Where's the Wow?
Ok. I've done some checking. All the pushrods spin when I had them marked! So cam lobes should be OK which is great. I think 318willrun and some of others were on the nose with cam timing. Apparently I failed there somehow. The intake valve should open at 28* BTDC, it doesn't move until at least 18*! So it looks like I'll be pulling the timing chain cover. Thank you for confirming it should run well if I get timing right! Does anyone recommend I should run the cam advanced at all since I have to redo it anyway?
The cam you have has a 4 degree ground in advance. A bit more will help low end torque a bit but if you are off a tooth, then just getting it right will make a massive difference.
Cam timing is a good place to look into in more detail. But you should be looking at when the intake lifter's body starts to move, not when the valve starts to open. This is because, if the lifter has leaked down at all, then the valve will not move for some number of degrees after the lifter body starts to move, and so looking at the valve would not be accurate in that situation. Also, if you are looking by eye, this is hard to be accurate; the movement for the 'opening' event is only .006". A dial indicator is needed for this. Have you been using one?
BTW, have you been checking cam timing with a degree wheel mounted on the crankshaft with it verified aligned to true #1 TDC, or from the marks on the crank damper? Crank dampers are known to slip and will then not be accurate for timing. At this point, you REALLY need to find true TDC and verify that the damper marks are right, regardless of everything else. That is needed to be accurate for ignition timing too. I would do that before removing the damper and cover.
(And I hope you don't mind my asking about your technique and tools, but to time the cam to an accuracy of a degree or 2, you need to use the right equipment. Doing it by eye is not going to be adequate.)
Your description of the torque converter action seems odd; do you mean to say that if the engine is idling at 900 RPM, then the RPM's drop to 450 or 550 when the car is put in gear?
