440 power gains/ aluminum head advantages?

NoahSewal said
i agree i should've degreed the cam when i did it. stupid move not doing it for sure. i believe cranking compression is different than cranking psi, but my cranking psi is 160psi every cylinder within 5psi of eachother. this is the pistons .010 in the hole and a .040 head gasket with open chamber heads. im not sure if thats low for my setup or not.

Cranking compression and "cranking psi" are the same thing. You're looking for the cylinder we pressure the engine makes while cranking. A late intake valve closing (like an excessively retarded cam install) will show up as lower cranking compression values.

160 psi seems a bit low to me but let's see what others on here think. I'm thinking something more in the 175-180-ish range might be correct. But let's let others chime in.

Don't beat yourself up about not measuring the cam centerline/degreeing the cam when you installed it. Live and learn!! But I still think I would take the time to do it now.

440's are great engines and should put a smile on your face in that light Dart! Small blocks can also perform very well but a bug block should be sure to please. Need to figure out if the cam is installed correctly (and was it machined correctly) by degreeing it. If incorrect, all your tuning efforts will be wasted.