Well i just got my cam and timing chain set shipped in today and need to ask a quick question before i put it all together. by the way, its a basically all stock 73 429 that will have 80's electronic ignition, a multiple key way gear set, a 268 comp cam (218/218 @ .050, .494/.494 lift, and 110 degrees lobe seperation), and ported heads. ok i could use some advice on how to set up my valve timing. i know the factory set up was retarded (literally, hah) and that just advancing it is good for some power, but i also know that if its too advanced, you have all bottom end torque and no mid to upper range. the sheet that came with the cam said that it is 4 degrees advanced over stock, which i didnt expect, so now i dont know if i should still use the 2 degrees advanced keyway, or go with the oem or the two degrees retarded keyway. just how much would it effect performance? i want lots of low torque since its going in a truck, but i also know the 429 is a decent revving engine and i wouldnt want to be out of juice by 3500 rpms (especially since the cam is mostly mid range) basically, i dont want to take away from the cam by setting it wrong and want the absolute most performace and efficiency. ...any thoughts?

 

I'd run it "straight up", you can always advance/retard later if you want to change your power range. Advance/retarding is a "fine" dialing in tool, you won't change your power range by more than 400-500 RPM with plus or minus 4 degrees. The cam mfg. probably ground in 4 degrees advance to put a little more bottom end into it. I ran that same cam a number of years ago in a 78 F250 460 C-6 and wished I'd of gone with the 260H series since I was running 3:50 gears and the cam was just starting to really pull when the
tranny would shift to the next gear. If your running three seventy threes or four tens, go for it.

Deen Hylton
Ford F250 460 C-6, K&N, Headers, Dual Exh.,Comp. Cams,Shift Kit
Pioneer CD w/Bose Speakers.
Other Passion: Blown 77 Corvette (Sorry Guys/Gals)
How I can afford to Drive the above: 93 GEO Metro

 

hey deen, thanks for the reply. i dont mean to be a bother but ive got a few questions. when you ran that cam in your f250 what was your timing chain set to? ive been wondering if maybe i picked a larger cam than what i needed seeing as im putting it into an f250 with 3.54's and no highstall converter...so when you say it was just hitting the power band when it shifted, was that when you were going easy on it for normal "efficient" driving, or when you were really pushing it? what was your RPM range like? also, did that cam kill your gas milage or was it half way efficient? thanks a lot in advance.

 

>hey deen, thanks for the reply.
>i dont mean to be
>a bother but ive got
>a few questions. when you
>ran that cam in your
>f250 what was your timing
>chain set to?

The timing chain was set "straight up". I used the older style timing chain that did not have the advance built in like the newer Ford direct replacements.

ive been
>wondering if maybe i picked
>a larger cam than what
>i needed seeing as im
>putting it into an f250
>with 3.54's and no highstall
>converter...so when you say it
>was just hitting the power
>band when it shifted, was
>that when you were going
>easy on it for normal
>"efficient" driving, or when you
>were really pushing it?

For efficient driving the cam was O.K. It shouldn't need a higher stall converter. You could just start to feel the "power rush" at full throttle at around 3,500 RPM but then the tranny would shift around 4,500 RPM. That cam is good to 5,500 RPM.

what
>was your RPM range like?
>also, did that cam kill
>your gas milage or was
>it half way efficient?

My gas mileage was between 8-10 MPG...but even my F.I. 1989 460 doesn't get any better than 11 MPG.

thanks
>a lot in advance.


Deen Hylton
Ford F250 460 C-6, K&N, Headers, Dual Exh.,Comp. Cams,Shift Kit
Pioneer CD w/Bose Speakers.
Other Passion: Blown 77 Corvette (Sorry Guys/Gals)
How I can afford to Drive the above: 93 GEO Metro