I am in the process of building my 32 hiboy roadster project. ASC frame rails with original crossmembers. I am running a 39 3speed ******, shortened torque tube and a 40 rear axle with 3:78 gears. I have an 8ba flathead that will need some rebuilding. I have done alot of reading here on the HAMB and have purchased several books to get ready for the build. I dont want to build the engine up too much. However I do want it to be reliable and be able to cruise on the freeway. Money is tight so I am not spending money on the flashy heads and intakes. I am looking for some EAB heads and trim them down .05. I will contact GMCBubba for a new dizzy. I will also be putting in adjustable lifters and new valves. My questions are: Should I run a stock cam for this setup? Would I be happy with running the stock single carb or is it really worth it to buy a dual intake and carbs? I may swap out intakes later on is there anything else i should do while its being rebuilt? Your info greatly appreciated.
None will answer your questions until you post pics of your project!!!! Jus kidding Go with a cam as you already want to use adjustable lifters I like Schneider cams. Something 260° and 0,350 lift. With the ignition and shaved heads the 2x2 carbs will then really wake the engine up .
Mutilple carbs look good but are not essential for good street performance with a budget build. A mild cam, however, is probably worth considering since the old one is likely worn and, more important is much easier to install now, during overhaul, than later. If you can afford them, cast iron headers would be a real plus over stock manifolds or 'tin' headers, though the latter is Ok. Otherwise, what you have in mind sounds fine to me, given that money is an object. Ray
The EAB heads are good-they add compression which is GOOD. Dual carbs have been proven to add power. Hot rod cams do nothing for drivability on the street and even the mildest ones will negatively impact low end torque. The only things they do is provide a "mean" sound and raise the torque peak (RPM). A stock '53 Merc cam is as good as you need on the street.
I am runnin a 51 merc flattie with a 2 94's and a Clay Smith cam. I see alot of guys runnin the Max 1 cam . Good out of the box I guess. I just called with all my perticulars and they set me up. PLus the dual carbs look cool.
I have had good luck with the Isky Max1 for a smaller motor. It is currently available and really is a good low to mid range cam without BIG cam issues. A Merc cam is also a very good street cam if you don't want to spend any extra money.
The ignition from GMC Bubba is a great place to start. Send your stock cam to Berry Cams in Minnesota for a regrind, or check on the Ford Barn for where to send it for an L100 grind. A Mercury single carb intake will really wake it up if you can find a carb from a 265 or 283 chev. When the motor is all apart, think about a full flow oil filter. Also, clean up the exhaust ports, it easy when its apart and really helps the flow. Stick your fingers in the four corner exhaust outlets. Feel all the **** in there? Grind it out.
My take would be if you are going to tear down the valve train you might as well put a cam in it. That will make a world of difference. Don't go crazy with what you are looking to do. Clay Smith will regrind your cam for $95.00 (well that was the price about 2 years ago). Don't worry about their quality vs. price. It will look like a jewler ground it.
If you are really budget minded the late two barrel Mercury intake manifold flows better than the stock Ford and you can easily make an adapter to put most 1960s two barrels on it. It will flow well enough for a mild engine. If you don't mind the look a single four is really the easiest to maintain in the aftermarket manifold department.
I agree....I have used the merc intake with a rochester 2bbl, they run nice on the street, but you have to change the distributor to a mech advance.....
I run the EAB heads, GMC Bubba Chevy conversion dizzy, Merc manifold with a Rochester 2 bbl. I use an L-100 cam but I don't see why you can't run a stock late Merc cam as they are just about the same as an Isky 77B. Multiple carbs are not necessary if you aren't concerned about impressing others with 2 or 3 carbs. Will probably run a lot better with less h***les.
I have a weber alum. flywheel goes with the weber cam. Will cost as much as the radiator, probly 500 bucks. I hear the heavy stock flywheel will smooth out the lumps in the cam. But that may be unique to the small motor, I have 21 stud, it has the correct lumpiness. I took off the Edmunds and use the stock alum. intake for convenience. I use 3:78 and 700 16 and works excellent. I had pickup gears in the box and the only difference was a lower first. Should have kept them in as the car gear is higher & not so hot off road & at cruises, clutch slipping ****s. I believe the cast iron exhaust absorbs a lot of sound. I made my headers, that's all I changed, mufflers & pipes the same and it makes more noise, like the tubes.
The stock heads give good performance just paint them nice and cover the nuts with chrome covers. The single carb will work good too but you will give up some of that all important "LOOK". Buy a new cam if you are going with new lifters! It is not a good idea to mix old and new lifters and cam. I bought a Potvin grind 355 lift 274 duration at H&H Flatheads at a very reasonable price. Good luck on that car.
More carbs will make more power at higher rpms. A cam will move the powerband up. So for me that goes together. I always run OLD johnson lifters(if i use adjustables) and always use them with a new regrind.Never failed. Reds Lincoln Springs is all you need .no 185Gs If you have a light flywheel go for 270° on the cam. I have used the L100 and don`t like it too much .Too narrow power band. But they sound good! A potvin 3/8 sounds even better but needs more ci . A stock Merc cam is just boring....
EAB heads are a great start. Clay the piston-to-head and cut them so you have about .050" clearance with the gasket. Cam is a personal choice - for your engine, I wouldn't go with anything larger than the Max-1. Regrinds are much cheaper than new. 51-52 Merc cam is ever so slightly hotter than the '53 cam (probably can't tell the difference). You can clean up the intake and exhaust ports yourself - don't get crazy, just clean 'em and smooth 'em. It'll help a little and it only costs your labor. As mentioned, the late merc 2bbl intake w/4-bolt carb is a good intake and you can easily adapt a Rochester 2GC to it. Very good setup. Econo headers and dual exhaust will help a bit. GMC Bubba's ignition is an outstanding piece (got one on my truck). Have fun!
Thanks for the info guys. I have got a bit of a decision to make picking out a cam. Looks like there are alot of good options out there for me. I already have a set of reds headers. I hope those work just as good as some of the others mentioned. As far as full oiler goes, is it really necessary? I have looked into those kits... very pricey. Should I lean one way or the other on the valve job? Johnson? Speedway valves? How technical is it to do it myself? Have all the books and desire. I will clean up the exhaust ports like mentioned above, good idea. So it looks like if I follow all the good advise I will have a nice street motor that can be upgraded to dual carbs and better intake in the future. I will keep you guys posted with pics. Thanks
IMO: Regarding valves: A lot depends if your are going to use a reground cam and adjustable lifters or not. If you are I would advise jumping on E-Bay. You can find SBC hi-flow, high quality Manley or Milodon (sp?) 1.5" valves for cheap. Use can use exhaust valves in both intake and exhaust. The stem size is the same for SBC & flathead and the SBC valve is .060" longer than a Ford valve. This helps take up some of the loos of overall lifter height when the cam is reground.
i am right behind you on this project...let me know what you finally wind up getting for parts, thks bob
Banjorear is right about the valves. Even with a late Merc cam from another engine you may have to readjust valve lash . If you have no tool to grind lifters or valves you have to change to adjustables. So a shame not to use a HOT cam. I just don`t like Max1 s...... Schneider makes a 262° grind with .370(that may hit your heads)that is much better. You are building a hot rod so it should sound like one!
Get yourself an Alliance membership and call Eric at Riley Auto before you buy any stuff. You will save a ton of $$$. http://www.riley-auto.com/
What ever cam you choose, you will be a lot happier in the long run if you use the STOCK hollow steel lifters. Have a shop set them and you will never have to worry about the screws backing off till the next rebuild. "Been in the cam business over 50 years"
Im going to run the stock flathead setup with headers in my coupe for a little while. That way I can get the bugs out of the car and not have to worry about the motor. I have couple other flatheads that I will use to make a "sweet" flathead out of when the time comes. Plans for the built motor are 286 ci, isky 400jr cam, ported and polished, not sure on the heads yet, 2x2 intake and mallory dual point front mount distributor.
Anyone in So Cal have a trust worthy shop thats affordable and capable to do the work? I saw H&H at the LA Roadster Show they look like they know what they are doing, I just dont know if they would be alot more expensive than a smaller shop.
Since Pete stepped in here, he can regrind you a 1007B Isky, which is a good cam , too. He will resurface stock lifters, too. There is Taylor machine in Whittier....I don't know their prices. Michael
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