Back from the dead, a few questions about cam timing

DJCarbine · Dec 28, 2007

Been a while since I posted here, had to put the mustang up on ebay due to lack of a job.

Thats been solved since then, and the car is in my garage waiting for me to spend more money on her.

Few quick questions I hope someone on here has experience with.

For reference, this is a 66 289 block with GT40p heads, edelbrock performer RPM cam, and a 600cfm edel carb. Stock exhaust manifolds, and a crappy performer intake manifold.

It does not run as well as I would like it, and I plan on solving that with a set of headers and a weiand stealth manifold.

I believe I may have botched the cam install. I used a new stock timing chain for a 289, the instructions with the cam (pshh, instructions) said to use only the edelbrock tru-timing chain because some factory chains have timing added/subtracted to them from the factory.

Is a stock 289 timing chain straight up 0 degrees, or does it have timing added onto it? I plan on tearing it down when its not so cold and double-checking to see if I screwed it up. My scientific method was to line up the dots on the gears. Maybe this wasn't good enough

69gmachine · Dec 28, 2007

DJCarbine said:
Been a while since I posted here, had to put the mustang up on ebay due to lack of a job.

Thats been solved since then, and the car is in my garage waiting for me to spend more money on her.

Few quick questions I hope someone on here has experience with.

For reference, this is a 66 289 block with GT40p heads, edelbrock performer RPM cam, and a 600cfm edel carb. Stock exhaust manifolds, and a crappy performer intake manifold.

It does not run as well as I would like it, and I plan on solving that with a set of headers and a weiand stealth manifold.

I believe I may have botched the cam install. I used a new stock timing chain for a 289, the instructions with the cam (pshh, instructions) said to use only the edelbrock tru-timing chain because some factory chains have timing added/subtracted to them from the factory.

Is a stock 289 timing chain straight up 0 degrees, or does it have timing added onto it? I plan on tearing it down when its not so cold and double-checking to see if I screwed it up. My scientific method was to line up the dots on the gears. Maybe this wasn't good enough

I'm pretty sure the stock chains that were retarded from the factory were in the mid 70s for emissions reasons, and they were the silent chains (nylon over aluminum). I bet you have a stock replacement chain, not a true NOS chain. You should be OK, but the only real way to tell is to degree it once it's installed. Lots of companies make good quality OEM replacement timing sets like Cloye's and Sealed Power.

D.Hearne · Dec 28, 2007

If the timing dots are inline with the cam dowel and crank key, it's a straight up set. As for whether or not the cam is ground correctly, the only true way to know, is to have the cam spec card and degree it using a degree wheel. If you don't do this, there's really no way to tell if it's installed as intended. It's up to you as to whether or not to spend the time to do this, I'm not going to tell you it's a necessary thing to do. I just run em straight up, ain't had one yet that didn't run right because of it.

DJCarbine · Dec 28, 2007

Sounds good, I just ordered a performer RPM intake and am currently looking for dirt cheap headers to make them fit on the gt40p heads.

I tried to start it up today, but something about ice cold weather and no choke on the carb did not agree with the car

TOM B · Dec 28, 2007

The first thing I would do is change those darn exhaust manifolds to headers,
any cam or manifold you install wont breath like it should and your wasting you money,, Buy Headers!
Ok that said, Any stock timing chain from a SBF wont hold up to performance mods. it wil break or strip the gears then you will need a new engine so dont cheap out here get a good double roller for about $50.00 or so.
Also if you have 2 inch exhaust get rid of it and change to 2-1/2 inch exhaust with some flowmaster thunder mufflers, you will love the sound with that performer cam and will notice a lot more performance.
Summit racing has what you need and a exhaust kit from Flowmaster for your stang.
I would buy these parts
FLO17273----- EXHAUST KIT $ 345.00
DIRT CHEAP HEADERS 150.00
EDL-7820 ELELBROCK CHAIN 49.95 with longer cam pin, dont use the short pin.

D.Hearne · Dec 29, 2007

You don't need to spend $50 on a timing set. I bought a stock O.E. double roller set at the local O'Reilly's for less than $20. This is driving a Ford Z303 roller, with 1.7 rockers on Canfield heads with double valve springs. The O.E roller sets are found in the late 80's to 2001 5.0's, application is the same all, pickups, vans, cars, SUV (Explorer)and Stangs

Cobain03 · Dec 29, 2007

DJ, do you have power steering? if so, remember that you need the drop bracket for long tubes (no patriot!!). and i reccomend buying some good headers, not cheapies and espically some ceramic coated ones. Check out JET HOT headers. Thats where my next ones will be from.

DJCarbine · Dec 30, 2007

D.Hearne said:
You don't need to spend $50 on a timing set. I bought a stock O.E. double roller set at the local O'Reilly's for less than $20. This is driving a Ford Z303 roller, with 1.7 rockers on Canfield heads with double valve springs. The O.E roller sets are found in the late 80's to 2001 5.0's, application is the same all, pickups, vans, cars, SUV (Explorer)and Stangs

Yup, I picked up a timing set from napa for about the same price. Its labeled as a Heavy Duty Cloyes, came with 2 cam dowel pins and instructions in spanish, french and chinese.

I'm not cheaping out on the car, I'm a college student with extremely limited funds. One thing at a time hehe

Back from the dead, a few questions about cam timing

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