Cascade Crew

[Spikeophant]

Hey guys,

Just picked up my new carb last night, Carter AFB Competition series 650CFM 4bbl, picking up my new intake tonight. Next I'm going to grap an MSD-6AL box, and ditch the computer controlled carb, and, well, the computer as a whole on this car. Any advice? Will my fans still work, or do I need to do something there? Any other things I should worry about not working after the swap? Any advice is much appreciated..

[aaron_sK]

Need a distributor.

Fan is easy, just buy this:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-890017/

Wire it up correctly with a relay. You can also jump a toggle switch into the relay ground circuit to manually override the automatic switch.

[Spikeophant]

I just really started looking into timing on this, I hadn't thought about that before. Will I have to swap out my distributor for somthing with vacuum advance, I'm reading on MSD's site, and I don't see anything to control timing? I'm kinda new to this, I've always ran stock electronic ignitions on my other cars, they're pre computer controls, so I have always just used vacuum advanced dists.

[Spikeophant]

Okay, so I should just pick up the MSD billet distributor with vacuum and mechanical advance, and then see which works better?

[Twilightoptics]

Don't get that MSD dizzy. I've seen two personally where when the vacuum advance is hooked up, it does WEIRD things to the spark, backfires out the carb, etc. WEIRD and junk.

Any dizzy with Mechanical advance and Vacuum advance beyond that will work fine.

You're ditching the CPU that means everything is now "mechanical."

[aaron_sK]

MSD distributors are overpriced anyhow. Get a stock dizzy out of a junkyard car, then buy a recurve kit and play with it to dial the curve in.

I've been very happy with the stock Duraspark dizzy I have in the Monterey. It's paired with an older MSD box, and a new MSD Blaster coil. Spark is the least of that car's problems.

You don't want a mechanical-only distrubutor in a street car. Drag only. No vacuum advance will result in a loss of power and fuel mileage in any situation but WOT.

[chevymad]

Just a comment on the recurve kit, if you buy one don't use the weights. Use only the springs. The weights are not shaped or hardened correctly.

A stock HEI distributor will work real well. There's a chinese version on ebay that comes complete very cheap. On a couple of car boards I visit people seem to be having luck with them.

[Spikeophant]

Cool, I'll pick up a stock distributor and an MSD blaster coil to go with it. I think I need to run those heat boots on my plug wires now too, I noticed a miss start, and checked, #8 has a slightly melted boot, and I don't even have headers. :\ What do you guys use to keep your wires routed cleanly? I have nothing stock left for that, of course, and was thinking about using these silicone wire holders my buddy has on his 383 in his cuda. They don't actually screw in, just hold the wires down and out of the way. Any advice for what works well in this engine bay would be appreciated.

While I have it apart, anything else cheap and quick I should do to grab a few more hp? I have an Edelbrock intake, Carter AFB comp series carb, msd 6AL box, with the add on for rev limiting, gonna pick up a distributor soonish. Maybe swap cams out while I'm in here? I'm running the LG4 heads, so my compression should be up around 9.5:1, since I'm running flat top pistons. From what I've read, they're decent heads, should do fine for a daily driven street car.... What's a good rpm to limit this engine at? I was thinking I'd limit it at 5k, but I'm used to my old mopars, which don't spin out well without some bottom end work.

[Alphius]

[Spikeophant]

Heh, I'm running zip ties right now, wanted something a bit cleaner looking. I'll figure something out, might build something to hold them in the right spot. Is 6k safe for a non roller motor? No valvetrain float? That's what I'm really worried about going over 5k. I know my truck will float much over 4500, sadly. But it's old and has weak springs. Dunno how the springs are in these heads, I'm worried they didn't rebuild the heads when tey put the 350 under them.

[Alphius]

[Twilightoptics]

revs depend on peak hp, valve train build, bottom end build, etc.

I've had mine to 7500 a few times. It's pointless because peak power is at 6k.

Though I've got all aftermarket beefy valve train, fully balanced bottom end with arp hardware.

It's not just a matter of valve springs either... rockers and pushrods need to be able to handle it.

Look what your cam is spec-ed at and build the rest to it. I've never floated a valve in my motor audibly, even at 7500.

[Twilightoptics]

Or are we talking about maximum allowable engine speed before something comes apart?


Put her in first, engine off. Let a train push you until something comes apart.

You'll need a Honda tach for this one.

[Spikeophant]

Cool, thanks for the tips guys. I'll post some pics of my new underhood look once I get everything installed, gonna wait till my other car is back on the road, meaning when I get the trunk floor welded back in, and engine/trans installed in it. Shouldn't be too long now, pretty close...

[Alphius]

[aaron_sK]

[rjmcgee]

[redlava]

Been running mine like the hammer for quite a while now, only way i've been able to save the wires from getting burnt.

[Quasi-Traction]

[chevymad]

And who says rednecks dont own camaros!!