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My 1978 440 has 33,000 original miles and wanting to increase the power. Would it be wise to put an RV cam in or would it destroy the used engine? How hard is such a task? Thanks...Troy.
Hey there Troy. My 45,000 mile 1975 Executive w/440 made great gains in power AND mileage when I replaced the timing chain. I used a name brand aftermarket roller chain w/ 3 keyways and installed it 4 degrees advanced. I have a LOT more torque on the hills and I gained 2 miles/gallon. Since the cam itself remained original, there is no extra strain on the valve train. It was a heck of a lot easier than changing cams, too! Did it in 1 Saturday in my driveway and still went out to dinner. I highly recommend it! }}Jake{{
Jake, thanks for the info, how does changing the chain improve it that well? Is it just that it all turns easier and more stable on revs? Just courious. Also, the 4 deg is from the distributor? I thought the normal setting for the 440 was 8? Thanks, Troy.
The timing I was talking about was for the camshaft, not ignition. When you change the CAM timing, you're changing the relationship between the cam and the crank. The aftermarket 'hotrod' roller chain sets have three keyways in the crank sprocket. One will advance the cam actuation 4 degrees from stock, one will set it at the stock position (0 degrees or 'straight up') & the third one will retard the cam timing 4 degrees. You choose which one depending on your desired performance. In general, advancing the cam timing event builds low end torque at the expense of some high RPM horsepower. In an RV, you want all the torque you can get, and you never even get to any RPM that could be considered high. It's a total win situation. The only reason the factory didn't do it was to meet certain emission certification requirements. Funny thing is, my 440 runs cleaner now than it did stock.
I got my "True-Roller" timing set G6604 online from Summit Racing. This set is for 440s with a single bolt holding the cam sprocket on. Some 440 cam sprockets had three bolts but I've never seen one. Wouldn't hurt to verify before you buy though. www.summitracing.com
}}Jake{{
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