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I do want the power but I plan on taking a cross country trip when the car is done from san antonio, tx to central maine.



I have a 9.3:1 440 that has had a .474 280 MP cam in it for at least 12 years. I have run the MP .590, .557, .528, .509, .484, and comp cam .501.

The motor sounds sweet, and has a very good torque curve. A factory type 2400 rpm converter, and 3.23 to 4.10 is all you need. I know you have a stick. There is a couple of tenths difference between the gears I listed, and the 4.10 is actually too much unless you have eddy heads, the rpm intake and tti headers. The motor pulls hard all the way to over 6000 rpm.

If you just have manifolds, full exhaust, stock or performer intake, stock heads, the motor is just about done at 5200 rpm. You could rev it higher, but there is no gain at the track.

The difference between the two combinations is anywhere from 1.5 to 2 full seconds of difference in my experience. I've gone a best of 111.9 mph in the quarter at 3900 plus lbs.

I've been tempted to put the .528 cam in, but the .474 just works so well as a driver, needing just a minimum amount of pedal to be a fun car. With a 3.23 gear, cruising at 70 mph is OK and 108-109 mph in the quarter still happens.

The fuel economy is approaching 20 mpg if I can cruise around 50-55 mph and keep my foot in check. I'm tempted to try my 2.72 gear for cross country driving.

I had a chance to do a few runs on a chassis dyno and had 389 hp on the best run at the rear wheels. I think that I could find more with another cam, but it may not be as much fun. Sometimes, less is more.

Too many cars, too many parts, too little coin, too little space to work in, too little time left to make it all happen! Update: down to one ride, still too many parts, a little more jingle in the pocket, gaining space, and it's going to happen this year!