With 4 spd and 391, a 68 factory 340 cam would be great. Oregon or Hughes has a close reproduction I believe. @krazykuda knows as he supplied them with one to copy.
Probably about time-rocker adjustment
- Thread starter gtgto
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T56MaxTorq
Well-Known Member
Just take the clip out of the lifter to make sure its a hydraulic or solid. Sometimes a hydraulic will be locked up and very hard to push down on when on the bench. Looks like a hydraulic to me. With the oil pressure feed hole in the side.
I put the details in a How-to article here so people can reference it easily:
Reproduction 340-4 Speed Cam
Thanks for the info again. I placed my order with Ken and he said a week to ten days. That will give me time to get everything I need for this job. I've already gotten new double roller timing chain, oil slinger cause mine was damaged, and gaskets. Push rods are probably going to be an issue. Anyone know the length to use for mopar 273 adjustable rockers and hydraulic lifters? Do they even make cup and ball style pushrods with holes in the middle. With hydraulic lifters shouldn't there be a hole in them?
Don't know what pushrods you need but I have these. Never used, 7.742 inches long. Let me know if they'll work. $100.00 shipped.
Here's a thread on when we built Eddie's 340 with a hydraulic cam and 273 adjustable rocker arms... We ordered custom made pushrods which turned out to be cheaper than most pre-made sets...
Pushrod for hydraulic cam and 273 rocker arms
Also keep in mind to turn the engine over with the valve covers off and watch the inside of the valve spring and retainer for contact with the bottom of the stock 273 rocker arms.... We had to grind a little off our rocker arms to keep them from contacting the valve spring and retainer....
I am going to try and clean up the end today. I don't see any numbers on it except either G29 or 629 and I see 26 stamped clocked 180 degrees away from that. Those numbers are in between the last lobe and the gear. I haven't been able to find anything out about it other than that. Just cleaned up a little. No other identification on cam. Definitely G29. Has a green dot o the end closest to firewall.
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yellow rose
Overnight Sensation
Usually stamped numbers on the very rear of the cam or very occasionally on the very front where the timing gear goes, not really important now the main question has been answered.
Yup. sho nuff.
I agree about the 68 340 4 speed cam, but it won't have much chop unless you let Ken grind it on like a 108 LSA.
Well My Cam has shipped. No idea when its supposed to be here to the East Coast. Hoping it comes when its supposed to be here according to tracking but nothing has been updated since 7/2 when it was shipped. It would be nice to get it and put my car back together starting Sunday when I get back from Carlisle. I have all the other parts I need except for my pushrods. Also have all bolts clean and ready to go along with the parts I sanded or had stripped and they are all painted. Hoping it will run as good as it is going to look.
Oregon Cam. lifters and timing chain are installed. Smith Brothers shipped my pushrods and they should get to me tomorrow. I have everything cleaned and painted thats going back on the car. While at Carlisle this past weekend a friend of mine picked up a MOPAR aluminum intake and said I could have it for $225 if I want. Except for the weight difference I don't know if there will be any benefit of putting it on my basically stock 340. I should get a lot done over the weekend and maybe even get her fired up for cam break in.
Well I got my car back together after working on it for much of the day yesterday and a couple hours today. Got if fired up and ran it for a short period cause my oil pressure gauge was not reading much pressure at all and I had just put the brass line in place instead of the plastic one before all this happened with the cam replacement. I took the line off and fired up the car and I definitely have oil pressure. So I put it back together and ran it to break in the new cam and lifters. I am pretty sure I got silicon blocking the new brass line so I will replace it before I drive the car again. Stay tuned on that part. The other issue I have is I might have put the distributor gear back in place clocked in the wrong position. The vacuum advance line is not clearing the intake where the car runs good and when I get the timing mark visible on the harmonic balancer the car will not run. I must have at least 15 degrees at idle with the vacuum advance disconnected should i try and move the gear and get the car back at TDC and reinstall the distributor? Happy I got it running and these issues should be fixed soon so I can enjoy my work.
I would do like you said and reinstall distributor. 
This forum [ & many others ] are full of stories like this. New cam, & it wants [...and needs ] more timing at idle to run as well as it can.
In this case, it sounds like advancing the dist to provide the additional advance has caused the VA unit to limit dist movement.
You do NOT have to remove the dist. If you rotated the dist one full turn, it would rotate 360*. Eight cylinders, so you only need to rotate the dist 1/8 turn, 45*.
Rotate the dist 45* in the direction that gives VA clearance. The easiest way to do this in situ is to measure from one of the plug lead towers to a convenient spot, say brake booster edge. Decide which direction the dist needs to be rotated. Rotate the dist 45* until the next-in-line plug lead tower is in the measured location.
Now you have to move the HT leads. They get moved in the opposite direction to what the dist got turned. If the dist got turned CCW, the leads get moved one position CW. Using this as an example, find #1 plug lead. Remove it. It now goes in the tower next to it, going CW. Continue on until all the leads are done.
Start the engine & check timing.
In this case, it sounds like advancing the dist to provide the additional advance has caused the VA unit to limit dist movement.
You do NOT have to remove the dist. If you rotated the dist one full turn, it would rotate 360*. Eight cylinders, so you only need to rotate the dist 1/8 turn, 45*.
Rotate the dist 45* in the direction that gives VA clearance. The easiest way to do this in situ is to measure from one of the plug lead towers to a convenient spot, say brake booster edge. Decide which direction the dist needs to be rotated. Rotate the dist 45* until the next-in-line plug lead tower is in the measured location.
Now you have to move the HT leads. They get moved in the opposite direction to what the dist got turned. If the dist got turned CCW, the leads get moved one position CW. Using this as an example, find #1 plug lead. Remove it. It now goes in the tower next to it, going CW. Continue on until all the leads are done.
Start the engine & check timing.
Thanks......I will give that a try later today hopefully after I replace my oil pressure gauge and plumbing for it. Thanks
Well I still have some timing adjustment to make but I followed your directions and I had to move the distributor CW 45 degrees. Moved all plug wires one spot CCW. replaced my oil pressure gauge before I did the distributor. Pumped the gas a couple times and she fired right up. 60PSI on cold start up which was normal before. I have plenty of space for distributor movement now. Thought I had the timing set and went to get some gas. When I started it warm it turned very slow at first but she did fire up. I must have it advanced a little to far and I will take care of that soon. Did go for a few mile ride and picked up my friend and he was impressed and I can't stop smiling. Thanks again Bewy
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