Hard hitting 390
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Freshman User
Joined: May 2001
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From: South
Hard hitting 390
I need advise on bulding my 390 big block. What size cam could I use for street use, with a good hard lope, and I'm thinking about use the eldlebrock aftermarket heads, has anyone used these heads??? Is it worth the money?
I got a C-6, headers, Eldlebrock performer intake. Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks
I got a C-6, headers, Eldlebrock performer intake. Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 835
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From: Fort Rucker, AL
If you go with adjustable rockers, the sky is the limit for cams. Go to cranecams.com and punch up 343801 and 343941. I'm just throwing this out there until somebody comes along that knows cams.
Last edited by debestuss; Sep 20, 2004 at 03:57 PM.
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,461
Likes: 4
From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well, bottom line is....what do you intend to do with your truck? whats going to be its major function> light to light racing,Drag racing 1/4 mile, just a good running sport truck(not all out performance) Towing some time's?
You can build for anything, Rock Climbing? the list goes on....
You can build for anything, Rock Climbing? the list goes on....
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
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From: Long Island USA
I've heard (here, on this site) the Edelbrock heads are just as good as a set of C8AE/D2TE stock heads that are well ported and have the bigger CJ exhaust valve. The big advantage is weight, pinging (or lack thereof) and just plain "cool" factor. And instead of breaking off exhaust bolts in the heads, you take the threads out of the aluminum 
Once you get into a set of heads with intake and exhaust seats done, bigger valves, new valves/guides and a good porting, you might be looking at close to the cost of the Edel's... having said that, I have no idea what the Edel's cost, but my C8AE heads w/CJ valves/seats/guides/springs/retainers/porting/etc was probably around $1000 10 years ago... I did a lot of the maching myself and paid my machinist's cost for parts, so my actual price was much lower than that.
They run cooler, because they are aluminum, letting you run more timing advance or higher compression (slightly).
Once you get into a set of heads with intake and exhaust seats done, bigger valves, new valves/guides and a good porting, you might be looking at close to the cost of the Edel's... having said that, I have no idea what the Edel's cost, but my C8AE heads w/CJ valves/seats/guides/springs/retainers/porting/etc was probably around $1000 10 years ago... I did a lot of the maching myself and paid my machinist's cost for parts, so my actual price was much lower than that.
They run cooler, because they are aluminum, letting you run more timing advance or higher compression (slightly).
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,461
Likes: 4
From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well also out of the Box Edels flow better than the Iron head..and it also will give you something to work with in the future....if you want to build more HP..I.E. Bigger cam, higher compression than Iron Heads,On pump gas, bigger intake,more Carb,
And a cooler running engine as too running the same CR. with Iron heads...
And Krewat, there about $1300 now I think?
Russ
And a cooler running engine as too running the same CR. with Iron heads...
And Krewat, there about $1300 now I think?
Russ
Last edited by RapidRuss; Sep 21, 2004 at 06:39 AM.
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Joined: May 2001
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From: South
I use my truck as a daily driver, every once in a while a pull a trailer with a lawn mower on the back. Never race just a slo' roller. But if I have to get at someone I want it to turn some rpm's. The lope of the cam I am looking for is when I go to classic car drive in, I want to turn heads when I drive up. I dont understand the lift and duration setup of a cam. So I was looking for some advise on what to ask for.
The transmission (C-6) is being built, I haven't bought a converter yet waiting to see if I need a stall.
The transmission (C-6) is being built, I haven't bought a converter yet waiting to see if I need a stall.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 794
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From: Portland, OR
My 390 with the mild crane 901 cam has a nice deep truck exhaust rumble to it through 2.5" 3 chamber flows. It doesn't wind out past 5000 rpm, but it sounds like it's turning a hell of alot higher when it's up there. It tows like crazy and has plenty of snot for passing at 70 mph in a 6500 pound 4x4. It'll broil the tires in second (35" BFG's and 4.10 gears) and break the tires loose in 3rd without abusing the clutch. I would definately choose this cam over a lopeyer one for a daily driver just because I've been there, done that with a 475 horse 8K rpm sbc when I was younger and it drove me crazy once I had to commute in it everyday. When you get to the point where you need a stall converter and lower gears you're decreasing the functionality of the truck. I put 40K miles on my 1970 f250 4x4 in the past year and look forward to driving it every time. I put less than 10K miles on the above mentioned nasty chevy in 2 years and was sick of it to the point that I put a K30 chassis under it and a bone stock 350 in it and sold the old motor/tranny/rear axle.
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Elder User
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From: Fort Rucker, AL
I'm looking at putting a 941 in mine. I was going to go with a 901 but I don't think I'd be happy simply because I get to get "some" every now and then. Those little "fast and furious" cars really irritate me and I'd like to spank them every once in a while.
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Portland, OR
I agree 100%. There's nothing like seeing an old stock appearing pickup blow the doors off a rice rocket with a big wing on the back. The racing part is alot of fun. The old chevy I had was a bone stock appearing 79 C10 SWB. It ran a 13 flat @ 108 in the 1/4 on street tires and was the last thing on the road a rice owner thought would be fast. It would shake the car next to me at a stoplight and it was hard not to squak the tires taking off with a 3500 stall. The cam I ran was an old hydraulic lunati bracket master 295 degree 540 lift with 104 degree lobe seperation single pattern, don't remember the @ .050", but it would hardly run below 900 rpm. I set the idle speed at 1100 for daily driving and dropped it to 900 on friday for the weekend. It was fun, just a real pain as a daily driver. It didn't like the rain much. I looped it getting on the freeway shifting into 3rd @ 70 mph and 8 grand in the rain one time. Luckily nobody was hurt, but the guy next to me did crap his pants.