Thread: Looking for a good cam for 429

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Originally Posted by BFH429

Stock compression on a 70 4v 429 is 11:1. What's so surprising about a half point higher? I've got a set of D3VE's that I could switch to if needed. I would take your guys advice over mine since this is my first build all by my lonesome. And by streetable I dont mean good street manners, just capable of driving in traffic every now and then.

What's surprising is that you don't realize that when those heads were made in 1970, 100+ octane fuel was available at the corner gas station and some dude dressed in all-white came out to pump it for you and check all fluids and the air in your tires.

The best fuel you can buy nowadays (other than E85) is about 93 octane and you will be hard pressed to build and run much over 9.5:1 to 10.0:1 on this fuel with iron heads, even with a very tight squish.

In the first place, don't use the 429 crank. A 460 crank bolts right in and gives you another 37 cubic inches with a +0.030" bore. Using KB137 hypereutectic pistons having a single 2.5cc valve relief together with your 97cc D3VE heads will produce a 9.7:1 static compression ratio. Your parts "stack" with these parts will be 10.302", so cut the block decks to 10.302" (zero deck) and use a 0.040" compressed head gasket for a squish of 0.040".

Use large-diameter, long-tube, equal-length headers, Edelbrock RPM intake and an 850 vacuum secondaries carb. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS BUILD WILL BE THE HEADERS. I REPEAT, LARGE DIAMETER, LONG TUBE, EQUAL LENGTH.

I'll run you up a DynoSim in a minute and post it for you. That'll save you a lot of time and grief choosing a camshaft.....

OK, it has been a minute. We have a 466 Ford (4.390" x 3.850") with D3VE heads, RPM intake, 850 carb, large diameter long tube headers, "X" pipe right after the collectors, 2 1/2 to 2 3/4" pipes to the rear with mufflers of your choice. I like 36" glasspaks, but that's just me.

We're using KB137 pistons with 97cc heads for a 9.7:1 static compression ratio. With a 0.040" squish and optimized ignition timing, this motor should run well on 87 octane swill without detonating. The heads are, of course, going to be the limiting factor in this build. Not that the D3VE heads are any worse than any other of the popular iron Ford heads, it's just that they are iron Ford heads. If I were going to get serious about a 460 street motor, I'd spend some dough for a good set of aluminum heads and go up on the SCR a little. Anyway, here's what the pull looks like for this combination with this camshaft.....
http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/Ca...?csid=990&sb=0
RPM HP TQ
1000 51 270
1500 110 383
2000 173 456
2500 219 460
3000 276 483
3500 340 510
4000 385 505
4500 415 485
5000 409 430
5500 341 326

Because of the heads, the motor is all done at 5000. I used more cam in a futile effort to get more power. It just ain't there. The heads are stalled at 5000 and that's it. You can see the 68 hp drop from 5000 to 5500 and like I said, it gets no better with more cam. Not that 415 hp and 510 ft/lbs is anything to sneeze at. It isn't.

Now, let's have some fun. Let's use Edelbrock #61649 aluminum heads on the motor. These heads have 75cc chambers, so we will use KB138 pistons that have 22cc chambers for a final SCR of 9.93:1. OK, now since we have an adjustable valvetrain, let's use a flat tappet cam. I've loved hearing the tick of solids since I was a kid.
http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/Ca...csid=1021&sb=0
RPM HP TQ
1000 36 190
1500 92 323
2000 159 417
2500 207 435
3000 262 459
3500 339 509
4000 415 545
4500 490 571
5000 545 573
5500 574 549
6000 585 512
6500 573 463
Comp says 4000 stall converter, but my best guess is that this combo would work great with a 3000 stall.