Pssst66

Hello everyone,
Great place going on here. Looking for some advice as I am not as educated as most around here on this subject. I have a '66 coupe I am starting to restore. Having the 289 rebuilt and bored .030 over (presently at .020), AFR 185s or Edelbrock Performer for the heads, Edelbrock Performer Air Gap for the intake, 600 CFM carb, lowering the 8" rear end ratio to 3:25 with Trac Loc, rebuilding original C4, new 2.25 exhaust, going to all disc brakes (any tips on which are good and reasonably priced?). What type of cam would you guys suggest with this setup? Also need advice on what else needs to be replaced to handle this....water pump, alternator, etc. I know I am asking alot at once but I know I am missing some important info. Thanks in advance!

JMD

Wow, you have a good plan there. To me it looks like you have everything matched up really nice. The cam will somewhat dependon what you plan to use the car for. Daily driver, or cruiser?

middle of the line (or a little warm!) would be a cam with specs similar to this, IMO of course...

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku

I think it is a good match forthe components you have selected. If the car is primarily a cruiser and you are concerned with fuel economy a cam a step or two milder might be better. My son has one a step or so more radical on his 350 Chevy and I find it very streetable albeit not so gas friendly!

We used the following disk brake kits on our 66 with a stock 67 master cylinder.

Front:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku

Rear:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku

Stuff like the Alternator, water pump are pretty much at your discretion...

And Hey,,, Welcome to the Forum!!!

Starfury

I have that cam in my 331 and I like it, but I'm hesitant to recommend it with 3.25 gears. I have 3.25's in my car, but I also have Rhoads lifters sitting on top of the cam to boost the low-end torque. Without the Rhoads lifters you're not going to have much power at all until you hit 2500 and it will probably barely run under 2k. Since you're going with 3.25's I have to assume it's more of a daily driver car than a weekend warrier, so I'm going to recommend something a hair milder. Maybe the XE268H or the Magnum 270H off the top of my head (sorry, I'm at work and the net sucks too much here to look them up for you right now).

If you want to toss in some 3.50's, I'd say go for the 280H. It really is a nice cam and pulls hard above 3k, it's just not as streetable as most people would like with higher gears.

Or you could get a custom ground job. That's always the bestway to get what you want power and driveability wise. Expensive though.

67 evil eleanor

Make sure you beef up the cooling system. Aluminum radiator, fan shroud, and maybe a different fan or electric fans will help keep this beast cool. The thinner walls will cause a little more heat to be released.

jlg2002

Consider your torque conveter stall speed as well. Now's the time to chnage it based on where you want the engine to operate. I suspect its more of a driver, so you want to keep the torque range in the 1500 to 4000 area. That should help you picka cam as well.

JMD

IDK,,, if we were talking about a 351 I might think that a 1,500 to 4,000 RPM range somewhat acceptable, but for a 289 in a Mustang I find 2,000 to 6,000 RPM a little more palatable!

edit << Ok,, Torque Range,,, >>

03Maverik

I can't provide as much technical info as these guys...but I can say listen to them. They know what they are talking about. Also, you might want to call Comp Cams and deal with them directly. They should be able to match you up real well.

Welcome to the site!!!

67mustang302

AFR 185's are too big for a 289 with a mild cam and gear. Either use a smaller head like the 165's, or the Edelbrock Performer(or the new Pro Port CNC'd RPM, you'd have to callt hem about it) or run a larger cam and more gear.

Starfury

Like I said though,that 280H ispretty aggressive for 3.25's. 2k is the absolute bottom of the usable power range for that cam, and with 3.25's you're talking about 10mph or so before you can let the clutch out completely. I have a 331 and rhoads liftersand I have a hard enough time driving around the hilly terrain here with my 3.25's and short tires. Stoplights on hills are...interesting. Sure it will be fun once you get moving, but how driveable will it be?

Pssst66

Thanks a ton fellas. I needed exactly what you guys told me. Since it will be a daily driver I want to be able to run nicely at lower RPM's but still be able to get on it when I want. Sounds like I need to go on a notch down on the heads and get a semi-mild cam to go with it. Then I can stick with the 3.25 rear end. Good to know about the torque converter. And I will definitely upgrade the cooling system. Once again thanks for the advice and the welcoming.