I really am a dumbass sometimes...

[DesertLake]

Yeah I'm definitely more interested in low RPM torque, but still able to pass -- and still be able to run rotten gas if necessary. The old setup we had two engines ago was a basic RV cam, and it worked well. I need to spend more time looking at what RV means for cam profile, it looks like the manufacturers don't really use that term anymore. When we dropped in the Goodwrench engine with the stock cam, it seemed to have lost a lot of torque.

I still need to check the bore of the Goodwrench block, it may not have been bored and it doesn't look like it needs it so I may not be using the pistons out of the project engine.

 

[WILLD420]

If it's a std. bore and you need pistons, I've got a set of used ones that look really good, the rods I wouldn't use without having them redone, but the pistons look good. They are 4 eyebrow flat tops. They came from a runner I built up for more power.

R.V. Cam is anything with 200-218 Deg duration at .050.

I've done a lot of this type thing, so I can give you good advice here and there. The desktop dyno program is also really nice, since you can plug in all the variables and play with the combination until you are happy.

FWIW, if you can find one of the aluminum factory quadrajet manifolds, they are the same as the iron ones, but 40 lb lighter. They came primarily on cars, and mostly on camaro's and corvette's but they are out there and usually pretty cheap. They might even work with your hot air choke if they are the right year.

One thing that I have learned, a dual pattern camshaft, ie. duration smaller on intake, than exhaust will usually make more power, but often will cost you MPG. I've seen engines pick up 1-2 MPG going from the generic 204-214 duration r.v. cam to a straight 210-210 duration cam.

 

[DesertLake]

Is the cam that you have in the RV range?

I measured the Goodwrench block, it has not been bored so the pistons out of it are .000, and are not flat tops. If I use that block (most likely) I'll need pistons for sure. I don't know how to judge the quality of connecting rods, but the goodwrench rods look much less abused than the ones you saw. Endplay is within spec. Two of them do have what looks like impact damage on the caps, both in the same spot, I'm not sure what to make of this and I don't have a macro camera handy so its a bit out of focus.

It looks like the cap got hit on bottom (top as oriented in the photo), causing a very slight bulge to the side surface. I assume that can get cleaned up by a machine shop, but I'm not sure I understand how it got there on two rods in the same location.

One other note on those rods, but I don't have a good picture of it, is the bearings look very unevenly worn, toward the center of the cap and the center of the rod. If you squint and tilt your head you can kind of see it on the cap side bearing on the top piston in the photo. Does this indicate an incorrect bearing clearance, or is it normal on a relatively low miles motor?

 

[WILLD420]

90% of the wear will be centered on the top and bottoms of the bearings. Think directly under the beam of the rod and 180 degrees opposite. All the forces on a rod are from combustion and changing the piston direction at the top of the stroke. If you had too much clearance, too thin of oil and lugged the motor a lot, they will hammer themselves into the copper pretty fast. Big scratches are a sign of contamination. Crooked wear is a sign of a bent rod or misaligned cap. Overspeed is usually a very distorted pattern, often with the parting lines of the bearing wiped or worn.

I wouldn't worry too much about those rods, just dress up the dents with a small file and sand them smooth with some emery cloth. Just don't dig a big hole, you don't want your oil to escape through a channel in the side of the rod.

Best bet on rods, FWIW. Just go buy a set of Eagle stock replacements from Summit. You can buy them for what it costs to put new bolts and resize factory rods.

Best way to tell if your rods and bolts are good is to pre-assemble them and measure the stretch of the bolt at full torque. Use whatever lubricant the manufacturer recommends, ie on ARP bolts they have special ARP lube that is really slippery. For factory bolts, just use 30wt oil or the like.

If you measure the length of the bolts prior to torquing them, then afterward. They shouldn't stretch more than .005-.0065 give or take a smidge. If they do, they are too soft or have lost their ability to hold and should be destroyed. The only way to change them out correctly is to have a shop resize the big ends after new bolts are put in, otherwise the cap will sit crooked on the journal and wipe out the bearing.