anyone ever used the crane 904 as opposed to the 941? i'm not gonna have the money for the adj setup anytime soon and i need the project done asap so i'm looking to just go with the 904 and keep my non-adj setup and maybe just have to put better springs on and shim up my assembly. also how do the dsc adj pushrods work? they are actually adjustable? do you just put those in and then expand them to the correct preload? thanks again

 

904 = 343901 cam.

The DSC pushrods could be described better. "427 Ford Adjustable Pushrods" does NOT mean the pushrods themselves are adjustable. What it means is they are the correct length and have the correct ends for use in an adjustable system with the adjustable rocker arms.

If you've got about $200 to spend you can convert to the adjustable setup. Go get the stock replacement adjustable rocker arms from your favorite parts store, and shop around for the best price. Tell 'em it's for an early FE that had solid lifters, that will allow the bonehead behind the counter to dig up the right part number. Tell 'em it's for a 1963 Police Interceptor 390 motor with solid lifters. Then get the above mentioned adjustable pushrods, and you'll be ready to go.

 

Also the adjustable pushrods are ball and cup style. The rocker arm adjuster screw fits in the cup end and the ball end in the lifter. I often see some rocker arm sets on ebay that are still new in the package. These can be a good deal unless the part hogs see them. I'd stay away from used stuff unless you have them in hand and can measure the ID to be sure there within spec. Also the adjuster screws are designed to be a 7 ft lb breakaway as they are a special form thread with a pitched top diameter. Anything less and the adjuster screws can back out causing frequent adjustment among other things. Oversize replacement adjusters will fix this but are sometimes tricky to replace. It's a nice upgrade if you can swing it.

G.

 

update-tore down my 360 on thanksgiving day so now i can get ya'll some numbers to play with if you tell me what you need. also i talked to my machinist today and his "fe" specialist there and they were saying i'm gonna have to get stiffer springs for the 941. so that on top of the possible 200 for adj rockers and then another 50 for pushrods...for me thats too much to not know what i'm gonna get out of this. plus the main reason is i just don't wnat to spend any more than i have to being in college...no money to throw away. now i remember ya'll saying that i need the 941 to bleed off some of the compression that my 360 pistons/390 crank/rod setup is going to give me. what would my stock cam that i have now do for me? not bleed of any compression and i have too much? if i knew i could get away with my rockers that i have and just get stronger pushrods and springs, i'd go with the 941 so if there are any measurments i can give ya'll off my heads and block then tell me and i can get them most likely. the only reason i was looking at the 904 is b/c it's a truck cam ('73 f100 lwb) and the lift isn't as much so i knew i could get away with my rocker setup with just some different pushrods. one more- how high of a lift on a cam can you go before needing stronger springs? thanks again fella's-learnin little more every day

 

the 904/901 is a good replacement for stock cam, with good idle and low speed torque with good mid range too. Lots of forum folks like it. The 941 is more mid-range and higher rpm. If your vehicle is not real heavy some forum users really like it. Gobs of torque they say. If you stay with non-adjustable rocker arms remember there are 3 different lengths of pushrods so you can set the lifter preload correctly-so there is no lifter ticking sound.

 

ya the gross weight of my truck is around 3500 i think so i'm gonna need some off throttle torque to get 'er moving. but i don't want to spend 5 or 600 on the valvetrain alone-not a drag car-just a powerful, dependable pickup is all. thanks

 

Are people daydreaming when others post?

I run the 343901 with stock nonadjustable rockers, DO NOT USE STOCK OR RV VALVE SPRINGS! Get some old 99837 or the new crane recommendation. I run on 89 octane, and find the 343901 to be a great camshaft!

 

well see thats what i don't want to do is have to run mid or high grade. i want to run off 87 with 390 cubic inches costing $1000 or less if possible. what would happen if i left my stock cam? too much compression? fordever-what engine setup do you run to have to run 89- cam, ci,cr, heads...thanks

 

nevermind what i said aout using a 343901. Its probaly not a good idea.

 

well i feel like i've been going in circles the last 3 weeks asking this stuff between ya'll and my machinst. i want a 390 that will run on 87 oct with the most hp and torque obvisouly i can get. does anyone know the hp rating of a stock 390 with holley 600 and headers will get you? i've got the money for a cam but don't want to rebuild the whole valvetrain. i just want to get a high powered cam with new lifters and match it up with the correct pushrods. i'm just lost in the area of having to use the 941 to "bleed off compression" that my 390 crank/rods will give me with my 360 pistons. plus i want this truck to pull on the hills at around 3000rpms which my truck runs at 70mph. hope this clears something up-thanks

 

The thing is, the bigger cams usually close the intake valve later than smaller cams, with all of them closing the intake after BDC. The amount is what is different. Remember, after bottom dead center, the piston is moving up on the compression stroke. So if a valve is still open, it's not building compression. That's why you can get away with a higher compression ratio with a bigger cam.

Here are closing angles for some cams, in degrees ABDC:
Crane 343901: 61
Stock truck FE: 63
Crane 343941: 67
Ford C6OZ 428CJ cam: 72
Ford 425hp 427 cam: 74


Like I've said before, you can use the stock non-adjustable setup with a 941 cam. However, you need to make sure you have the right lifter preload! You may be ordering some custom pushrods if it is not. What the adjustables do, is allow you to set preload with the simple turn of a screw, and save you quite a bit of time setting preload. They also have the potential to save you from buying custom pushrods. It's kind of like gambling. Without actually being there to take measurements on your motor, there is no way anyone can say with absolute certainty that you'll be able to use a certain cam with the non-adjustable setup. It doesn't work like that. The best I can say, is that it might work.

Like Matt said, get the right springs.

Before, when I said $200, that was including pushrods. Re-read my previous post, then go talk to 'em at a parts store to get prices for the rockers. Add $45 for DSC's pushrods. You should be able to get the rockers for about $10 per rocker.

 

ya i priced napa on the rockers and their 11.68 each. i think it's around 180 for all 16. i'm just really at a loss as to what to do. i can't be pulling my motor again after this. and i don't want to have to swap cams out anytime. i want to put this thing together, get a power package and be done with it but i don't want to find out 2 weeks later that i could have done something simple and cheap and gotten another 30 hp or something. my machinist isn't located near my home so he can't come take a look and the guy my dad used to fly with that was real knowledgable on fe's lives in papua new guinea now...i'm just kinda screwed until i find someone who knows what they're talkin about thats close by. anyways enough complaining-we'll see what happens...i got till the 2nd week in jan to finish this thing and i've already got 'er tore down so now i just gotta figure out what i need. thanks again fella's for being patient!

 

will the 390 crank/rods and 360 pistons give me too much compression for 87oct with the stock cam b/c i was going to go with another cam to just get more power but it almost sounds like i have to go with another cam to bleed off some compression right? also if i do end up with too much compression or 87, can i just put an egr adapter under my holley 600 and run an egr to allow me to run 87? i had a friend tell me that was a last resort after building the engine-is that right-can that work? thanks

 

Well, you could probably use the stock cam if you use different pistons. Take a look at the Keith Black number KB150. It has a 20cc dish, and a tight quench area on one side. Combined, I say you'll have no problems with pinging with the stock cam and those pistons.

I'd forget about the EGR, that makes for a dirty running motor.

 

rusty- when i talked to my machinist, he mentioned in could also shim up my rocker assembly if i use an aftermarket cam. do you recommend this? got experience with this? do you think i have a better chance at being able to use the 941 with non-adj setup if i shim up my assembly? also if i'm able to use my non-adj rockers, will i have to get stronger than stock pushrods? and what springs do you recommend me getting with the 941-i haven't seen any specified for the FE so i'm not sure. thanks