Hey all, merry CHRISTmas to all.

I finally pulled the 4bbl 289 out of my 66 Mustang convertible/auto and am getting ready to restore it externally, but decided to swap it over to a HiPo. I know from pictures that the HiPo doesn't have a vacuum advance on the distributor and also has a solid lifter cam. Am I correct in assuming that the lack of a need for vacuum advance is because the solid lifters don't change the height of lift as one would see with hydraulic lifters as rpms increase and bleed-down time decreases? And because of this consistent amount of lift, the timing doesn't need to be advanced as rpm's increase. Am I way off base?

Can I get a recommendation from anyone on a camshaft selection for this engine so I can replace my current distributor with one without vacuum advance? I've replaced cams before, but never went with solid lifters before requiring careful valve lash adjustment. I'm using a Holley 4bbl that came on the car when I got it this spring, I'll try to determine the model number when I get home to determine the cfm's, but the car ran great this summer/fall, no hesitation, no stumblilng, and a good throttle response and power from the engine. I wouldn't mild a slight lope at idle, but am hoping for a mild power increase without the need to start replacing the manifold, carb, headers, etc...

I'm also sticking with the stock exhaust manifolds for appearance, though I may grind them out a bit to better match the heads. ALso stock intake manifold, stock heads, and the bottom end is stock. The engine was rebuilt about 3000 miles ago, so I'm planning to leave the bottom end alone.

Any help with a new camshaft would be greatly appreciated. I know there's a lot of you who know exactly which cam I'm seeking.

Many thanks!

Tom

 

It sounds like you want/need a very mild cam that will give you a little more umph than the stock one. I would think you would need to consider what valve lift you want to achive the desired results. Check out this site to see if any of these make sense to you. http://www.promustang.com/single_pages/camshafts.htm

 

I found this cam at year one that seems my choice thus far unless somebody suggests otherwise. I also found a replacement C50F-E dual-points distributor at the Mustang Barn which should complement the cam well.

Ford 289 and 302 V8 / Cam only / Solid mechanical lifter required / Dur at .050: 228 int 227 exh / Lift: .478� int .475� exh / Lobe separation angle 114 / 289 271 HP 65-68 Hi-Po cam equivalent C30Z-6250-C. $112.00

Tom

 

Is it power or originality you desire? There are hydraulic cams that will make more power and be less hassle than a solid. But if you really want a solid a good set of polylocks will help keep the lash set.(unless you have the shaft rockers on your 289)

 

I'm looking for a more power than I have right now. I'll have the cam out tomorrow, so I can see what it had in it when it was rebuilt 4000 miles ago. What I am looking for is a 289 that looks and sounds like a stock HiPo engine. I'm NOT building it for maximum power, and its not going to be racing at drag strips, just driving around town, to car shows, and just to enjoy building it.
To get the stock HiPo look will require a distributor without a vacuum advance. Unfortunately, nobody seems to know or everyone is reluctant to educate me on whether I need a solid lifter to run this distributor or not. Sure, I'd rather put a hydraulic cam or even a roller cam in it for ease of maintenance. I'm relying on help from those who know before I start ordering parts. As of yet, I haven't gotten any sound advise.

Thanks for your input though!

Tom

 

My dads 67 289 engine was restored to look like a hipo. DOnt know about the cam yet, but there is a Hipo distributor on it. and holley carb, and all that good stuff. I think it's a mallory that is on there.

 

No need to run a solid lifter cam with a mechanical advance distributor. Being none to fond of points, I go for breakerless distributors. Its not that they are difficult or anything, just somewhat unreliable. MSD has good distributors, so does Mallory. I am unfond of Accel to the point I discourage people from using thier products.

A cam about that size or just a tad bigger would have the chop you want. Something around a 220-230 intake duration @.050 and 228-235 exhuast duration @ .050. The larger size will require a loser converter(if auto) headers, and a set of at least 3.55 gears. I like the XE cams from Comp. Springs, locks, retainers are always a good thing to swap along with a cam.

230@.050 is alot for a 289, but it can work and will have a very rough idle, a set of ported stock heads would help it alot too.

 

If you can deal with adjusting your valves every 5-7k miles, the factory 289/271 cam (or a clone) is a great selection. It runs and sounds great. IMHO, there is nothing like the sound of a solid lifter cam. I installed one of those cams in a 69 302 coupe many years ago. It had headers, a 600 Holley on top of a high rise and a 4.82 posi 8"(gas was only about $0.45 per gallon!). It ran great. You wouldn't need that much gear but I would think something in the range of 3.25 - 3.70 would work well.

 

I went a radical cam in a 351C. It makes city driving very difficult, and will barely run on high test gas. Just some things to think about. I have had distributor problems after going with a radical cam, I just installed a MSD to remedy the situation.