Setting it up for Towing
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New User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2
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From: Everett Washington
Setting it up for Towing
I've been following this forum for quite some time, you guys never cease to amaze me. But, I'm trying to make some decisions on a few things.
I'm 95% done with a frame off restoration of 72 f250 camper special. Been in the family since new. Ready for final engine assembly. Here's what I have thus far.
390, roughly 9 to 1 cr, stock edelbrock heads, performer intake (not rpm), holley 750, headers, dual 2.5 exhaust, msd ignition, 3.54 gears, t-18 gearbox, 2wd. it is going to see medium to heavy towing duties.
I need a streetable truck <5500rpm, that will pull well loaded, but run well empty. Eventually i'll go to 3.73 or 4.10 gears with a 5sp tranny.
My question is about camshaft and intake selection. I already have the performer intake, should I be going to the rpm intake? What gains vs loses? I've narrowed my cam selection to crane 901 and the comp cams extreme energy 262. My buddy who's helping me work on this thing really likes the comp cams, but you all seem to be in love with the crane. Is the dual pattern that important with the edel heads? What about a single pattern comp 260h?
Thanks for helping out! I'll post full picks of the restoration soon along with a few journals of things I've learned.
I'm 95% done with a frame off restoration of 72 f250 camper special. Been in the family since new. Ready for final engine assembly. Here's what I have thus far.
390, roughly 9 to 1 cr, stock edelbrock heads, performer intake (not rpm), holley 750, headers, dual 2.5 exhaust, msd ignition, 3.54 gears, t-18 gearbox, 2wd. it is going to see medium to heavy towing duties.
I need a streetable truck <5500rpm, that will pull well loaded, but run well empty. Eventually i'll go to 3.73 or 4.10 gears with a 5sp tranny.
My question is about camshaft and intake selection. I already have the performer intake, should I be going to the rpm intake? What gains vs loses? I've narrowed my cam selection to crane 901 and the comp cams extreme energy 262. My buddy who's helping me work on this thing really likes the comp cams, but you all seem to be in love with the crane. Is the dual pattern that important with the edel heads? What about a single pattern comp 260h?
Thanks for helping out! I'll post full picks of the restoration soon along with a few journals of things I've learned.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
There's a few things I would change. First, you should get the Performer RPM intake. It's ports match the RPM heads exactly, whereas the regular Performer's ports are smaller.
I'd look for some .020" thick copper shim head gaskets to get your compression up to about 9.5:1 so you can use the following cam. It'd work with 9:1, but the extra half a point is worth it IMO.
I'd use the Crane 134052 (272 energizer) cam. The edelbrock heads do not need a dual pattern, and the 272 should work very well towing.
I'd look for some .020" thick copper shim head gaskets to get your compression up to about 9.5:1 so you can use the following cam. It'd work with 9:1, but the extra half a point is worth it IMO.
I'd use the Crane 134052 (272 energizer) cam. The edelbrock heads do not need a dual pattern, and the 272 should work very well towing.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,931
Likes: 12
From: SW Michigan
towing set up
David, FWIW, I tow in my 2wd with a Crane 801 cam, which I think is bigger than all those you mentioned. I agree with the previous poster that the RPM intake is better than the performer. The Blue Thunder 427MR is even better. They are all dual planes and will be fine at low speeds but will keep breathing long after the performer has given up. Personally, I wouldn't take a performer if you gave it to me. What kind of 5 spd did you have in mind ? I recommend the Clark 280 series. DF
