zkit18

I am planning a rebuild. I am looking at getting the federal mogul rebuild kit off of summit (unless someone knows where I can get a better kit with forged pistons for less than $500) and edelbrock performer cam and heads. Does anyone have any experience with the edelbrock cams? Or know of a better cam/head set that I can get for less than $1500? And finally I have equal length shorties, will there be a problem with them fitting the new heads. I want to do a complete engine rebuild for less than $2000. Any input will be helpful and AFR's are not an option.

83GT306

God bless the budget minded...(like me) lol.
Sounds like a $2k rebuild with heads in the equation is a bit of a small budget.
I recently read an article in Carcraft about Summit Racing selling the new Dart Pro 1 aluminum heads for $456 each assembled?
A mild rebuild with those heads produced an extra 52 HP and a broader torque curve using a Comp Cams XE-274 hyd. flat tappet cam.
Is yours an '89 with a roller cam? I wouldn't swap down from a roller to a flat tappet type cam, roller is better, and there are all kinds of different grinds that make more power.
Are you looking for a smooth idling daily driver cam, or a choppy, lopey idling, bad a$$ sounding Mustang?
The Edelbrock cams are flat tappet hydraulics ground on a 112-114 LSA for a smooth idle and a wide power band.
For lopey, you'll need a 110-108 degree LSA and maybe a bit more compression to offset the cylinder pressure loss from the increased overlap the cam will have. Lopey cams will have stronger mid-rpm torque, but the powerband will peak sooner than a smooth idle cam.

And depending on the cost of machine work for the overbore, crank regrind, rod reconditioning w/installation of ARP bolts, pistons pressed onto the rods, etc...you might want to consider the 306 Ford rebuild kit that Summit sells for $879.95 which already has what you need, minus pressing the pistons to the rods.

As far as the heads go, you're looking at aleast $1000. for a decent pair.

So you can see that once you select a rebuild route with heads included, then select a decent roller cam from say...Comp Cams, and the cost of block machining etc...the cost will be more likely in the $2000-$3000 range. But still, that's a decent budget for a good rebuild.
It can be done cheaply, years ago, I spent less than $1500 w/ a set of rebuilt factory heads on my old '83 non-roller 306...cam & lifters, headers, and machine work included, and my engine still runs as good as the day I fired it up the first time, maybe better. lol

There are alot of choices to be made considering a rebuild. Check out your local machine shops for prices then do the math for which will get you there in your budget.

Good luck!

619socalstang

there is a internet speed shop with gt-40 Alm. heads complete set for under 600, that a good deal google gt-40 take offs should work.

zkit18

I am going to do it without an overbore and I am going to still be using it as a daily driver (hopfully with a bit more power and if possible a little better gas milage)

zkit18

According to the edelbrock webpage, the performer plus cam (#3722) is a hydraulic roller with 110 deg LSA. My big problem is I don't know what lift and duration I should be looking for. On other posts people just say "its up to you and what your needs are." I don't know what difference they make? Does a longer duration give it more HP or less? No one has been able to give me any idea of where to start when it comes to lift and duration. I am worried that I will get a cam that doesn't match my heads and the car won't run right or I will just totally mess something up. Or that I am gonna get the heads and my headers won't fit. All I am looking for a bit more power in the low to mid rpm range when I rebuild my engine (no overbore). The edelbrock performer plus seems to match that closest and I know the cam will match the heads but I don't know about the head/header matchup. Thanks.

83GT306

Okay...now I get where you're coming from. Sorry it took so long, I work away from home.
You mentioned fuel mileage. It's hard to increase performance alot and also increase fuel mileage. But a more efficient than factory spec power package could actually show mileage gains.
Edelbrock engineers their packages to work as intended for performance gains, so, you really can't go wrong buying one of their packages...heads, cam, intake, etc...
The duration on that #3722 cam is good for a stock rebuild. The duration @ 0.50 is your focal point. The rule of thumb for a good low to mid power cam is to have the most lift with the least amount of duration.
The best duration @ 0.50 for a 9-9.5:1 engine to retain good low and mid-range torque is about 225*. Anything more than that will seem like the engine is sluggish on take-off, unless you increase the rear-end gearing with an auto tranny, or install a higher stall speed torque converter.
The Edelbrock cam is 220 @ 0.50 with .498 lift and a 110 LSA. But also states to use with mass-air systems only. Your '89 Mustang should be equipped with mass-air, so you're good to go. Check for the MAS sensor installed in the air intake tube first before buying that package. A speed-density set-up will have an air intake tube with nothing intalled between the tube from the fender to the throttle body.
The difference between speed-density and mass-air is that SD won't accept much change in cam overlap and duration without screwing the computer. SD needs sufficient engine idle vacuum to keep the computer sending the correct air/fuel info to the fuel injectors, and adjust ignition timing, etc...
A 110 LSA is more overlap than your factory cam has, it's probably 114-116 LSA.
Mass-air works from total intake airflow to adjust fuel and timing, so more overlap or duration has less negative effect on the computer signals, allowing you to choose a more aggressive cam profile.
More overlap also has a negative effect on fuel mileage, but most people are looking for power first, mileage second. There's a bit of a trade-off.

I'd say with the Edelbrock heads and matching cam, you can't go wrong.

The engine block will reveal whether or not you need a re-bore. If when the engine is disassembled there isn't a wear ridge at the top of the cylinders, and the pistons don't look terribly worn, you may be able to just re-hone for new rings. A ridge is definitely worn cylinder walls.
If the crank isn't worn, it may be able to just be polished for new bearings.
Definitely have the cam bearings checked or changed before installing a new cam. A new timing set and oil pump also.

Hope that helps a bit more.

Oh...here's my beater waiting for a facelift. lol

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vfast

well first if you want to save $$$$ then pass on summit or get them to price match others.....clevite makes great bearings....as for the heads you could go with a set of pro-lines or ford x303 with I have seen for 700.00...also you can find like new cams in the 100.00 range....the trickflow stage 1 or 2 cam work well and the are made by crane... if you need help on this just pm me

roundman

call and talk to the tech reps at Comp Cams or Edelbrock or Crane Cams or Ford Racing Performance Parts and they can provide a lot of assistance to you in selecting the right cam for your application. they know all the right questions to ask and can be a big help to you in picking the right cam. they will need to know things like what bore and pistons you are using and what heads you think you will use so they can match up the combination so it works with what you already have and what you plan to add. using the experts in this case will give you a sense of security in that they know what they are talking about much more so than most of us out here on the forums.

zkit18

Kick A**! Thanks guys. This is exactly what I was looking for. I really appreciate it.

vfast

roundy..I think you haven't talked to those tech latey...I called one for the hell of it about this 427 turbo engine....3 guys couldn't even get something close called ole chet and we may have it down..

z..just remember this a cam that is just a tad small is alot better to deal with then one to big