Camshaft choice?

You could leave it stock camshaft and run 1.7 roller rockers. It will give you a little more lift on a stock cam and still keep the drive ability and fuel mileage about the same. Camshafts tend to move the power further up the rpm band. It would make it feel like a dog with 2.73 gears.

With a stock camshaft, and ported heads and intake, you could loose some air velocity in the lower rpm range. The 1.7 rockers will help open the valves more to allow more flow. In theory.

The 1.7s shouldn't cause any piston to valve issues with a stock camshaft. Pushrod length and vslvetrain geometry should be verified though.

There are two different types of pistons in fox bodies stock. The early ones are flat top pistons ( pre 86 ? ) and the others have valve reliefs in them.

I’d get with flowtech induction about a camshaft choice. He can steer you in the right direction concerning cam and valve train hardware.

Keep in mind that you’re really going to want to change the rear gears out. Even something like a 3.55 is totally daily drivable.

For a driver that you really don't care about track times I'd leave it stock especially if your leaving 2.73's in it and lugging it at 1300 rpm. What kind of mileage are you getting? What do you want out of the new engine?

The stock cam isnt that bad, ran 12's na and 11's on nitrous 20 years ago with first gen afr 165's, 1.7s and a cobra intake on a untouched factory short block. Was plenty of fun for a daily driver, the car had 3.73's in it and a 5spd and mileage was in the low 20's if I kept my foot out of it, even ran it on 87 most of them time... Dynoed around 270 on a mobile dyno at one of the nmra events with no tuning on a stock a9l and base timing set for the nitrous, did 380 on a 100 shot from an nx kit. Only ran the rockers because the heads where stud mount. There's a few claims the 87-88 stock speed density cam was a tiny bit better but I never tried it.

I would leave the stock cam in it as well for the best driveability and daily driver mannerisms.