Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

The brass tubes pressed into the top of the carb that pull fuel for the secondaries have been know to fall out, making the engine very lean at W.O.T. Happened to me once, one tube had come loose and dropped into the well resulting in sputtering and popping as the secondaries came online. Ran fine on...

From reading the patent text it would appear that the "weight" with the helical slot in it uses the inertia from shuttling up and down within the lifter body as the lifter travels in it's bore to impart a rotational force to the threaded adjuster through a "rachet" thus compensat...

I built a Magnum based 408 very similar to yours except with 10.3 CR and I used ported magnum R/T heads.

In a 4200lb 4X4 Dakota it ran mid-12's using a stock converter and 3.90 gears, shifting at 5500.

I never dynoed it but figured 400-425 HP, it moved that truck around very nicely.

Here are some from Milan Dragway's heads up series. Small blocks have to weigh 2750 and have run down into the 8.20's on a 10.5 tire. http://oi50.tinypic.com/105tut3.jpg http://oi48.tinypic.com/2vv57hc.jpg http://oi47.tinypic.com/oans4m.jpg http://oi46.tinypic.com/2r3cc93.jpg http://oi47.tinypic.com...

If the engine feels that weak I would suspect that either the cam is not in correctly or the timing tab is off (or both). I recently worked on a 408 SB Mopar with unported magnum heads and cam timing/induction similar to your 383. It easily pushed a 3600 lb. car 12.80's@108 with a 3.23 gear and smal...

I don't think any of them are bad but I like #3 the most.

#2's crossed flags says "Corvette" when I look at it and on #4 the font used for "cam designs" makes it harder to read.

Use a piston stop on #1 to set it at true TDC then verify timing tab/balancer ring is accurate.

Dexcool.........the answer to the question that nobody was asking.

I have used Rhoads lifters (slotted plunger) as well as Crane High Intensity (undersize diameter plunger) in the distant past. In my experience the Rhoads worked better in achieving the desired "effect" and they were both sensitive to oil viscosity. The "effect" was more noticeab...

I have a very similar combo with similar characteristics. Mine is a 408 inch short block with 10.3 CR topped with ported magnum R/T's. Cam is a hyd. roller 224 @ .050 .520 lift 112 sep in at 108. Springs are 140/340. Induction is an Edelbrock airgap with a 750 HP and the exhaust is the same as yours...

Just kind of wondering about this but.... From the markings on the springs it would appear that in some of the videos the spring is rotating two turns during the cycling of the rocker and then continuing even after the valve is on the seat. If we accept that the spring is rotating twice with each op...

Have you tried dropping the primary pump cam down to a lower position? You might be using up enough pump shot when you bring it up against the converter to cause a problem.

Is the primary vent "whistle" in?

If one were concerned with the Isky bushings not having constant pressure oiling would it be possible to slightly groove each side of the lifter bore down to the location of the feed hole when the lifter is on the base circle of the lobe? Or maybe groove the lifter body itself. I know tools exist fo...

I don't know if this is common but in my experience with a locked-out HEI the timing would retard 1.5 degrees per 1000 RPM. In other words if I wanted 34 degrees lead @ 6000 RPM I ended up with 41.5 @ 1000 RPM. I'm no electrical engineer, so these are just my observations. It seems the mechanical ad...

It's not a chevy but for comparisons sake I have a 408 Mopar that might fit in this thread (mild SB stokers). It's a Magnum block with ported Magnum R/T heads. 10.3 CR and a hyd. roller 224/224 .520" lift on a 112 sep in at 108. Airgap intake with a 750 HP. I've got it in a 4X4 Dakota with 3.90...