OK folks I am officially shopping for cam kits for my 67 Ranchero with 289. It already have a weiand 4bbl intake and bran new quickfuel 450 cfm, as well as longtube headers and 3.25 in the rear. I guess my big question here is: really how much better is a retro-roller cam setup verses the traditional flat tappet kits. The price difference is pretty substantial from what i am finding. Part of me just wants to stay flat tappet and use additional funds for other things, maybe a 5-speed soon, still need stereo, etc. This car is my daily driver here in Colorado. I dont commute very far for work each day at all but i do hit the highways and mountain roads when i can. If the roller set ups are really all that then I'll spring for it. Thoughts?
Well ... you can buy a new roller 302 from Ford, bolt your existing stuff to it and put it into your 67 car, using most of your current parts. Might have 350hp -- you'll never get a much better deal.
Yeah, an HO short block wouldn't be a huge leap from the cost of a retrofit, and you would get a few more cubes. The flat torque curve of a roller and more area under the curve creates a worthwhile improvement, but the retrofit makes little sense unless you really want to keep that block.
Actually now we are on to some interesting things. I never thought about it but i dont need to buy an entire new crate engine i just need a shortblock right? I would love to have a somewhat built 331. What all can i use from my current engine?
Everything. All the parts swap right over as the block is the same, the only difference is the firing order. You won't get optimal performance with your stock heads, but they would work while you saved up for replacements. Doing the block first, and right, is the best approach to an extended build.
If you are keeping your stock heads then I would go with a flat tappet cam. After rereading your post you want to drive it to work and just drive around on the weekends. Unless you are going to race a few times a year you won't need a new engine or the roller cam. Now if you want a race engine then you can open your pocketbook and drain it damned fast. It sounds like you have a nice driver and what you have done so far fits your engine very well. If you go out for a race car look and sound be aware your car will require a lot more maintance but I don't mind doing it so I go all out on my builds. The main thing is to decide what you are going to use the car for and build it for that. Greg
Grebaba, the roller cam 302 is a stock engine, not a race engine. Came out in the 80's and all the 5.0's are roller from the 90's on. A roller cam is MUCH better for the street than a flat tappet cam, and more reliable. Even solid rollers, like I have in my 521 are used in factory cars that easily go over 100,000 miles without a failure.
ribald1 Hi I knew the roller cams came out in the 80's and they are very reliable. I was just answering his question on a cam choice on a 67 engine. I have no problem with the roller setup and use them in all of my builds for myself. It sounds like he was interested in saving a little money for other stuff and for what he stated he was going to use his Ranchero for them I was just adviseing him on the most cost effective choice for his use. Greg
Thanks for all the input guys. I bought a cam package today. Let mw know your thoughts on this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/HOWARDS-28...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Looks like a good choice for what you use your car for. I noticed that they don't include assembly lube with the kit. I would buy some and use it. You might all so want to buy some breakin oil with some zddp in it. Even though you didn't rebuild your whole engine you still need to break in the cam. Be sure to follow the manufactures recommendation on how to do this. Greg
