Durability. Something none of the other cam makers ever mention. They could care less if your valve guides are worn into slots by a "too much lift" cam in 30,000 miles. I don't know why they don't market to the street crowd, they are the perfered choice in my book because they have "sensible" lift.

I wouldn't alter the air tubes until you open up the restrictor right next to the air tubes first. (I'll try to get a picture up) It controls the maximum volume of the idle circuit flow. This is the cure for the "can't back the screws out enough" problem.
I didn't have to open mine up much to get plenty of control.
This is needed because there isn't as much "pull" from the lower vacuum.
EDIT: and don't drill the restrictors out completely.

 

I video taped the car last night. Didn't get any in car video.
After the two videos' I got, I stalled the car, then couldn't get it restarted... Long tow ride back home... City of 1 million people, I get the same tow guy as last week. Geez.
Bad battery->starter cable i'm thinking. Or battery has been deep cycled a few two many times....

Will try to upload this video somehow.

I have about 15" vacuum at cruise, and about 10" vacuum at a 800-900RPM idle.

I have drilled out the idle mixture screw holes to .093" (3/32"). If that's what you mean?

 

Y know for about $10 you could have avoided the towing bill.
With the $10 ignition interupt switch wired in to the HEI 12+ power wire. It has never taken more than 2 attempts to fire my car hot with locked out timing.
You want a heavy duty SPST toggle switch rated at 15 AMPS.
Look in the Auto electrical section of your Local Crappy Tire.
Mount it on the dash to the left of the steering wheel in a East/West orientation. < --->. Great for bumping the starter over for setting valve lash without spark. Your starter and or solenoid are probabily toast by now.
Having a remote (Ford) starter solenoid mounted on the shock tower and a starter heat shield/wrap makes a big difference too.

 

I have a brand new Powermaster starter.
I don't think it's that. If it was because of the timing, it would crank it over, then kick it back right? It just cranks very very slowly. I don't think my battery is holding the charge very well.
Last night after driving it around the block once or twice, I shut it off and tried to restart it. It wouldn't spin it fast enough. I hooked up my batter charger (el cheapo c-tire version, 50A engine start, wires are maybe 12AWG...), set it on engine start mode, and it started up.

I just think i've exhausted this poor battery by running it dead too many times....

 

When are you purchasing that cam Sonix? That is VERY similar to mine. Clevite 246/246 @ .050" 108 lsa, I as well am using the 1.6 rr's and the lift comes out to .531 / .531. Let me know how you like it.

 

When? Uh, about november 2007 I think.
Yea, it's just a smidge milder than yours. I LOVE mine. It doesn't like the load below 2000RPM (just feather the gas), but after 3000RPM I can put the foot into it... And above 4000RPM I can hammer it and i'm GONE. It's awesome!
Still gotta hook up the wideband, and drive around to set up my mixture. It's running pretty rich....

I've also got a RMS/oilpan leak,.... I ran this SOB on a stand for 1/2hr and it didn't leak a drop, but no, I put it in the car and it leaks like a sieve... POS...

I've got a video, I just need to upload it to youtube or something, it's only on facebook now...

 

Glad to hear you like the cam. I love mine. It starts making good power at 3,000 RPM's. I would love to see your video. I have to get a vid of mine. It's awesome! I get going about 25 in first and punch it and I'm all over the place through first and part of second. Get a nice bark / spin into third. Sucks to hear about the RMS / pan leak though. I need to get a wide band as well, I'm running pretty rich. Better safe than sorry I guess. I have ALOT of little things to do yet but I'm more worried about driving the thing. My stock tach only goes up to 6,000 rpm's and I would like to shift it at 6,500 to 6,800 but I would be guessing. I thing I have my rev limiter to 6,000 but I'm not sure, it's been a while. It still is pulling hard when I hit the limiter...

 

That will help but the brass welch plug restrictor shown below is upstream of the idle screw. It "shreds" the gas/air into "foam" that goes down to the idle screw. I opened mine up from what it is to 1/16" and plenty of idle volume was the result. (please brag on extreme close-up that is in focus)

Zach: see below picture of my solution to that problem. I think it was $30 at Walmart. It's amazingly accurate... (I didn't use clamps or screws to fasten it to the column)

 

I had that same tach, It was correct but hard to see and kinda bouncy. It didn't work with the MSD tach output so I tried it on the coil. That was a bad idea, it doesn't work at all now. My autometer 5" fixed it though, got it for ~$100 lightly used and has a shift light.

 

UGH! I don't want to install an aftermarket tach, because I think they are tacky. Especially with my factory one still there... If anything i'd install an aftermarket one in the cluster, in place of the factory one, but for the life of me I can't figure out how... So I think instead i'll eventually look for a real cluster, ie one with a 200km/hr speedo an an 8000RPM tach or whatever, and make sure it's accurate (re-cal it somehow...)

brass welch plugs you say? I *think* might have drilled those out. I remember you can drill out one, but the other takes super long drill bits to do, right? So it's easier to remove the tubes, and press them into set screws, and tap the hole to put the set screw back in... Haven't done that yet.

Anyway, got some you tube video here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PVp_l_I_Dc
of course they have butchered the quality until there's nothing left, thanks youtube...

 

Hopefully you didn't drill out the restrictors completely.
Here's a tip on the tubes:
You can't get them out without destroying them. The super long drill bits are to open them up in place.
I wouldn't do anything to them unless the idle is too lean and you have replacements in hand. You do need to try to get it to idle without using the mains. It's bad to have so much flow around the idle circuit that the mains are still running. The "pig rich" will give the black puff off idle and wash the oil off of the rings.
Loved the "drive-by" video. Were you taching it up to 6K or less? Sounded really good though.

 

I shifted at around 5500RPM or so on the drive by. I semi-power shifted it...

Yea, i'm hooking up my wideband ASAP here, so that I can tell how rich I am at idle... I've heard I won't get a 14.7:1 at idle, but around 13:1 is reasonable?

 

12:1 would be a good "goal".
With that much overlap, it ain't gonna like lean.

 

Damn! so i'd better get used to a puff of black when I rev it from idle eh?

On another note, I've 'driven' it fairly hard today, didn't stall it all... I also have pretty consistent power brakes... I already bought the power brake can tho, so I may as well install it anyway...

I did notice (get THIS!), that there was a burning rubber smell after a hard run through the gears. No, not tire rubber. Remember I said it tossed an alt belt before? Well now it flipped mine inside out. Well, or however you would describe it. The belt was 'backwards', and riding up closer to the inside of the alt pulley. It was also on the edge of the crank/waterpump pulleys. I'm not sure which one is out of alignment, but i'm assuming it's the alt, since crank and waterpump are pretty well standardized.
WEIRD!!!
Anyway, looking at summit alternator mount kits now....

 

Not if you can get the mains to stop dripping.LUKE, Come to the Dark Side!
Embrace the SERPENT!
Serpentine that is...

Those old V-belts are going to be a problem at higher rpms. The longer they are, the more they fly around.
Serpentines stay put. (remember this is coming from "Mr. Old-school camel-hump guy")
"To the junkyard, go you must", says Master Yoda...

 

good ole iskenderian

good camshafts for carb'd cars, i know alot of old school mechanics that hold them as the holy grail of camshafts

 

Ugh, no deal! There's got to be a way to keep v-belts on during runs up to 6000RPM ! I can't be the only one! I just bought a new waterpump, power steering pump, etc, and I don't want to buy all new stuff!
I should be able to get the damn thing lined up here, so it'll keep them in place... Planning on buying a new alt bracket here this evening.

I have the car at a driveline shop, hopefully they'll be able to pinpoint and fix the driveline vibration, but my hopes are low...

I'll see about plugging up the holes in the mains, and opening up the idle holes...

 

I guess I ressemble that remark. I wouldn't say they were the holy grail. They are different than the
other manufacturers though. If you look at the specs on Crane, Comp, Lunati, and other major makers, their offerings are pretty much the same as each other. Wide LSA, high lift, split profile cams. Good idle for the amount of peak power produced. Some people would rather sacrifice idle a bit for a wider power band (flatter torque curve) with less valve train wear. Hopefully everyone has driven an engine (or been outrun by one) that makes power from 2000-6500. One shift and they're thru the quarter. Isky's other claim to fame was, if you wanted a cam for a non-common engine they were the ONLY source.
Plug up what holes???
Check those restrictors. They are 1/8" down in the body (I bet you didn't see 'em). Don't open them up much over 1/16" (which is a lot) 5/64" would be waay too much.

 

I have holes in the primary butterflies. That's what I meant by holes in the mains, since they would be drawing in fuel from the mains right?
My butterflies aren't open any more than the recommended slot range, .040" of slot showing or whatever the amount is... That way I don't have any off idle stumble or whatnot - just the puff of black...

 

Oh, I forgot about those. Make sure the mains are dripping first before you fill them in. It's hard as hell to see the fuel coming off of the mains. I usually listen for the "crackle" as the gas drops run down the throttle plate into the crack at the bore. Makes a distinct sound. BTW, that much overlap on the cam, it's exhaust is going to have a "smell". (love the smell of premium in the morning...) That's why they are not computer compatable. Do need to try to get rid of the black puff though...

 

I had the same problems with the alternator belt. You could get a deep groove pulley for it.
The alternator that is. If any thing I would say slightly
to far out away from the head would be better than to far in. This way if
if starts to jump, it would go to wards the alternator fan not off the pulley.

 

I picked up a march 21021 alt bracket setup. I'm using a CS144 alternator, so I had to hack up my stock bracket to get it to fit, so it didn't have very good support originally. Now it's pretty well aligned, so i'll see.

Top priority for me now is to find and fix the driveline vibration problem... Then i'll get back to the carb, and finally get the beast dyno'd.

 

Get the pulleys and flat rib belt from a 1986 ish f body with a 305 carb.
No more thrown alternator belts.
The lightest tension edelbrock Qjet power piston spring will help lean the idle by keeping the power piston and metering rods down in the jets (lean) at idle.

 

Why would that help?
A flat rib belt, like the serp belt? But still normal rotation? Alt in normal location?
I think I have the lightest tension spring in there now, 5-7"hg (I measured all mine, and labelled them). I have ~10" of vac at idle.

 

You know you're going to have to adjust the valves after the lifters and cam break in. I did mine once after probably 20 hours run time and it was fine.
How's the hunt for the vibration going?
It shouldn't be too hard to find.
Back axle on stands, wheels off. Vibration yes/no.
Put wheels on. Vibration yes/no.
Let us know what they turn up.

 

Yea, that's exactly the test I had in mind... I'm kinda sick now though, and the weather has been miserable here lately. About 40*F and rainy. So i'm not too keen to get on it while I have a cold. I'll probably do this tomorrow night or the weekend... (plus i'm working on my weldernator in the garage, so that's occupying some space now...)