72BigBlock Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 To make a long story short, in the middle of last year I took apart the top half of my 402 to do some upgrading. In the meantime, I got orders to PCS to Hawaii, and the Monte will be staying in the States, and sitting in storage for the next 3 years. Since I need to move it to Florida from Oklahoma, and the cost of putting it back together is only slightly more than the cost of towing it or shipping it, that's what I am going to do. I have already gotten the heads redone with a simple valve job and reusing the stock components. I had previously added Hooker headers, Weiand water pump, MSD HEI distributor and wires, all new belts and hoses, and other miscellaneous wear items, so the rest of the parts are in pretty good shape. The stock short-block is still intact, and with only 113k on it, I have no intention of messing with it. With that said, here is the list of components I am planning on adding, what I was wondering is if there is something I am overlooking, or just a better part that is worth the additional cost enough to make it worthwhile. My budget is $1300, and right now my parts total is right at $850, leaving me plenty to cover all the little expenses that add up to to double the cost of a project. Anyway, here is the list: COMP Cams High Energy Pushrods, set of all 16 Cloyes H-D Timing Set Lunati BareBones 10201 Cam and Lifter Kit Summit Stage 3 Intake Manifold Summit Carb Stud Kit Summit Stainless Intake Manifold Bolt Kit Summit Steel Rocker Arms TFS Cylinder Head Bolt Kit COMP Cam Lube COMP Engine Break-In Oil (for break-in only) Edelbrock Synthetic Zinc Enhanced Oil (for after break-in) Loctite RTV Sealant Mr. Gasket Engine Overhaul Gasket Set Percy's Seal-4-Good Header Gaskets (had a lot of problems with leaking headers) Stage 8 Locking Header Bolt Kit Pair of K&N Oil Filters Also have an Edelbrock 750cfm vacuum secondary carb that is going on that I already have. Sorry for the long, rambling post, but any advice is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaman Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm not going to post on your parts list although it does look pretty through. But I will say congrates on the orders to Hawaii. It was the best 3 years I spent in the service. Shore duty in Hawaii was great. Wife wishes we would move back. I know you said 3 years in storage. Hope you have someone to watch it for you and will take care of it for you. Unfortunatly I thought I would only be without my Monte for 3 years but it took 13 before I was able to get to a place where I could work on it again. Needless to say it has been a labor of love to try to get it back into shape. Enjoy Hawaii! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent C Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I know the feeling. Due to a PCS my car is in storage for 3 years also. 6 months down and 2.5 years left til I can start working on it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 LS5 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Where in FL are you headed? How was your oil pressure before you took it apart? What rear gears are you running? What's your favorite color? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72BigBlock Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanks for all the well-wishes, I am pretty excited about it, though I'd be happier if I didn't have to leave the Monte behind, but at nearly $2,000 to ship it, not much choice. My family lives just north of Orlando, that's the reason I am moving it down there, so one of my brothers can start it up and run it around the block occasionally, so it doesn't get worn out from lack of use. Before I took it apart, the oil pressure held right at 20-25 psi at idle, and topped out at 45-50 psi at an unknown RPM (no tach). It didn't smoke, hadn't used a drop of oil in over 5,000 miles, and even the piston tops are in good shape for the age and mileage. It has either 2.73 or 3.08 gears, been a while since I checked, and with the lowered suspension and the front on jackstands, I can't get to the tag to tell for sure. Either way, they are exactly what I need for an 1100-mile drive in a car with Super 44's and turndowns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 LS5 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I think that cam will work well with those gears, but you may be able to go one step higher (around 224 duration at .050 on the intake) without sacrificing torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72BigBlock Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 The primary reason I was looking at that cam versus the 10202 wasn't the duration (I think the bigger cam would be fine with my combo), but the exhaust lift at 0.553". I wasn't sure if the stock spring setup and piston clearance would be sufficient with that much lift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsterdam84 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Where in FL are you headed? How was your oil pressure before you took it apart? What rear gears are you running? What's your favorite color? Is that a Holy Grail quote? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 You intend on running the stock valve springs? I think that is a mistake. The stock springs are only good for about .480 lift. Get yourself the Lunati recommended matching springs. I am currently running the 10202 and it works well. Mine is in a 468, and it seems pretty mild. I pull good vacuum at idle, and have a nearly smooth idle. It doesn't have the chop to it that a racing cam has, so it sounds pretty stock. The torque curve is perfect though for a street driven car when you have an eye on making power AND decent gas mileage. The cam makes good torque at lower speeds which just makes the engine feel bigger. Your 402 might behave like this cam is bigger than my 468 does. If I were to change the cam at this point, I'd go a step larger just to get the rougher idle sound, but that's the only reason...the cam performs great for me otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Burns Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 First off- good luck in Hawaii! Now about the motor... I understand that you don't want to touch the bottom end, but I would be concerned that the fresh heads will seal better and pull oil through the old rings. I've had it happen more than once and it turned my ride into an oil-smoke crop duster. You have the motor out- pull it apart and hone it and re-ring it. Another thing that I've found that big blocks love is to have the block decked. This provides more compression (power) while at the same time improving the quench in the combustion chamber... this will help with detonation. This works well for the bigger big blocks at least- not sure about a 402. But ask a decent machine shop for more details. That intake looks interesting- looks like an Eddy Air Gap- Summit is trying to take over the world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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