Big Block Advice Needed
OK guys, not an A body but I want to make my 49 Plymouth gasser a little quicker, on a budget LOL. Think cam and intake change. I would like to pick up a half second in the 1/4 if I could.
I built this car, a rat rod / gasser through covid and had it on the road for the first time this summer. The car has proven to be real consistent, but I would like to be a little quicker while staying consistent.
Here are the current build details, dont slam me for the mis matched combo, I didn't build the engine. It is a good runner, probably has 10000 miles on a proper rebuild and was previously run on propane. It uses no oil, has no blowby and has 125 to 130 PSI compression on all cylinders. It is a mid 70s 440 with a large comp flat tappet hydraulic cam (I am not sure of the specs but believe it to be the largest flat tappet hydraulic cam that comp offers). It has closed chamber iron heads with light porting, is guestimated to be around 9:1, has a performer rpm intake, 1” spacer, a holley 850 dp and a body hooker super comp fenderwell headers. Trans is a 727 with a&a internals including a brake, converter is a 5000 rpm and is good, rear is a dana 60 mounted on leafs with ladder bars, housing floaters, 4:10s and a spool.
Launching off the two step at 4200 and shifting between 5800 and 6000 the car runs 7.95 at 85 in the 1/8, 60 foots are 1.77, the car with me weighs 3200 pounds. The car ran 12.7 in the quarter with an ignition miss.
On my shelf I have another set of closed chamber iron heads that are ported with big exhaust valves, a set of crane ductile iron adjustable rockers, an old school offy tunnel ram with single dominator top, and a dominator 1050.
What I am thinking is swapping to a mechanical flat tappet cam (in the 540 to 570 lift range), adding the tunnel ram and dominator, or possibly an M1 if I can find an affordable one and putting the ported heads on it.
Will this get me what I want? Any ideas or suggestions?