Today I got my Ford Racing M-6268-A390 timing chain delivered.  The markings and manufacture are very different from the previous Cloyes chains I've dealt with, they really look nothing alike.   It does look identical to the photo on FR website though:



Installed it does fit tighter than the last one, but it does have some play in it.  I measure just under 1/4" of total deflection in the chain.  The keyways look correct and degreeing the cam proved the +4 keyway was right on the money and set the ICL of my cam right at 104 as needed.  After checking the ECL and crunching the numbers the LSA came up right at 110 as it should be.  Not sure if I should call it quits on the great timing chain fiasco or keep trying to find something that fits more snug than this.  

The local NAPA parts store carries reboxed +.005 and +.010 Cloyes Tru-roller chains (at a $60 markup over MSRP of Cloyes I might add..).  I explained the problems I've been having to the NAPA clerk and asked if an installed set was out of spec at over 1/2" deflection if the set could be returned as it would be defective and was given a very stern, but polite, "absolutely not."  

Leave the step there, you won't gain anything by matching it to the port floor in a low riser style head.

Great, thats the confirmation I needed.  I also just saved myself a few hours of grinding away with no benefit.  Thanks all!

I'm doing a gasket match port job on my Performer RPM intake while waiting for another round of timing chains to arrive.  Got the sides and roof blended well on one side of the intake.  Whats the consensus on matching the floors?  Leave the 1/2" or so step in place or hog it out and blend it too?

Looks good to me.    Now you've got me wondering if I could squeeze in two oil sending units without all the plumbing that I used. 

This is the larger port stock C8AE version, and I'd see no issue with up to six holes if you really didn't care if it looked like swiss cheese.  I guinea pigged my C0AE small port as a test and it drilled/tapped very nicely.  I hate the look of seven different plumbing adapters and tee's that I've had on every hotrod up til now.  This at least looks semi-intrusive. 

Thanks guys, that fitting along with a 1/4 to 1/8 reducer will do the trick.

I'm thinking about going to check out the Nevada's Silver State Classic Challenge in September instead.  Has anyone gone before to any of these races?  Been doing the Bonneville Speed Week thing for too many years, need to go see some different racing for a change. 

I thought the same thing, so I tried it in the retard keyway and it moved the ICL to 117.5 degrees, which definitely retarded the cam, but way too far again. That would be +9.5 from the 0 keyway.  Looking at the keyway slots closer this evening, I can visibly see both the advance and retard keyways look as though they are right in the middle between teeth on the sprocket.  The teeth would be 15 degrees apart, so that would put the keyways roughly 7.5 degrees apart on either side of zero.  Everything on this engine has been a battle, I'm sure this wont be the last.  I'll talk to Cloyes tomorrow.

Have you used any of the 9-keyway sets out there?  I think that may be the magic bullet hopefully.

I bought a Fairlane Thunderbolt (model) from Mr. BB.  Arrived well packaged and as described, and he had good communication with me through the whole transaction.  I'd buy from him again.