Parts Recommendations Please

badvs3vil

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Hello,

I am currently pulling the engine from my 73 Newport. The engine itself is a 1977 400 Big Block with 452 heads. I already did the intake, carb, headers and dual exhaust.

I am looking to do Cam, Lifters and Timing Chain/Gear.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on which Cam to get? I am super new to this. I know I need to match it to the heads? I want something with a bit more power and meaner sound. Not super crazy as this is a street car.

Anybody have any suggestions on what I should look for or how I should search? Do I go off the flow numbers of the heads?

Thanks
 
You are going to get all sorts of recommendations here... and some may be good. My recommendation is to call the cam company of your choice and tell them exactly what you have and what you want. They can steer you in the right direction.
 
Lunati has some nice profiles, with assymetrical lobes, too. ONE is a modern interpretation of the 383 Road Runner cam, which I believe is also available for a good price from Summit. One of the members here has one in a '68 Fury 383. He says he likes that cam alot.

Which carb? Which intake manifold? Which exhaust manifolds? What size exhaust sytem pipes?

Importantly, though, what is the compression ratio of your engine? Factory 8.2 to 1? The heads have good valve sizes already, so no big changes there, other than possibly valve springs with the higher-lift cam. The OTHER thing is that your Newport probably has a 2.71 rear axle ratio, which means "highway gears" and about 28mph/1000rpm . . . which limits the cam "wildness" which will work with it. Sure, you can add a looser converter (the Chry 10.75" torque converter, for example), but it really needs a 3.23 for that much cam to work and act best.

The cam in the engine now is a little bit longer duration with a little bit more lift than the old 256/260 383 4bbl cam. Which means it is probably pretty nice as it is.

Are you looking for more off-idle response or "top end of 1st and 2nd gear" power? That car weighs about 4300lbs, which needs TORQUE to get it moving rather than 5000rpm horsepower. Which makes the stock cam a good choice, as it is, especially with the 2.71 gearing.

TWO things which can be agreed upon is to put a Cloyes roller chain set timing chain set in the motor. A quality piece that I know (from my own experiences) will last well past 100K miles. Also quicken the advance curve in the distributor a bit.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
I hate to be negative but there is a pandemic of cam and lifter failures.
Despite many different brands of cams out there, only 2 companies actually manufactures NEW lifters.
So do your homework and choose wisely.

Me?
My wagon is a victim of this pandemic.
Wiped out lobes in #4 after the lifter pumped up solid.
Replaced the cam and lifters and again wiped the lobes and this time destroyed the engine with metal shavings from the wiped lifters.
 
Ok with that outa the way..
Ditto on the Cloyes timing chain and gears.
Been using them exclusively in all my engines.
The 452 heads are a bonus.
On the cheap you can massage them to gain a few ponies.
If you are rebuilding the heads do a 3 angle valve grind and back cut the valves.
Port match the intake and gaskets for better flow.
Recurve the distributor for better effeciency.
The 400 is externally balanced and weights are welded on the torque convertor.
Get a B&M flex plate for the 400 so you can choose any 727 convertor to match your application. A light stall 2200/2500 works well in a heavy car with a shift kit.
If the trans is a 1977 unit it will have the part throttle kickdown.
If the original to the car unit get the part throttle kickdown upgrade.
2.94 or 3.23 gears will also wake the car up with 28 inch tall tires and still have good street and highway manners.
Hope this helps.
 
following. Thanks. 400 crank is short stroke. Need new pistons and higher compression for the other components to make a real difference.
 
Welp, I pulled apart the front of the engine just to find the Timing Gears/Chain has already been replaced before me. Its a comp cam 3104

Hi-Tech Roller Race Timing Set for Single Bolt Chrysler 383-440

So I guess now what are the chances that the cam and lifters have been already upgraded on...

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I hate to be negative but there is a pandemic of cam and lifter failures.
Despite many different brands of cams out there, only 2 companies actually manufactures NEW lifters.
So do your homework and choose wisely.

Me?
My wagon is a victim of this pandemic.
Wiped out lobes in #4 after the lifter pumped up solid.
Replaced the cam and lifters and again wiped the lobes and this time destroyed the engine with metal shavings from the wiped lifters.
I will echo Leaburn's warning about lifters. I was not happy with Comp lifters that I installed in an engine I built 15 years ago. They were made to poor tolerances and would bleed-down while the engine was running and the valvetrain would always clatter.

I recently went to purchase a new cam and lifters for the same engine. I bought another Comp cam, partly because I already had a good Cloyes 1-bolt timing set I was reusing, otherwise I may have gone with Lunati. Lunati cams use a 3-bolt timing set like the 426 Hemis originally used.

The knowledgeable owner of the speed shop I use, who is an engine builder and drag-racer himself, said that the quality of Comp lifters has just gotten worse since I bought my old ones. He recommended Crower "cam saver" lifters, but they were out of stock everywhere, so he ordered me regular Crower lifters instead. If my new Comp cam fails with someone else's lifters they won't honor the warranty, but their warranty isn't worth a thing, they'll find an excuse not to honour it anyhow. Fortunately the cam break-in was successful.
 
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