I have a Ford 427 Side-Oiler in my Kirkham that was originally built for me by Bill at Southern Automotive and until very recently it had done around 30,000 totally reliable miles.
Unfortunately, for some as yet to be identified reason, it has wiped out the lobe of the inlet cam on #7 and I've lost about 1/4" of valve lift.
I obviously need to replace the cam and I'm seeking recommendations.
The existing cam is an Elgin Pro Stock E962P solid flat-tappet with 0.524" of valve lift, 245 degrees duration @ 0.05" and 114 degrees separation.
The cylinder heads are aluminium Edelbrock Performer RPM that have been CNC ported and polished and the valves have been increased to 2.19" inlet and 1.725" exhaust with stainless steel valves fitted. The inlet manifold is an aluminium Edelbrock Performer RPM that has also been CNC ported and polished to match the heads.
The Pistons are forged Arias with a 10.2:1 compression ratio.
It is running a Single Holley 750 DP, and MSD Pro-Billet distributor and an MSD 6AL ignition.
Should I stick with a flat tappet cam, or should I go to a roller and what cam should I replace the Elgin with? I'd like 500bhp, which I would have a thought is pretty close to what it was.
When the inlet manifold and heads are fitted, the rocker cover mounting face on the top of the inlet manifold stands slightly proud of the cylinder head face, which makes getting an
oil-tight seal on the rocker covers a challenge. What is the best way to match the faces?
One more question, when the metal wore off the cam lobe, do you think it wore off in harmless microscopic grains, or larger fragments that could damage mains and big ends bearings? Therefore, do I need to completely strip down the engine, or can I get away with leaving the engine in the car and just replacing the cam and associated parts?
Thank you,
Paul