hey guys just a few questions?
i plan on building and engine for my 78 F-250, i will be using a stock 390 block and crank with the stock rods and stuff,
my biggest concern is the cam and heads since i think that makes the biggest difference. i am thinking on the edel heads but i dont want to kill my bottom end, i have read and hear that to big of valves and ports will move your power band up, and i want mine to pull from idle to 4500 maybe 5000, and the rare occasional 6000 rpms, so think bottom end, i have a set of D2 heads but i want maximum performance but i want it on the bottom end. for a bottom end build should i use stock heads, ported stock heads,ported stock heads with bigger valves or should i just pop for the edels, money is and object but i dont mind spending extra cash in this department.

now with the cam, also think bottom end, but i want it to sound "GOOD"
i want it to lope hard, is there such a thing as a bottom end cam that will lope pretty hard

friend of mine has a clevland in his 4x4 and he has a comp cam. his numbers are
280
.530
110
224 @ 50
his sounds good and i want mine to sound as good or better would be a bonus
can i have the good sound and still have awsome bottem end power. i understand that as with most things this will be a trade off, and i will have to more or less pick one side of the spectrum and forget about the other, but i am looking to be pointed in the right direction.
yall are the most helpful bunch of folks i've been involed with and i really apprciate it.

 

I'm using a Crane solid lifter cam. I don't think I'd do that again, but once in your life you need a PITA motor, right? It's part number 341191, and I'm using it with the shell lifters snd special pushrods from DSC.

When I first got it and used an out-of-the-box Holley 600, it didn't idle too well. But when I figured out where the idle adjustments were, it really cleaned it up. So it wasn';t the cam's fault. Just mine. Now, it is a little rough and lopey. Sounds pretty cool. I really haven't thrashed it much yet, wanting to break it in properly before really stressing it. But I accidentally hit 90 on the expressway without even flooring it. Maybe three quarters throttle.

It's growing on me. If I don't get tired of setting the lash, I may recommend it. Time will tell.

 

what is setting the lash and how often do you do it,

does anybody else have any insight?

 

For mine, Crane specifies 0.026 lash, but that was too much clatter for me, so I changed it to 0.021. It got noticeably quieter. They may be the risk of burning a valve, but my thinking is that the valves get the hottest (and grow them most) on long freeway trips at high speeds when heavily loaded. Most of my trips and accelerations and short.

If I were really pushing it for long periods, I would stick to the 0.026.

As far as intervals for adjustmet, I've heard anything from doing it once-a-year to doing it every oil change. And I think the main difference was those who had stock adjustable rockers were every oil change, while those with either aftermarket rockers or locking rocker adjusters had the longer intervals.

 

For bottom end power you could use your D2's with some mild port cleanup.

It will be difficult to get a "rough" idle and maintain low rpm power, they don't go together. The rough idle is caused by overlap and long duration, both things aid higher rpm power. That said, what some consider an acceptable idle to others is lousy, you need to decide how much trade-off you are willing to do.

 

Crane 343901 Hydraulic with adjustable rockers. Smooth idle, good pull at lower rpm. I am using stock exhaust manifolds and a "T" series 4V intake and an Edelbrock 1401 with manual choke. Pertronix on a stock distributor with flat cap and fat wires. This truck runs good, pulls good and gets reasonable fuel mileage. I worked to get the bottom right and will add improvements as the budget allows.

 

Well I have too agree with staying with the Hydraulic cam.. I ran a Solid lift cam years ago on a A/EA 48 Fiat tupilino I had...And if your racing and have the time in the pits and have a tilt front end its not to bad..always pulling the valve cover's off!

Hydraulic set it and go!! IMO...Russ...