Engine build Q's
 

i need to make afr 185's work on my 289.

carb: 670 street avenger
intake: weiand stealth

cam:
heres the trickey part. i believe i can run link bar lifters and run a roller cam. otherwise its a regular hydro flat tappet.

option a: comp cams XE268H flat tappet
509/512 lift 224/230 duration 1600-5800 rpm

hydro roller cam is still in research.


car info:
3.25 gear 4 speed wide ratio toploader. full weight 65 coupe. 90% street car/cruiser. comp cams 1.6 roller rockers

i believe the xe268 to be a great cam for a 289/302 with aftermarket heads. not sure about that 3.25 matchig it though. see what the others have to say. If I ever had to get a new cam I'd probably opt for that one as well.

forgot to mention: from what I hear it's not the best oif all ideas to convert the 289/302 block (non-roller)m to roller cam. sure the advantage is that they can have different romps but from what I've read on this forum you are very very much restricted in the cam selection.

However I'm not sure why you chose afr 185 in favour of 165s? Is there a reason?

kalli

i was planning on doing a 347 but the plan fell through. i already had the heads so might as well use them.

fair enough. pity with the 347 plan. you can always use the heads and stroke a few years later ;-) they certainly won't hold you back :-)

what size valves are the afr185s? will they clear your piston with that cam?

I hope others will join in for ideas and if the 3.25s are sufficient. i believe they _just_ should be.

buy a 302 ho long block from and 87-93 mustang. Install your heads on the short block and call a custom cam guy to design a cam for that configuration. Cam $400, short block $250ish, head gaskets $100ish. Smiles-priceless.

valves are 1.60 2.02 in the afr's AND in my current worked 289 heads. not sure on how deep my piston is dished though but i know it IS dished.

You will need to putty the pistons and check valve clearance. If they hit, you will need new pistons or need to have your current ones machined. AFR185 heads flow enough air for 350 cubic inches. If you are just 289, you are not going to get very good performance from them at low and mid rpms due to low air velocity. They will work but 165s would be much better.

but once i hit the upper rpms its gonna scream

yep ... it will be impressive. yes, better with the 165, but as said once you ever go for the 347 setup you can just keep the heads. but please make sure of valve clearance. the stuff kids use for kneading figures (playdoh?) works well but i'm sure that there's stuff you can buy just made for that