If you are rebuilding a worn motor it needs to go to a machine shop and then you let them tell you what it needs. There are lots of replacement pistons that could be used but try to keep it around 9:1 CR. And while the block is there you can have the bosses in the lifter valley drilled for the retainer, after that install all new bearings.
This cam will put the motor in the 250-260hp range which 75-100hp more than stock in your case.
I did the same thing with my '90 5.0 truck motor and it ran like there was a second engine under the hood... the difference was not subtle.

 

For me I have to wait till I have my C6 rebuilt to see how much slip I have to make my final decision. For my C6 I have planned a R-Servo piston, Kevlar bands, RV/Tow shift kit (long as it will not give a hard kick shift I don't mind firm just no kick), a wide ratio planetary gear set with quicker first and second gear and a stock third gear, then have the governor fine tuned to give me a 5000 - 5500 rpm wot shift point to do it right. I also have a XTM I believe it is picked out from Hughes converters which came highly recommended for my C6 for a truck application.

Axle ratio, I am looking at 3.00:1 if my over all slippage is over 5%-6%, if my slippage is under 5%-6% which I was told by numerous people a rebuilt C6 should be in the 3% to 5% range then I will be running 3.25:1 axle ratio. Either of these ratios based off slippage will with my 31x10.50-15 KO2`s would give me the capability of running 75 mph with in the 2,400 - 3,000 rpm cruise range listed by crane for my cam. I am shooting for 2,750 rpm for 75 mph or as close to it as I can.

 

Thats alot of changes. Of i change the cam and a simple rebuild of the bottom end do i have to change anything in my bellhousing? I have e4od and 3.55 rearend for now. Right now i am crusing at 60 (but 75 would be the sweet spot where i wanna be) at about 1900 2000 rpm. What will basically change changing cam ? Also bumping rear end to 4.11 ?
Also what does stall converter exactly do, i read different rpm ranges with them, is thst the eangs where transmission change gears ? (Not really into this by bow).

 

Will this crane cam mentioned above. I cannot find cam kit. I definwtly need spider and dogbones and lifters offcorse for the cam. Can you suggest those options ? Will stock aprings handle the load ?
In the picture there is donor 88 5.0 block. Is it roller block? Ir does not have holes and threads for spider as far as i see it

 

Looks like a roller block, the bosses just need to be drilled and tapped.. a simple job for a machinist. Upgraded valve springs are recommended and the cam manufacturer will spec a set, the factory springs were only just suitable for the stock cam when they were new.

 

Thanks for the info.
Today i managed to get work my aftermarket oil pressure gauge and it is not so bad. While idling it stays from 29 to 40 psi. Will drive tomorow to see how it reacts on longer road. So is that normal oil pressure?
Maybe i just need cam swap and valvetrain job with head gaskets and springs afterall.

 

It is a lot of changes, but my C6 is kind of worn out I think. I have 2.75:1 stock gears with 31x10.50-15 tires but 75 mph is 2750 rpm half ways between 2500 and 3000 rpm. Comes out to around 15% to 18% slippage which is way more than it should be. With a new engine I figure I would baby it for now till I feel comfortable the engine will not cause problems then I will have the transmission rebuilt and upgraded. The rear axles are a given cause 2.75:1 axle ratio with 31x10.50-15 tires just is very piggish.

The stall is what rpm the engine has to reach before the fluid coupler is coupled and spinning at the same rate. below said rpm there is torque multiplication due to the coupler spinning at different speeds on the inside. Higher stall provides the ability to not have the engine pull in gear as hard when you place in gear as well as when trying to hold the brakes while idling it allows the converter to slip. You want to custom tailor this to your application and not go too high as you don't want to be slipping when going down the road as you are generating heat.

Me I am looking at around a 1,500 rpm to 2,000 rpm stall. My cam is 1,400 - 5,400 rpm operating range and they claim you should shoot for 500 rpm above where your cam comes in. Problem is the Hughes converter I am looking at doesn't give a clear cut stall cause engine size and power output will effect the stall. a smaller engine for example will stall lower rpm than a larger engine if I am remembering correctly but I believe the guy at hughes I talked with said I should have more stall than my OE stock converter which I think the OE converter is like a 1,200 rpm stall.

Outside of all this once I get the mechanicals done I want to replace my leaf springs and coil springs, I think my leaf springs are worn out. So still quite a bit of work I got to do outside of finishing the interior and doing paint and body work. But I am getting closer to having it all finished and be cheaper than a new truck.

 

spec I have in my shop manuals is 302/351W oil pressure spec is 40 - 65 psi @ 2,000 rpm hot. if you are idling between 30 and 40 psi you should be with in spec.

 

I drove for like 10 minutes and it varied between 28 and 49 psi so i think for a original engine it pretty good.

So do i need to change anything in belhousing if i change the cam and valvetrain and headers ?

Also lifter, spring, spider, dogbone kit that i could use with that crane cam ?

 

This is the lifter retainer kit I purchased for my 306 build.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-6253-a50

And this is the roller lifters I purchased

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-6500-r302h

As far as bell housings goes I don't think anything has to change if all you are doing is just throwing a cam, lifters, headers on.

 

Thanks for the info. What about springs ? If the factory ones are not gona keep up what could be a cost effective alternative?

Also do i have to change cam bearings or new cam just slide in in old ones ?

What distributor or diatributor gear are you using ? Steel or bronze ? Very little info of this cam actually.

 

Today drove a little bit more and when its hot getting back from higway oil pressure reads from 13 at traffic to 28 while driving in town. Is it ok or should i better rebuild bottom end too ?

 

For the Crane 449541 hydraulic roller I will be running a brand new cardone dist with a steel gear for a 85 mustang that will work with any DS II ignition system. Crane told me a stock steel gear will work with this cam when I asked.

Valve spring I got is a swap for the standard 8017 valve spring for the 8016 valve spring which AFR said is the closest match they have to the recommended Crane valve spring.

When it comes to valve springs you have to go with what the cam manufacturer recommends.

 

I had a problem with a Cardone select DS2 distributor I got recently. I'm going to see what kind of warranty they have on it.

 

I hope I don't have a problem seeing as I am shipping mine out for $100 to have it tuned on a sun machine for my new engine specs.