I recycled this motor from my Hot Boat. Freshened it with some new parts and installed it in my 1973 Vega with built powerglide, 9" Ford spooled rear end and 8.5 certified cage.
I am running AFR heads, solid roller cam, girdles, dual 600 cfm carbs and MSD. Line lock and transbrake. I only run 10.5 to 1 compression so I can drive it on the street with pump gas. I have about 700 hp, which is more than enough in a 2000 lb car.
My question is: When I first fired it up, the headers turned cherry red in a matter of seconds. The cam was installed straight up. I retarded the cam 4 degrees and getted the hell out of the carbs. It now runs at 180 degrees in the garage for 30 minutes. That is where the cam was set while in the boat.
Does retarding the cam lower the compression? Cranking compression is 100 psi.