hey guys, i have a 79 f150 with a 400 bored 40 over and a 4 speed tranny. anyone have any cheap ideas to build power, and know of anyone around Lafayette, IN that may want to do some work on the side, as i live in an apartment now and have no place to do the work.

 

If you are doing the work your self you can almost do a intake, cam swap, and header for the $500 you mentioned.
Here is how: Use ebay! Here is good cam and lifer kits for about $90 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/351C-...QQcmdZViewItem A set of "drop in" (no maching required) valve springs will run about $90 if it would be needed.
Get a used Intake on the ebay. Intakes don't wear, they just get dirty. If you shop around you can generaly find one for about 60% of the new price.
I bought a Good Carter AFB 625cfm 4bbl on the bay for $45 all it needed was cleaned. I bought a complete Minus the intake gasket kit for $30 shipped.
While I don't consider $500 a cheap amount You can get a lot farther with the same money being careful on ebay.

 

thanks guys, those are good suggestions.

 

Bronco mans right except i wouldnt take that cam choice, spend some more and for 140 bucks buy a comp cam extreme energy 256h it willl use your current stock compression and fill those cyllinders as if you had 11:1 and will get amazing torque out of your engine.....if you ask me....

 

While the Comp might be a slightly more moderen profile(maybe, maybe not)
I have serious doubts its worth that much extra money. ALL the major Cam companys have more moderen profile than what is usally in the catalog. In fact most all cams for Fords, and Chrslyers and AMCs are really just chevy lobe profiles on a ford or whatever cam. This because of the lifter size. Its a lot cheaper to make design one lobe desighn fit all engines rather than design one for each of the three major lifer sizes.
If you compare cams The best power and torque is almost always not in the catalog.
You have three main cams styles. price est are for non roller.
cams like the melling probibly a 30 year old desgin. (Cam and lifter kits $90-$150)
Cams like in the catalogs by crane , comp and others most are 20-25 year old designs (cams and lifter kits run $150-$300)
Custom 1 at a time made cams from the major cam companys are usally 10 years old or less. (Camshaft ONLY usally $180-$250)
When you are looking in a profile catalog the quicker ramp cams which are more moderen will have Use only with a lifter base larger than .875 or .904

 

Good points. For a few dollars more, you can have a cam custom ground now days. I use Bullet out of Olive Branch, MS. Great company that will work with you to grind a cam for your ap. Most guys on here aren't making enough power to warrent a custom grind so a less expensive, off-the-shelf, 15-20 yr old grind is really good enough. As for modern profiles, you really need to step up to roller cams to get anything that is truely modern....10 yrs or less in design/R&D.

 

the diffrence just in dynamic compression is loud, so you will be economising more fuel using a comp cam and in a later post you will be amazed on the difference inn horses and torque of these cams!!!the diference in money is 50 bucks so is it worth ignoring?!!!! no.... i just made a custom xtreme energy for my built, it was worth it...

 

ok.
As i understand from some replies, it IS possible to raise the CR as if it was a 11:1 engine?
I run on propane, and recently i changed to a melling FT-2 cam (rv-type) and it bit off disapoints me.
I had higher expectations from it. It's nod bad, but arguable if it was worth the time and effort... No, not really actually..

So, if i want to make REAl HP in my '79 400, with a 5000LBS car, what cam should i take, or better, should i have made?
Or is this really all it gets, without doing the block itself? (raising CR, putting flattops in it, etc.)?

 

the 11:1 is just a saying.... anyways if your running propane 105 octane i think right? you can build your engine to a very high scr-dcr, i know youve posted several times your combo, but i dont remember, what do you have in your engine? so i can advice you....

 

do'n know the cam specs anymore by head, but its a stock cr 400 from '79, (8:1), melling FT-2 cam, full MSD setup, edelbrock performer intake, and a impco 425.

 

your obvios problem is your compression ratio, to get some good results from your engine running on propane you will need to go as high as 12:1, with your current 8:1 you are running your engine on propane as you would run it on gas on 7:1, no power there! i would defenitivly sepnt my money on some flat tops with 3cc like tim has , some aussies if money is available or mille your heads till you get 70cc chambers and use an rv cam like the comp cam extreme energy xe256h, you will see a monster engine there...... the trick to make a propane engine as strong as a gasoline one is dynamic compression, your engine as it is would be better of running 87 octane..