Originally Posted by adamraaron
Hey guys. I asked a question about the 390 in some other thread and they yelled at me and redirected me here.
Anyway, I have a 1973 Ford f-350 super camper special that I was interested in gaining a little more hp/tq. I have so far ordered a holley 600cfm carb and a new edelbrock dual plane manifold. I bought this truck from my dad which he semi restored and the truck is in nice condition. Can anyone tell me the Cam profile type of these truck engines? Am I right to assume they probably somewhat follow the cam specs of a rv cam since they are made for pulling?
And mainly, I want to get "better heads" what would you experts recommend for this pretty much 'stock' motor?
And since i am not that mechanically inclined (yet/learning) can someone clearly explain the MSD ignitions role, and how it helps with power?
Thanks guys, sorry for the lengthy questionnaire...
Cam profile ? Lift is less than .400, duration is less than 200*@.050. Hardly equal to your average RV grind today. With the stock comp ratio, the best cam to replace it with will be a Comp Cams 268H. This will give it a bump in the dynamic comp ratio, making it seem to have something like another point in the static ratio (from 8 something to 9 something) Get headers ASAP, that's the choke point on 390's, the heads are fine as is for what you want. MSD (to me) isn't a cost effective ignition for stock to mild builds. Replace the points with an electronic conversion module & a hotter coil. This setup will do wonders for not much money. The $300 you'd spend extra for an MSD system will net you nothing you'd feel in the "seat-of-the-pants" meter. Spend that on a cam & headers instead. With the Comp 268H, ignition module, intake, carb and headers, your 300 hp/400 tq is easy to reach, if not exceeded
