Test drove new heads, headers...finally

Speaking of "tech discussions"...My wife got into the car with me for the first time today since the recent upgrades. Beside the fact that we launched from that urban, secluded red light with the tail end peeling out and sliding side-to-side, she was quite amped to see how much power we picked up with this last modification(s). So, regardless of "tech", "wifeness" has passed with flying colors! (Pinot Grigio tonight, not Sake!)

When the wife is amped, I get to spend more....er, I am amped also!

 

Wino.

 

Camshaft timing/valve events also play into that equation. Ignition timing too. It also helps if you use annular discharge boosters.

As for the epoxy.....help yourself. It's good stuff to play with when you're porting or experimenting.

 

79 block.. bored .040
extreme energy comp cam xe256h 477/484 lift
9.5:1 flat top hypereutectic pistons
2500 stall hughes convertor
302 heads... d5oe home ports gasket match.... 4 angles valve 120 #springs
msd ignition system pro dizzy, 6a box, blaster ss coil, 8.8 wires
edelbrock performer 289 intake with EGR blocked off
edelbrock 600 carb jets 104/100 rods are 73x47
2.89 gears with 2157014 tires (yeah they need replacing)
c-4 tranny... 4 disk clutch pack, kevlar bands and a shift kit
hooker headers
dual exhaust 2 1/4 with flowmaster 40 series mufflers

 

I was going to comment that the tranny doesn't stop slipping until your intake has past it's prime, then I read the part about 2.79 gears with the 2500 stall.
Need to rectify that before you do ANYTHING ELSE!
Gears will save your tranny from premature death. Not to mention getting an intake that actually picks up steam with your stall rpm.
Dave

 

Too big. Bet that sucker gets warm. Bad for cylinder wall flex. Rings probably don't seal as well as they need.

Pretty mild cam. Mismatched for that converter. I would use the XE268 with a 2500 converter.

Not with D5OE heads. Bet it's less than that.

Good choice.

Bleah. Tie them to a boat rope and toss them overboard.

Good stuff.

Real weenie intake. Get either an Air Gap or an early Torker 289 like we've been talking about here.

Personally, not my cup of tea. I'm real fond of Holley's.

Shoot to kill, boys! Here's your #1 problem. Remedy this before anything else.

Good.

Good.

Good.

Remedy those problem areas and you'll have a pretty fun ride.

 

For what its worth...My 88 5.0 block is .040 over and has had NO trouble what-so-ever as a result. My temp wont reach 200 degrees in stop and go traffic ,on a 100 degree day. (I do however run a Summit aluminum radiator with a Black Magic electric fan) Engine has NO blowby and uses NO oil.

 

Some reading I've been doing lately, as well as some math on compression, deck height, etc, I wonder if the 74 302 was actually 8:1 compression ratio.

I'll try to link some sources once I track it all down again, but every time I put in the info I have gathered about the dished pistons (12cc on 74-75ish) plus the .020 higher deck height with 58cc chambers, I come up to 8.4:1 compression ratio. I'm not sure how many years it was done, but the cam was retarded 4*, I wonder if this isn't the missing .4 compression? Retarding the cam timing can lower dynamic compression and Ford is pretty good about fudging the numbers.

 

I would 1) love to find out that my car is pushing higher than 8:1 and 2) would not be amazed to find this out. It really runs good and powerful, not like I would expect from an engine with that low a compression ratio. But, to argue the 8:1 side, I literally CANNOT get it to ping. I have advanced it until the distributor hits the radiator hose, running reg unlead, and under serious load, and it just runs like it likes it!

 

yea, I know. I've run 22* initial and it never made mine ping in the past. I'm still researching.

 

scooper...what are the cam specs?

 

The radiator and fan would definitely help. I'm sure there's no blow by also. Depends on how it's set up. My concern with stmanser's setup is that he was pretty much duped from the start by whomever did his engine. I had one 85 model block that was .040 when I got the car. I installed a set of seriously ported 66 model 289 heads and a small Motorsport cam along with the previously mentioned torker and a 650 holley. I ran the crap out of it. Damn thing ran great. Unfortunately, the cylinder pressure was just too much. Split a cylinder wall after 38 runs. It did have 10.8:1 compression though.

My main concern with the .040 bore is cylinder wall integrity. Sure, it'll live in a real world application but it's kind of like drinking and driving. Eventually....there's going to be a hell of a wreck.

 

74merc; would you know what the compression ratio would be with a '75 block and '72 heads, all stock? I have this, and it pings on regular gas. Just thought you might know. Thanks,

Earl

 

Casting tolerance in the block has more to do with that than the finished bore diameter. You can count on the casting wall thickness to be +- .030 or bigger. Not to mention how many inclusions are in each casting. Some might have a lot more than others. Basically with OE parts you might get lucky and find a block on the high side of casting thickness with almost no inclusions and you might also get a block on the thin side that is mostly swiss cheese. Same for gears and stuff. It's a crap shoot.

 

Keep in mind, that I don't know much about the numbers of the cams, which is why I bought the Summit cam and not a Comp or Crane..I know a little more now, but.....

My cam specs are a mild 204/214 duration, .448/.472 lift. I didn't know what my setup was going to be when I bought it, so I bought a bit mild. When I rebuild my engine, I will step up to something a bit more aggressive.