Rebuilt 302 casting heads available through Rockauto
It’s a tough call regarding cams, part of me wants to be conservative and stick with the simple (and reliable) build originally planned, but the devil on my shoulder wants to add just a little here and a little there.
It is a classic issue for 318's: the low CR limits you on cam for daily driving. If you over cam it is sluggish at low RPM's. If you are drag racing, you put in a high stall speed TC, rev it past the low RPM's before launch, and don't look back. Not the same for street driving.
And your temptation is another classic.....we've all been there! I put a biiig cam in one of my race engine for a rally car.... revved up to 7700 and past 8k RPM at WOT but dead below 3700 RPM...I mean DEAD. Not good for that type of racing application where you need a flexible engine. Similarly, I honestly think if you put in a smaller cam you will be happier.
Going up in cam lift without going up as much in duration is the better way to go. But then you run into faster cam ramp speeds and needing stiffer valve springs and so forth. So starting with low CR puts you in a corner in a number of ways.
I am going to post another cam or 2 over in your other thread that are 'in-between' what you had as of yesterday....keep the lift up, the duration down, and not be so fast on the ramps so you can use easier springs.
BTW, those CR numbers I think were based in using the standard Felpro kit 'Permatorque' head gaskets PN 8553PT. Those are a bit on the thick side. You will boost your SCR and DCR by about 0.4 points by going to Mr Gasket 1121G's at just over half the thickness. Make sure your head surfaces are good and flat if you use those, and re-torque them after the initial heat cycles. (Which I do for any head gasket...)
