SBF, Tunnel Ram, BIG Cam, and Towing?

Everything is completely wrong for pulling IMO .I think your gunna be on the shoulder of the road going up hills with that cam ,gears ,and T-Ram pulling a trailer unless your gunna hold it in first gear ,and 6000 rpm on the freeway ...

 

Originally Posted by MeanGene427
Really, it only looks "bad ass" to the strokes that don't know any better- who are the target buyers that the Thumpr cams are aimed at- to real hotrodders, it just looks like a lousy poser combination that ain't gonna run as well as a "real" matched combo, no matter how much you fiddle with it......................................AIN'T HE SPECIAL!

 

Gene
I've been trying to tell folks that you know nothing about cams fords and going fats for a long time. Actually isn't going fast and ford an Oxy-Moron?

Its like talking to a wall my friend. Choose you battles and try and teach those who want to learn.

 

THANKS for the compliment but the fact is not the engine, the 'thumper' is not the best cam but also not far from it, not as much a poser as is thought..Nor is it the truck it is in at over 4k lbs...You just DON"T HAVE ENOUGH GEAR in the truck period, and even in a car at 3k lbs....Can't expect tunnel ram to work [or any other part of the engine] under heavy loads [truck itself is heavy load] unless you have enough gear to let the engine get to bottom end [your case about 3k] of performance rpm range quickly and be there at cruise mph, using 60mph that engine would be around 3300 with 28" tall tires..at 70mph it would be around 3900 [near the middle of torque band]...And anyone don't whine about too much rpm; factory vehicles did that for years and any failures were from lack of maitanance..Fact not opinion, Truck + 302m [modified] + Tunnel ram = GEAR in the 4's...

 

Blower motor??????


As far as towing a lightweight dragster and trailer, it shoudn't be any worse than driving the truck around everyday. If you're satisfied with the way it runs daily, it shouldn't be a big deal to put a light weight trailer behind it. I towed my Anglia with a stock Chevy LUV for a while in the 70's (and even an mismatched combo 302 should make more power than that). It wasn't the most convienient way to get to the track, but it did get there. It was a bitch in traffic though.
Larry T

 

Some people point to an improvement you could make to optimize one specific goal and then say everything else is stupid. They’re not trying to help you - they’re just trying to feel superior. Or else they don’t understand your goals. Or both.

What they don’t think about is, anything you do to a vehicle is a compromise. If I were to criticize your dragster like they're criticizing your truck, I’d say, "That dragster will get horrible gas mileage. It has no place for groceries, and it won't tow worth a flip. You should get a diesel cargo van like mine. Now that I've proven how smart I am, I hope you and everyone else will listen to me a lot more in the future - for your own good. If you don’t, you could poke someone’s eye out."

Anyone can point to anything and say, "It would _______ better if you _________." But you want your compromises in different areas than theirs. You seem to be willing to compromise towing ability for good looks and sounds. So long as it has some towing ability, I think you'd be happy.

An old man told me, one test result is worth a thousand theories. Maybe you could rent a travel trailer and take the family or friends out for some fun this weekend. Or, tow a buddy's trash or scrap off for him. Rent a car dolly and tow your daily driver around for a while. For something even more accurate, find a trailer you can borrow and some free 55 gallon drums. Fill them with the exact weight in water that you think you'll be towing.

Maybe you could compare the spark plugs before and after. Also get a before and after sample of the oil. I don't think you'll have to worry about the transmission because of the cooler. Don't forget to record the odometer so you can figure gas mileage. Then you can estimate future trip expenses. (It costs me about $12.50 every 100 miles.)

If it's to far to one side or the other of your compromises, maybe someone on here will suggest a tweak you can make. I thought the suggestion to play with the timing was a good one.

Let us know how it worked out. I'm guessing it won't be optimal, but it should certainly be doable. Try not to poke your eye out.

 

When a 351W with a vv7200 makes more sense, you should re-count the beans in the chili you just made that no one including the cook wants to eat.

 

the cheapest thing to do is change the intake....sbf intakes are cheap...maybe change he cam after that...

 

What utter shyte! 99.99% of people who see the car wouldn't know a tunnel ram from a hole in the head, but will still think it looks cool. So your magnificent expertise at judging stuff you've never seen simply makes you look and sound like a dick!

 

Just tow the damn thing and take some pictures. Who cares what everyone thinks, try it, you've got nothing to lose. If you don't like the setup, change your gears or induction. Good luck to you!

 

Well said. Going to get a vacuum gauge and start working on the carb within the week, think my power valves are coming in at the wrong point, also going back to stock jetting as I'm sure they are way off, should be able to really start to see what it will do after that. There are a few posts with good suggestions and some others with typical HAMB BS thrown in.

 

I don't doubt that the gears are gonna be off, if the person I bought it from gave me the correct specs. I need to make sure it doesn't have the 3.90 gear ratio or higher, get it out on the highway and see what it does.

 

I had a 302 with flattops ported milled 289 hp heads
cr 11.1 190 intake valves shelby intake 600 edelbrock
cam dynamics cam dont remember but around 300
degres 510 lift rpm range 2500-6500 hooker competition
headers 4spd 2.82 reargear....yes 2.82 14 inch wheels
in a 66 fairlane.Not that heavy car but i could cruise
in fourth in idle(800 rpm)and give ful throtle without
the engine hesitate or anything. and it came in real
strong at 2500.Yes it took a lot of tuning
but i worked and worked god. No black plugs
no diluted oil
so i gues thath i could have towed with that
combination
dont know with your combo though

Ps If you have towed with a mercedes 220 diesel
i gues you could tow with anything ds

 

Ok after alittle more thought here, as long as you already have the combo and don't want to get into many changes , I think as long as you have a higher stall in the area of 2500 you might be alright. I'm sure you know that a tunnelram starts working there or at least mine does on my sbc. That said and if you have the earlier mentioned 3:54 ? rears or even the 3:90s, if you're careful on tire height it could work out for you. I always liked the sbf so I"m thinking that 302 and hi po 289 heads would be a good combo. Too much valve IMO but ya got em and you're gonna use em so with that....good luck. I'd be interested in knowing how it works out for you

 

And a GOOD trans cooler. Towing...right?