So on a quick glimpse the '69 Camaro I just picked up has 200cc dart iron eagles (not platinums). Apparently it's a 355. I see 1.52/1.6 rockers. Tach is set to redline at 6 grand. Unaware of the cam as of now. Single plane. 1,800 stall. It just all seems so *** backwards for a 355.
Motor will be coming out to be checked out. Are these Dart heads any good? I can't find much info on the older darts.

Might as well try to use them for what they are worth and build a screamer and see how long it lasts?

 

1800 stall is rather low, but other than that I don't see any problem.

 

1,800 stall, victor jr single plane and 6,000 RPM redline? That doesn't seem very good without adding 200cc intake runners.

I wish I could take it for a rip and see if it really is supposed to only turn 6 grand. Manifold gaskets are blown so I'll just yank the motor and look over the entire thing.

 

Sounds like a collection of leftover parts, or somebody's seriously unfinished project. Major mismatch.

Typical of humans.

 

An adjustable redline pointer on a tach means nothing unless you know the cam profile. Engine redline and shift point redline are 2 different things. The previous owner may have wanted to shift at 6000 but the cam may make power to 7000. Rev limiters are a better item for engine redline. If you had to watch the tach, you would probably over rev the engine before you had time to react.

Without a transbrake, there's no way to know the true stall speed of the converter. A flash stall might get you close but it's still a guess.

The only way to know exactly how it was built without a build sheet is to strip it down for inspection.

 

Alright guess that's what I have to do. Thanks. He showed me all the paper work but cause he owned the car so long he wanted to keep it. Stupid me looked over everything but the motor specs

Planned on yanking the motor for inspection anyway when I dropped in the TH350/2,500ish converter. Have a new set of lifters, 230/236 .490"/.490" cam I can put in if it wasn't meant to spin past 6 grand anyway. That should push it to at least 6,500 RPM shifts and allow me to remove the Victor Jr and drop on my RPM Air Gap.

 

Like I said, an adjustable pointer for the red line should be used as a shift point but a shift light works much better.

You can set it 2 ways. Where the engine makes peaks HP before it starts to drop off would be your shift point. Having to watch the tach before you make the shift means you're not looking out the windshield. That's why a shift light is better.

You could also set it for the engines peak rpm. Your cam card will tell you the rpm range but that doesn't mean the rest of the engine is capable of reaching that rpm. Weak valve springs, lack of fuel or any number of things may prevent the engine from reaching that rpm. Normally a 2-step is set a few hundred rpm above the cams maximum rpm.