When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have my original 65 400B block, A heads all apart and off to the machine shop to be cleaned and checked. The engine was rebuilt but never fired and has been sitting for over 25 years. I’m am looking for some suggestions from the pros(I’m no rookie, but far from a pro) and how I should go about this build. I’m not wanting a radical racer, but I want a nice street machine that can run on 93 octane. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
A note on cam choice: normally, I'm one of the first to recommend a roller for 2 main reasons- crappy oil choices available for flat tappet cams and crappy offshore cam cores currently being sold. That being said, I am also having a hard time keeping a bronze gear in my roller equipped 468. I tried being cheap by buying Allstar 491 bronze gears and having them reamed to 500 for the MSD distributor, but the price works out to the same as ordering them from Rocket Racing. What I don't know is what they sell, brand/quality-wise. MSD wants $140 each, and that gets expensive when you have to change them every 3000 or so. The Allstars are only going about 1000 miles. I'm running 10w-30, so the oil pump drag isn't exorbitant; i only see 60-75 cold and 20 hot idle. I'm considering dropping back to 5w-30 at the moment.
You'll also have to weigh the cost of doing the iron heads vs going aluminum. .
Put some light pistons in..
Is it a 45 degree cam?
Are you trying to use what you have? You also need to give more details about what you are really looking for such as the car and usage.
good point, my apologies. 1965 442, 4 speed convertible will be the car, usage will be just cruising for most part, i will take it to the track and see what it does, but i'm not going bracket racing. i do want it to be an all around solid running engine that when i want to go, it has no problem going. i did found out today that my block will most likely have to go .030 and will be getting new pistons. i will go with a roller cam to avoid issues with oil availability and just because they're better. i want to stay on pump gas and if i choose to install an automatic, i don't want to need a hefty stall convertor. i have yet to confirm what gear is in this car but will be doing so soon.
A note on cam choice: normally, I'm one of the first to recommend a roller for 2 main reasons- crappy oil choices available for flat tappet cams and crappy offshore cam cores currently being sold. That being said, I am also having a hard time keeping a bronze gear in my roller equipped 468. I tried being cheap by buying Allstar 491 bronze gears and having them reamed to 500 for the MSD distributor, but the price works out to the same as ordering them from Rocket Racing. What I don't know is what they sell, brand/quality-wise. MSD wants $140 each, and that gets expensive when you have to change them every 3000 or so. The Allstars are only going about 1000 miles. I'm running 10w-30, so the oil pump drag isn't exorbitant; i only see 60-75 cold and 20 hot idle. I'm considering dropping back to 5w-30 at the moment.
You'll also have to weigh the cost of doing the iron heads vs going aluminum. .
Put some light pistons in..
Is it a 45 degree cam?
Have you considered a composite distributor gear? That's what I've been putting in hydraulic roller motors lately.
Have you considered a composite distributor gear? That's what I've been putting in hydraulic roller motors lately.
no sir. i'm a true novice when it comes to building an engine. if it's something that is highly recommended, i'm all for it. the motor is in the hands of my local machinist that's been building motors a long time, but that doesn't mean he knows olds motors. i will certainly listen to all advice given and relay it to him. he will do what i want in that regard. he has built a few boat motors for me over the years so i know him and his work.
B lock should be 45° .842 so cam is not a problem at all. Just has to be made. I would look at something in the mid 220in/230ex. Don’t worry about huge lift. LSA 110 to 112. Since its 4 speed I would go 110.
I would aim for 9:1 to 9.5:1 CR. If you go .057 over you can use standard bore 350 pistons. You can use stock rods, but aftermarket might not cost much more if the factory rods if need work. Stock crank.
Dual plane intake, stock or aftermarket. Stock heads with correct springs for the cam and the best valve job you can afford.
Keep it simple and it will be very reliable and fun.
You should never HAVE to use a bronze gear on virtually ANY Hyd roller core. Melonized should work fine. If you’re getting excessive wear with a Melonized gear you have other issues. MSD sells replacement .500 shaft gears for about $80.00.
What could be wrong? They're fixed registers. Trimble fragged a melonized, so they're not even a consideration for me. I chalk the excessive wear up to crap alloys.
What could be wrong? They're fixed registers. Trimble fragged a melonized, so they're not even a consideration for me. I chalk the excessive wear up to crap alloys.
My assumption would be Comp, but I don't know for sure.
Either way, I'm not chancing iron chunks through the engine. The bronze dust is quite enough for my taste.
Last edited by fleming442; March 24th, 2022 at 05:57 AM.
You should never HAVE to use a bronze gear on virtually ANY Hyd roller core. Melonized should work fine. If you’re getting excessive wear with a Melonized gear you have other issues. MSD sells replacement .500 shaft gears for about $80.00.
You best re-read what you just posted or find another line of work. You statement can cause someone alot of money.
I built an engine for a guy last fall using a Comp hydraulic roller with a melonized distributor gear. Checked and set cam and distributor gear end play properly etc. After only dyno time the distributor gear was showing excessive wear. Cam gear looked brand new. Maybe we got a bad distributor gear? Regardless the extra $80 for the composite gear is cheap insurance against distributor gear filings in the oil IMO.
You best re-read what you just posted or find another line of work. You statement can cause someone alot of money.
I know you don’t like me but I really don’t care.
Over the years Cam companies have used various materials in their cam cores, from SADI’s, to 5160 billets to 1050 steel, 8620’s and others. All of these will wear differently, even the SADI’s. But if the gear is melonized correctly, and alignment is correct as well, there’s no reason why a quality dist gear won’t last a very long time.
But you don’t have believe me, talk to any reputable cam tech and they’ll echo the same. MSD will back it up as well.
Go ahead and run a melonized steel gear on a carburized steel billet core like 8620. By the way a SADI is a totally different material. Just remember you said ALL hydraulic roller cams. Dangerous advice.
Go ahead and run a melonized steel gear on a carburized steel billet core like 8620. By the way a SADI is a totally different material. Just remember you said ALL hydraulic roller cams. Dangerous advice.
Point taken. However I’ve never run across anyone using an 8620 core for Hyd profiles.
In addition you still have some 8620IG cores available as well. Those are the most gear friendly of any core.
March 22nd, 2022, 09:55 AM
