. Now do i stick with a purple shaft cam with the same lift or do i change to a different one, do i need a higher stall speed converter, would changing the 750cfm Holley for a  Edlebrock 800cfm make it any better

[deputycrawford]

Do you know what your compression ratio is? The deck height? Valve relief measurement? Is your intake a Performer RPM intake? If its not then you should buy one of those. The regular Performer is a poor performer. my  would be to call ENGLE cam company and give them your engine specs and drive habits. They will give you a recommendation. Chryco or Firefighter are always right on with there recommendations also.

[mr440]

Any more input would be good.

[Chryco Psycho]

I agree , better cams are available , what exhaust & intake are you using now ?
I would Never swap a holley for an eddy when looking for more performance but a Holley 850 could help

[Ghoste]

I agree.  I really like the Carter style carbs that Edelbrock sells but they are a bolt on and drive affair.  If you want to go fast, you need to stick with the Holley.
The converter and rear gear change go hand in hand with your cam swap.  It's all a part of the package.

[mr440]

Thanks Deputycrawford.

Ghoste, thanks for the carb advice . You say The converter and rear gear change go hand in hand with  cam swop. What do you reccomend.


Chryco Psycho, you say better cams are available, which one would you suggest. I have cast iron exhaust manifolds with a 2 1/2 inch bore sytem with flowmaster 40 series, Intake manifold is a Edlebrock peformer 440, Which converter and rear gear works best, I want to keep it as a street car with  occasional use on the strip, any advice is appreciated.

[Chryco Psycho]

with cast exhaust manifolds you need to get a cam ground on a 112 * cl something like an Engle K56 ground on 112* would work great
this cam will work well with a 2200- 2400  stall converter , 3.23 or 3.55 rear gears will work as well
Lose the intake though , a stock iron intake will make more power , I would recommend a Holley Street Dom intake part # 300-14 with the cam & converter , the intake sits nice a low with lots of hood clearance

[mr440]

Thanks Guys, I think I know what i'm going to do.

[is_it_EVER_done?]

Though you didn't say how much you drive the car, or how many miles you have put on it in 12 years, I'm guessing that you certainly don't need a rebuild.

The reduction in power is due (I would bet) to the valves receding into the heads from the lack of hardend valve seats. Not from shortblock wear.

If you don't have over 70,000 miles (thereabouts) on it (my guess is about 20,000 if you use it like most people do nowdays), I wouldn't even think about messing with the bottom end. I would save the money and put it in to a set of Edelbrock heads and a modern cam. This should net you a minimum of around 75 or more horsepower increase (and a more important increase in torque). Plus the use of a decent torque converter will push the power increase even higher.

You should be able to get into the 12's with an optimized combo, as opposed to near zero increase with an unnecessary rebuild. Plus you can recoup a good majority of the cost by selling your heads, cam/lifters, etc. on ebay.

Unless you know that the shortblock has a problem, leave it alone and put your money towords maximizing what you have.