prepping magnum

hbbuddha said

Hey 72bluNblu, good meeting you today. I have a crosswind intake, still need to get a holley carb (trying to figure out how many CMFs I want) and a cam (trying to figure out what cam to go with)

Anyway. Timing chain is a good idea. What about oil seals? Are they known for going bad? May even get a valve job.

Also trying to decide between v belts and serpentine belts. So many decisions. But I want a street car first and foremost.

So what's a good double roller chain brand that I should look into?

Thanks
Hillbillybuddha

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Nice meeting you as well! :D

I will be the first to tell you that I'm not much of a Magnum engine expert. If you're going to get as far as changing the cam you'll at least need to change out the valvesprings, so it might not be a horrible idea to get the heads checked for cracks and freshened up. That will also give you an idea what the cylinders look like. Be careful though, its a slippery slope once you start tearing into things like that. Next thing you know you're rebuilding the whole thing and trying to pull 500 hp out of it. ;)

Cams for the magnums are a little tricky, they're rollers to begin with and can be pretty expensive. I know Hughes has a line of reground cams for the Magnum engines, but since you're going with a carb and ditching the ECU I'd call and talk to them before I ordered anything. Better bet might be to contact MRL Performance, he's a member here and really knows his stuff. I'm sure he could point you in the right direction if you let him know what your plans are for the engine.