Howdy all.
New poster here, looking for specific recommendations for a street cam. I'm resurrecting a '65 T-Bird that's been hiding in my garage for too long.
It's currently got a truck motor under the hood; don't know exactly what it is but it's a 2-barrel carb and a large snout crank from 1971. Probably a 360/361 but it's just a donor block.
This will be a cruiser, not a racer, unlikely to ever go to the strip except for fun. It will need to be an economy rebuild, either a 390 or 410. I've got a Streetmaster for the intake, and some C4AE-G heads on the shelf that will probably be rebuilt with stock valves and springs appropriate for the cam. I plan on a set of FPA headers, but that's about it for performance parts. T-Birds need vacuum, and this will have the stock brakes & vacuum accessories.
The thing is, I'm looking at appx. 9.8 or maybe 9.5/1 compression with dished pistons. I want to avoid the expense of forged and/or custom pistons. I'll spend my money on good machining, so I'll have a stock bottom end put together right.
The question is how much cam will I need to avoid detonation on pump gas? If the block is decked to allow good squish, what do you think would be the best compromise cam for good street manners and no octane problems? Locally all we get is 91 ethanol blend.
I'd appreciate specific recommendations, rather than numbers, if that's not asking too much.
Thanks in advance.
