How flat is too flat...?

[keith1562]

I've got a 72 Mach 1 that I'm currently working on. The reason I chose to post in the 69-70 forum is as follows; In addition to my beloved Mach 1, I have a 69 Cougar, that is my daily driver. Next year I hope to start a serious restification of my Cougar. It has an average amount of rust, so I'll start working on that first. When all is said and done, I intend for my cougar to be an Eliminator clone. The last step of the project will be rebuilding the engine. It's got a 351w 4bbl., that runs great, but I want more HP. I've got an old truck that can take over the daily driver chore while the Cougar is laid up. My question is has anyone built or owned a Mustang (or Cougar) and chose a solid lifter cam. I know they are noisy, I like that, and I know they give a little extra grunt which I also like, (what RPM range are they best for)? To run such a cam would I need to replace the sled fulcrum tappets? Would I have to have the heads machined to accept adjustable rockers? How about guide plates? And finally how hard are solid lifter cams to live with (in other words how often do they need adjusting)? I think I'd probably be happier with a new set of aluminum heads but I'm exploring all options. I guess I could just drop in a FE 428, but there goes being a daily driver.

I appreciate all comment whether positive negative or just mean spirited.
Thanks, Keith

[Mustangmike]

Keith,

I am running solid lifters in my 289. They are not as noisy as I thought they would be but definately recognizable when you hear the motor running. I am also using roller tip rockers with my set up. All I did was match the lifters, cam, and springs. There was no special machine work necessary for the heads. I am also running early Hipo heads that have the slotted guides in the head so there is no reason to run guide plates on mine. The cam is mid range cam up to 6500 RPM's. To match-up the cam with the drive train I installed 3.89 gears and a close ratio transmission. This should assist in getting the RPM's up much quicker to reach the power band range of the cam.

This is my first experience with a solid lifter set-up so there may be other members who have additional insight and experience, especially with the big FE motors. I know they can be an entirely different animal.

In honor of the Ford 289 motor this is my 289th post...Pretty awesome!!

[Kit Sullivan]

Why couldn't a 428 be used as a daily driver? In reality, a nicely built 428 will give you the same performance as a tweaked small-block, but...what the little guy does with noise.and effort, the big guy does with relaxed ease.
The fuel economy should be about the same.

The massive low-end torque from a big-block is what makes it so perfect for a daily driver...a joy to drive all the time.

My 71 429Mach was my daily driver for over 27 years, and returned around 16-18 MPG under normal driving. Not too different than a BOSS 351 or a 351CJ in mileage, but a lot more relaxed and easier to drive every day.

Dont rule out thd big blocks!

[keith1562]

Why couldn't a 428 be used as a daily driver? In reality, a nicely built 428 will give you the same performance as a tweaked small-block, but...what the little guy does with noise.and effort, the big guy does with relaxed ease.
The fuel economy should be about the same.

The massive low-end torque from a big-block is what makes it so perfect for a daily driver...a joy to drive all the time.

My 71 429Mach was my daily driver for over 27 years, and returned around 16-18 MPG under normal driving. Not too different than a BOSS 351 or a 351CJ in mileage, but a lot more relaxed and easier to drive every day.

Dont rule out thd big blocks!

Thanks Kit, You make a valid point! My bone stock 351w gets about 22 mpg while my slightly warmed up 351cj gets 16-18, just like you said!