69thunder

No, if the choke was closed too much the higher idle would stall the engine. It is not the lift as much as the duration in the cam. Just get used to it. If it is idleing at the proper speed in gear and then its high in park there is not much you can do if you have a big cam. One of the trade offs.

otis_lee

OK...this all makes complete sense. And the rpm's do drop considerably after shifting into drive from park.
...so my final question is (given the cam information discussed)... if the car idles in park at 1,200 in and drops to 900 in drive (without acceleration) does this sound somewhat normal?
Thanks again for your help.

67mustang302

Automatics idle lower in gear than they do in neutral because they're partly loaded. Idle speed is a function of the engine build and carb selection. I've seen cars that idle at 2,200-2,500rpm, but they make power at 9,000. It really depends on your setup.

69thunder

Yes, that is normal. If the engine has a lot of mods like camshaft etc. just get it to idle the way you want in gear. Don't worry about numbers. If it sounds good to you and dosen't stall etc. go with it. So many people try to get the stock rpms after putting in a big cam. My raceengine would idle close to 2000 in park and be barely running in drive. Good luck and enjoy!