first off, i am currently deployed, but im buying parts and my dad is taking the truck to the shop, so i need to know what i want.

im getting a new t18 installed, throwout bearing is gone. so im going to upgrade the clutch and flywheel. im fairly in experienced when it come to stuff like this, and cams. im looking at a hays clutch kit that is 300$ and 11" along with a lightweight steel flywheel.

the engine has a blown ring in number one, and has for awhile now, no issues just a dead cylinder.

i plan on basing my head work and cam around my intake.
i love the weber 32/36, so when i saw clifford made a duel set up with those i knew immediately one day i would put them on my truck. based on the one carb for every three cylinders it shouldnt be too lean, and they wont have rich cylinders and lean cylinders, and the carbs are not completely separate like on a twin carb motorcycle. this should be plenty when im at low to mid rpms, and the peak is around 3000 averaging them both, torque likes a more clean burn, so the lower rating(around 300ish cfm should be fine when low on roms and when the secondaries kick in it should rev up with the more throttle and fully open jets be about 500ish cfm and just go(these numbers are under a normal driving situation, no load or hot rodding it and pretty much geusstimated.)

Im going to put headers, probably a ceramic and then wrapped setup. since my engine compartment is already too hot for no reason.

im going to do a bore, not sure on a .020 or a .030, leaning towards 30 since there is more parts out there.
head work will be the full 9 nine yards, p&p, 3 angle, gasket matching, decking the head and block. i dont want a crazy cr so im keeping the 300 head and not going too crazy here with the internals, however a good decked set of pistons will be needed.

i will need a full ignition system, currently still have a running feedback setup, so if you want something from it let me know? along with my old t18.

now im sure your thinking i have this down pretty well, but this is the part im lost at. the cam. i want to keep the brute force i have down low, however i realize that with this work, even if i raise the peak rpm to say 1000 ish, i will still have atleast the same amount of power i had stock at idle am i correct?

im looking at the howards 280936-10, the comp 252, the comp 260, and the crane 500511. if there is another that is recommended, then please shoot it out there.

i understand that duration is the time the rockers go up, which pushes the valves down, intake/exhaust air. the lift if how high the rockers go. and they have to balance, however i dont understand how the howards cam can have .480 lift while the crane has a .429. i also dont understand wether or not a split cam is a good thing for our engines. i understand that the .050 duration which matters more, the high # raises the peak and the lower# lowers it.

would 1.70 rockers benefit this? would they be pointless on the howards cam?

this is my dd. i want the power to get up and go when needed such as passsing on a country road, or smoking that new v6 chevy 1500 from a stoplight, and i still need to be able to pull a truck on a steel car trailer up decent hills. but i need more then 3k rpm, reliably( i travel alot from ga to nc and the speed limit is 70mph) my old girl sits at about 2500 (i may be off on these numbers since it has been a few months since i made that trip) with my tires and gears currently and that is going about 60-65, having my doors ripped off. fuel economy isnt my greastest concern, however i dont want to use premium.

i have a 85 f250 with 3.55 gears, 4x4 reg cab long bed with 32" tires


here are some helpful links.

Ford Straight 6 240-300 1964-1996

66-237-4 - High Energy

66-236-4 - High Energy

http://www.cranecams.com/192-193.pdf

FORDSIX PERFORMANCE • View topic - Specifications of common cams for 240/300 engines



this is my first engine build where i controlled all of this, normally ive just had all the parts and me and my friend replaced and installed them per spec so ive climbed the learning curve and greatly appreciate every word of advice from you great guys. i apologize if it is hard to read, and for it being so long, im blaming it on the three hours of sleep and it being 3 am here.

 

im looking at a hays clutch kit that is 300$ and 11" along with a lightweight steel flywheel

For tq, steel is heavier which will produce more tq than aluminum...good choice for a truck. This outfit that I have been buying clutches from these guys for 30+ years is family owned and have used their clutches in many applications from Hot Rods, work trucks & racing applications. Just tell them of any concerns, what you have, etc and they will discuss with you what their recommendations are...I can honestly state that I have never had and issue with anything I have every purchased from them and it always works the 1st time- just like it is suppose to! They typically cost less than most of the competitors, provide 24 hour turn-around and the assemblies always work (literally) just exactly the way they should....I just can't say enough about these guys. Just tell them what you have, how you use it and any concerns/issues.

Clutchmasters
267 E. Valley Blvd.
Rialto, CA
909-877-6800

Im going to put headers, probably a ceramic and then wrapped setup

You probably will not need the wrap. Unless you go with shorty’s or actual custom built headers, 99% of all headers will require "massaging" to install (whether it's denting a tube, moving a bracket, etc.). Unless it is for racing purposes, in all reality, there are little differences in overall performance between shorties (Tri-Y), mid-length & long tube headers.....shorties actually perform excellent up to about 5500 rpm and then will have a slight drop until 6k rpm when it begins to really decline.....more than enough for street use and much better than oem manifolds.

Hedmann in the 60's/70's an excellent product and considered one of the top mfg's with Hooker....they were built in Culver City, Ca until a few years ago. Beginning in the late 80's Hedmann quality began declining & today, they are considered an "inexpensive Header", meaning, you get what you pay for. IMHO I would place Patriot & Blackjack in the same category (although both seem to be offering a higher-quality header line also). In general, the head plate should be at least 3/8" (1/2" is best), tubing should be at least 16 gauge (14 is best).....otherwise leaks and burn-though are going to be a problem as well as the longetivity of the headers.

im going to do a bore, not sure on a .020 or a .030

Bore what you need, no more.

3 angle valve grind

That is the standard...4 angle would be what most machine shops do today.

Cams

IMHO....
Comp is a mass production (McDonald's type) company which - seems to have experience more cam lobe failures than most and places the blame on the low ZDDP in the oils...then experiences valve spring failure, and it just does a cycle.

With regards to their cams billets, I highly suspect that they are also using Chinese & they do not include Parkerizing their cams unless you want to pay extra for it (Parkerizing is the final step and a crucial step to help break the cam in- a heated acid bath that microscopically etches the metal surface and adds a very thin layer of graphite coating which allows the cam lube to hang onto and penetrate into the cam surface during cam break in) unless you specifically request and pay additional money for it.

Considering the cam has such critical importance to the engines performance and life, to me it makes sense to use a cam grinder who will talk with you directly- even modify the cam grind to fit your needs even better and to address the possibility of cam lobe failure with the new oils. When it comes to making an engine breathe, there are so many variables including elevation, humidity, fuel blends/available octane, most cam mfgs will vary a "core grind pattern" to match the external impactors in addition to the internal impactors- which today IMHO makes the different between and engine that runs well, to one that just seems to run a little bit better, smoother and gets better mileage than expected.

With regards to price...the difference is nil- especially considering its cheap insurance to know exactly who is machining such a critical part for your engine. And remember, advertised lift/duration/lobe separation is just that- advertised and not the specific grind including ramp profile that is used on the cam.

I highly recommend Iskenderian (who I personally know to this day physically tests/inspects every single valve spring before it leaves the shop) & Crower & Chet Herbert & Howard & Lunati...all are family owned, been grinding cams for decades, and both will even re-grind your oem cam if possible- saving you even more $.

would 1.70 rockers benefit this?

Speak directly with your cam grinder & machinist.....there are many ways to accomplish lift......the key is to ensure you have adequate piston/valve clearance.

 

clutchmasters online only has clutches for a 7.3 psd. so iw ill have to call them one day.

the stock 6-1 exhaust makes my underhood temp pretty dang hot already, so if people say headers increases heat, i will almost need both, i figure id rather have it done before i install them them think well **** i wish i had wrapped them too. i cant believe the price of ceramic coated headers. i will almost bet money i can find a set custom made in my area for cheaper.( nascar central, mooresville nc usa.)

i dont want to bore more then needed, however i feel like it will be one of those since i did blow a ring about 2000 miles ago...well more:/

im taking it to a mopar builder who is the go-to guys for the mopar muscle magazine, so im sure they will get my head flowing right.

chet herbet, i couldnt find anything on.
im not big on crower cams for our truck, just something about them doesnt sit right numbers wise.
comp cams i really dont want to use, but i was using those as base numbers to go off of.
lunati looked really promising, and had a very detailed request info sheet so i emailed them and will probably give them a call pretty soon.

how can howard and lunati throw such high lift numbers with the same .050 duration as the others? and if i get one of those, i can still use the stock valve ratio

i think ive established that with the head work, intake and exhaust, i will still have atleast the same power from idle as i do now, even if i raise my peak to start at 1000 am i correct?
peak on stock starts from idle to a peak trq at like 1600 rpm with 220ish trq.
if i add 100 hp and say 140trq, that would put me at 360trq around even say 1800-2000. with a 300 flat curve, it should see 110 at idle(800rpm for ease of calculations), 140ish at 1000, 220 at 1600 and less then that at 2000
with an added 140 trq( hopefully more ) at idle it see 140, 180 at 1000rpm, 280 at 1600, and since it has a higher peak will keep pulling and see 360 at 2000.

i dont care about hp as much since this is trq motor, and trq is what i am after.
if my calculations are off please tell me, if my curve is off, please tell, however i do think i will see the same power and be able to do what ive done so far with much more ease and a higher rpm even if i raise the peak rpm range.
so i can keep up with traffic, because passing a 70mph truck that's about to hit a hill and drop to 55 is horrible with a line of traffic behind me.

 

If your goal is low end and you don't expect to ever rev the engine past 3,500-4,000 rpm then extensive head work isn't necessary. Just some clean-up in the bowls, on the short sides and maybe contour the guide bosses a bit. A big breathing head won't change much at low rpm so there's no need to spend a lot of time or money having the ports worked.

Says the guy who spend a couple of weeks porting his head then paid the shop $300 to touch up what I already did.

Then again, I had the Bronco out for a spin on the highway yesterday and drifted over into the left lane with the faster traffic and then about three minutes later looked down and the speedo was pegged past the 85 mph mark. I have a depleted uranium foot.

That's on an otherwise stock engine with an Offy C, Edelbrock carb and EFI exhaust. Thirty-one inch tires and 3.55 gears ~ 2,600 rpm at 90 mph. She held there fine, just no get out of the way left. Even then folks still did indeed want me to get out of the way, too.

Don't fret too much about the cam. If you took a cam from every manufacturer for a given designed rpm range and put them into otherwise identical trucks you wouldn't be able to tell on from another. A couple of degrees of duration or a degree of lobe separation or twenty-thirty thousands of lift won't make enough difference you'd notice.

There's no need for high ratio rockers with an aftermarket cam. It will have much steeper ramps than the stock cam so it would be sort of redundant. The head wouldn't move any more air at .700" of lift than at .400" anyway.

 

id like to see those rpm though.

correct me if im wrong but doesnt the lift pertain more to how much can be held/removed from combustion chamber? so if the head flows x for every .1 then there would be a considerable difference between .4 and .5
also why do people put the higher ratio, getting more lift on a stock cam?

im not trying to sound rude or snippy, i just dont grasp that completely yet.

and i did the same thing, except i had my 36" tires and was going downa pretty long hill...gps said 98....when i stopped i was idling high..next day i noticed a puddle of oil, and decided to change my oil since it was really low..shimmering like gold...aha put 6k on here without a noticable difference thats why i am rebuilding her, she treated me great, so im going to give her all she wants, albeit the normal girl wants ***** and a butt and nose, shes getting carbs, headers, and a head.

 

If you look at the head flow numbers for a 300 the ports don't move much more air with the valve open .500" than they do at .300".

On a stock engine the higher ratio rockers approximate steeper ramps on the cam. It's not the additional .025" or whatever of max lift that makes more power. The stock head is already maxed out at .400" of lift. An aftermarket cam will be ground (you'd hope) with much steeper ramps so high ratio rockers are not necessary.

I am using a set of new, stamped standard ratio rockers on my build FWIW. IMO roller rockers are a waste of money on anything that isn't going to see 6,000+ rpm regularly. I'd spend the money on a balance job or head work. That's just me, though. Everyone else in the world seems to think roller rockers are the dog's nuts.

 

But if I upgrade the head to flow more, and the springs and the steeper ramps, wouldn't it be able to utilize more then .4 lift?

Rollers are for engines that hold at more then 6 fur extended times.

Correct beer if I'm wrong but I believe that first part is correct

 

I reckon the only way to know for sure is to give it a go with stock and then the chevy rockers to see if there's a difference.

Once you settle on a cam check with the manufacturer and see what they recommend.

 

you have a zf5? how hard was that to install? i have the t18 in this and a zf5 in my 96 psd and love it.

 

Chevy rocker provide greater lift by moving the p.rod closer to the fulcrum, which, in this case, is the stud. Mixing parts is nice for a short time, but it is the long, slow wear of using a part the engine is not designed for that makes them unattractive. More lift means more pressure at the valve. Will push in studs handle it? If so, for how long? Is the slot/hole for the push rod through the head set up/machined so the p.rod will not touch, even at 2500 rpm for hours at a time? Will it need guide plates?

IMO, changing the cam to get the lift you want, and setting up the head for that cam, along with lifters and t.gears, valve springs, retainers, locks, screw in studs, is always always the surest, smartest way to go. Doing it another way, imo, is penny wise, pound foolish.

 

Other than having to drill the frame so the crossmember could be moved back an inch or two it was about the same as changing out a clutch. You will also need to have someone shorten the driveshaft (assuming 2wd) and (if 4x4) lengthen the front driveshaft.

 

okay chevy rockers was more of a understanding thing. im looking at howard and lunati cames with 210-213 duration at .050 with .480 ish lift.

t gears? like steel timing gear?

im rebuilding this so i can get a life long motor with some power so thats howi will do it.


i take it you had a auto before that? because i have the wrong kind of clutch in mine( hydraulic, and it uses.. i forgot)
how did it mount up to the 300?
do you have a build thread?

 

Nah, it had a T-18 and hydraulic clutch. The ZF uses an internal slave like a donut around the input shaft. Just had to install the new clutch line into the slave then push a roll-pin out of the master to remove the old and pop in the new line. And now that I've typed that I think it was the master first so it would prebleed before connecting to the slave. Easy peasy, it took longer to bleed than connect it.

Best I can remember, step one was to pull everything from engine to axles. Send the flywheel off for resurfacing and get a new clutch kit. You need the crossmember from the donor truck or a new replacement (~$90 IIRC when I did the swap) and the engine block plate (flat sheet goes between engine and tranny). The old crossmember has two supports that bolt to the top of the frame that are a pain to remove and impossible to drill the frame for and reinstall farther back with the body or bed in place.

Install the tranny/t-case to the engine and jack it up enough to attach the tranny mount and crossmember. Center, lower onto the frame, then lay out where to drill the frame and measure between the yokes so a shop can rebuild the driveshafts.

Drop, install shaft bushing/bearing, block plate, flywheel, clutch, new slave/bearing and reinstall. It's not as daunting as it might seem going in. I took three bolts ~4" long and lopped off the heads then rounded them a bit and screwed them into three of the bell bolt holes as guides. They made it very easy to slip everything together straight and smooth.

 

Putting it that way, that seens rather easy. I might end up going that route instead of a gear splitter.

How is your engine at the machine shop coming along?