Engine Upgrade? NEED HELP....

[cannibal]

hey all,

first, thanx for the help about the manual locking hubs, im working on than now.

anyway, here's the deal, my motor is a 350, model year not so sure, i think early 80's, anyway, i just want opinions on upgrading this motor (Currently stock) but i dont need big time upgrades, no need for me for alot of power, it's running 33" tires, im actually happy, but i need more tourqe, whats a good intake manifold, cam shaft......thanx

 

[tarussell]

Camshaft wise you might want to stick with a fairly short durration ( somewhere around 200 to 220 at .050 ) and as much lift as offered by your cam manufacture . Try to keep your Lobe Seperation Angle somewhere near 110 to 112 for lots of vacum .
As far as a manifold go with a dual plane design ( there are plenty to choose from - let price be your guide ) .
From what you have described this should put you in the neighborhood that you want to be in .
Good luck , Tom

 

[cannibal]

hmmmm. the prob. is that im lacking information and understanding of what u say (im not an experianced mechanic, i can't understand these no. u say) but thatnx for caring, if u can pin point a bit more, tell me brands, i like edelbrock....thanx

 

[tarussell]

No problem ... Look at the specifications that are listed by various cam manufactures like : Crane / CompCams / Lunatti / Isky or any other cam company - things to look for are the durration at .050 and the lobe seperation angle along with the valve lift . I understand that you do not know what all they mean and it would take a long time to get into great detail but go by the numbers that I mentioned earlier and you will be on the right track .
The spec's that I listed for you are good for torque in the RPM range that you are looking at .
As far as intake manifolds go you might want to look at Edlebrock / Holley / Weiand and many others and you want to look for the ones that offer an opperating RPM range of off-idle to 5500 RPM or so .
I do not have any direct part numbers at the moment but I can post some later on tonight if no one else post's up before than .
I tried to leave what you picked up to you and gave you some guide lines to go by but I know that it gets confusing - it took me years of rreading before I learned what I dealing with and what it all meant .....

I'll post up some cam shaft part numbers this evening for you that should help you out and give you some options .
Tom

 

[tarussell]

I can only find my Crane Cams catalog at this time so I will give you a few suggestions from it .
part # 100032
part # 100042
part # 100052
All these grinds are a step above a stock cam but not too big to cause any driveability problems with stock issue running gear .
I would suggest going with the 100052 part number because it is the strongest of the three and I am sure you will want the most bang for your effort and work to your motor . This cam is meant for towing/off-road useage/ and still idles very well and offers good economy while providing a fair amount of torque.

There are MANY other cam shafts to choose from but I suggest this one ( or one like it ) because of what you said about keeping your engine stock and just wanting to change the cam & intake while keeping the running gear and 33" tires the same .
I do not have an Edlebrock catalog so I can not give you an exact part # for the intake you need . Just get a "Dual plane" intake with a carb mounting pattern that will accept you Q-jet and an E.G.R. valve if you are running one .
Good luck and I hope this helps you decide on what you want to put in your motor . Hollar if you need clarification on anything .
Tom

 

[Z3PR]

I'd call Comp Cams CAM HELP: 1-800-999-0853 and see what they recomend. A set of headers maybe.