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1989 Ford F800 429 , recam etc .NEED More powER any comments
Sorry , It's my first time on here .
I am Dale Dirt
What I was trying to say is ..... I have a 1989 Ford F800 Dumptruck with a 429 and 74k miles , I need more pulling power . Of course on Flat land she pulls 8 tons at 60mph , but I don't stay on flat land very much . So I was thinking of a better cam , any ideas. I need a towing cam .
Should I look at a top end kit with heads , cam and intake .
Most comp cams favor Race cars , dumptrucks might not be the same . I need a dependable runner . My buddy who retired with Hendrick motorsports recommended a 429 CJ camshaft , timing chain and gears to start off. If I don't have any problems I could do this in a day , maybe to include cleanup and paint .
Any guidance would be helpful .
Thank you
Last edited by Dale Dirt; Nov 14, 2022 at 10:29 PM.
Reason: forgot to say thank you
I moved you to the Large Truck forum as that's what you have.
Good news and bad news.
Good news first: You are going to save money.
Bad news: You can't get much more power out of that engine and expect it to pull your loads and be reliable. The CJ stuff is made for an engine with 10.5 compression, a peak at 4600 RPM and a light load to carry. If you put all that stuff on the truck engine, I'm not sure what kind of power you'd get, but given the compression differences, you'd probably lose all your low end and never be able to hit the high end.
If it runs and is dependable, run it. Start figuring ouf a way to move up to a newer diesel rig with reliable power built for the job.
If you must, consider swapping in a new ford 7.3 gas. You'll get a lot more power but it will be expensive.
First thing I would do is find a 385 series engine forum and an experienced builder to help guide or maybe even do some of the work. If your 429 is stock then I'd think you can get noticeably more power. My first thought is to stroke it to a 460. The proper builder should be able to guide you in head modifications and cam selection.
The 385 series engines can be stroked to over 500 cubes with stock bore. But again, I'd get with an experienced builder to guide you on what can be done and what is wise to do in a heavy truck.
The one hurdle I see is you may have to modify any stroker crank to work in a heavy truck. The snouts or rear flanges may be different. If you're running an air compressor off the snout, I'd think there would be a way to accommodate that with an aftermarket crank.
You need to consider what you have now. The 370/429 medium truck engines were designed to withstand being ran at 4000 rpm wide open throttle all day long. No car engine can take that. I have no idea how you could raise the compression on one since they use a different crank, rods and pistons than a car engine. You don't need to change timing chains since they are double roller already and car chains won't fit.
I would call a couple of the cam grinders and see what they recommend.
But there is always power to be gained with a better intake manifold, headers and a bigger carburetor.
Good luck don't blow it up.
[QUOTE=Dale Dirt;20629772. I need more pulling power . Of course on Flat land she pulls 8 tons at 60mph , but I don't stay on flat land very much . So I was thinking of a better cam , any ideas. I need a towing cam .
[/QUOTE]
Gears give you power. Your gear set is probably too high for your application. Find out what gears you have in the rear end, go from there. Is it a 2 speed rear or single speed?
Hi Guys , Thank you for the replies . My F800 is a 5 speed and 2 speed rear . I did install a Holley 750 and a 65,000 volt distributor , It does run better but still needs help.
I was thinking of a RV Type cam , duration in the low 200s lift in the high 400s low 500s .
I have been looking for the commercial engine 429 specs , I haven't found anything solid yet . But I was considering looking into a camshaft with a low duration of 205 to 215 and lift of 480 to 510. I have a buddy that knows Larry Wallace at Holman / Moody . Larry ground a camshaft for my one of my projects from the 70s . He's still around from what I hear , maybe he can give me some direction . I just feel this engine should make at least 300 hp out of the box . To bad they choked them out in the process . Also , My F800 is a 5 speed and 2 speed rear . I did install a Holley 750 and a 65,000 volt distributor , It does run better but still needs help.
You are right , I guess I was just hoping for the impossible . It is what it is . I have a Peterbilt and I picked up a 350 small cam and 15 speed , I am getting older and the amount of work to get the ole Pete going will take me a year . I guess in the long run that would be the fixall .
consider comp cams EX256H ,it should build low end torque .I have herd the elderbrock performer has a better port cross section for low end power .some headers and vacuum secondary carb would help also
I guess I was just hoping for the impossible . It is what it is .
The 429 is all ready the largest Lima engine. Practically nothing interchanges with a car or pickup engines with the same or similiar cubes. It is what it is. Only way to get more useable power in hilly terrain is a lower gears. Common problem when a truck was ordered brand new to run in flat country, then gets sold off to a new owner who runs it in hilly country. Different conditions require different axle gear ratios.
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