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Improving Low End Torque and Overall Power to my '79 Blazer?

m1ndless said:
Haha I was just ****in' around. I like to pretend to be all serious.

Can you just reccomend some Headers? I am not sure what to look for..

And what are soem CAM manufacters I should call?
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Look at Jegs, or Summit or the like, and get the thickest head flange you can, 1/4" will warp easily.....go for 5/16 or 3/8 and the thicker the tubing the better. you can get cheap paint for a coating (standard) or step up to stainless or Ceramic coatings, depends on your budget, but just shop around. Then go with Aluminized pipes. do you drive it in Salt?

I would call Crane Cams, Competition Cams, or Edelbrock....they have performer, or performer plus kits engineered to work together...which is important. You don't want to throw a .550 lift 250 duration cam in a stock engine. Make sure your components are matched to each other. I would either go with an Edelbrock system for a no brainer package, or talk to a cam manufacturer to get things matched up for best results.
 
m1ndless said:
So here is my list of what to buy..

-Headers
-Cam
-Better Carb
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When you put the headers on, install and snug the bolts, do not overtighten. It'll be hard to get a torque wrench on them all, but get a feel for about 20lbs. run the engine to operating temp for 10-15 minutes, let everything completely cool, then retorque the bolts. Then do it after another 50 miles or so. Don't overtorque the bolts or you'll maybe warp the head flange.
 
I am thinking 3in exhaust. . too big? Shold I do 2.5 or 2.75? I want the most power out of it. My next thing to do after putting in the lift kit is headers and exhaust, I found a shop that would charge 250 to do all my piping.

Do I really need new headers or should I just do exhaust???
 
someone will have to correct me if im wrong on this, but im pretty sure those engines from 79 had like an 8.5 or 9 to 1 compression. If youre running a compression that low, an upgraded carb is not going to help, and might even hurt the engine performance. But you mentioned it was rebuilt so that may have changed.

Again, i agree with the guys here, headers are your best investment. i put a set of small tube (1.5in primary tubes) on my IROC followed by a high flow cat and 3in exhaust and have no regrets. the nice thing about the Edelbrock TES headers i used was they have all the emissions hook ups built right in. it was a no brainer bolt in swap that i didnt measure on a dyno, but it definatly woke the motor up. and everything else is stock.

i think a 3in exhaust on an RV cam, especially for a dual exhaust setup is way overkill. dual 2in pipes should do youjust fine, or a single 2.5in pipe.

compliment the exhaust upgrade with an aftermarket intake, and maybe some heads like you were talking about from the edelbrock performance package with a cam as well. you wont recognize the engine after all that is done.

although depending on the cam specs, and the new compression with the new heads, it might also be time to upgrade to a larger carb. again, by personal preference i would go with a Q-jet. the small primary bores would give you decent gas mileage if you stay off the throttle, but the secondary bores are HUGE and when you stomp it you will definatly know it.
 
Hmm. I think I might do the cam first, then the headers and exhaust. I saw this on summit. .

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA%2DSK12%2D231%2D2&view=1&N=700+

Is that overkill? Will that work with my truck pretty well? The only thing aftermarket is the intake manifold and muffler, everything is stock.

I found that same thing on ebay for $100 less. .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/COMP-CAMS-250-XTREME-4X4-CAM-LIFTER-KIT-SBC-265-400_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33614QQitemZ130087210685QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

thats the same thing rigt?
 
So the 254 is better than the 250? thanks k5dreamer you are a BIG help in all my threads. I am 19 and I dont know ALOT about trucks, I just got my k5 a month ago and I am learning alot from this site, its awesome.
 
Do i need the whole kit that comes with the springs and timing chain, or will be okay with just the cam and lifters?
 
not a problem man, we all gotta learn sometime, i learned most of my stuff by wrenching on my uncles pit crew when he was drag racing since i was about... 9 year old?? then researching everything like a mad man since then.

as for the 250 vs 254, in all honesty, i would make a complete list of all the engine components that are relevent, (see my previous posts for a small list) then call up comp cams cam help, and have them give a professional recomendation. when it comes to cams, they really are the experts and would give the best advice. in my opinion either one would work. maybe the 254 if your heads are stock, because the low lift flow on those ports leaves quite a bit to be desired. the slightly higher lift on the 254 vs the 250 wouldnt hurt gas mileage alot, but would open up the rpm band of the engine a bit by allowing more airflow at the higher lift rate.

and yes, i would strongly recomend the complete kit. you should NEVER mismatch cams and lifters for instance. so far as if a cam and lifters are removed and reinstalled, they should be marked so everything goes back in the exact same pairing.

so if you are replacing the cam, you should get at the very least the cam and lifter kit, but its a great idea to also get the matched springs to take advantage of the more aggressive approach and departure angles and higher lift the new cam brings to the table.

and you might be surprised to know im only 23, and to be honest, my knowledge really only extends to the sbc. im currently learning about diesels, but when it comes to the rest of the drivetrain, or bodywork, i am a novice and rely on all the people here at the forum myself.
 
So the sprigs arent needed, but reccomended? I was definetly getting the cam and lifter kit, that ebay link has the lifters right?
 
the ebay kit does not have the springs, but you could always buy them seperate.

and you are correct, they are not nessesary, but are recomended.
 
Hmm. I saw the kit that came with the timing chain and all that stuff too, is that like the springs, not required but reccomended?
 
depends on what was done when the engine was rebuilt. if youre still running the factory chain, i would definatly say replace it. my 89 IROC had its original chain, 150k miles, and ran just fine, but when i actually checked the chain for slack, i had 26* of timing slack in it. i couldnt set it by timing light, i had to use a vacuum guage. i definatly replaced that a while ago, now i just have to fix the oil pan gasket cuz i didnt drop it when i pulled the timing cover :mad:
 
Hmmm. I am not seeing any kits for my specific needs with the timing chain on summit or ebay I will just have to call COMPcams myself and talk with them.
 
you're pulling the chain anyways to get to the cam,,,even if it's NOT factory,,,,replace it as insurance, they are not that expensive..
 
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