1st of all, I've read and searched for a couple of hours here, learned quite a bit, and looks like a guy can get set straight here. So with that, I'll go on.

I've built many kinds of engines, but this is my 1st experience with a rough idle cam.

Neighbor brings me his all stock 76 Nova Concours 350/350, and this pile of parts: comp cams 270h kit, w/ springs, and retainers, Edelbrock performer intake, 1 5/8" primary long tube headers, and roller rockers.

I pull the 882 heads, he takes them to the machine shop,no fancy valve job, had them use the new springs w/o dampers for cam break-in.

I put it back together with regular fel-pro, cam goes in straight up, comes out 1 1/2 degree advanced.

He is advised to start out with the stock q-jet, so ok.

Stock HEI, set 10 degrees initial.

Very cool sounding idle at 700 to 1000 rpm. But need that while in gear, of course. I eventually increase neutral idle to as much as 1600, but when he puts it in gear, it still gives up and dies.

I drop it in gear and get it moving, and it sounds like it gets a dead miss under load. Haven't gotten it on the street yet, as cam break-in is just now completed. Oh, yea, header mufflers and no pipes right now.

Now I've read here about matching cam with SCR, but of course I didn't have that opportunity. I've got the three key crank sprocket, so maybe I could improve things there if I had to. Don't see any vacuum leaks, and of course the stock q-jet is suspect. Could it just be lean? Neightbor has 2200 stall converter to put in, we're thinking that's a have-to.

I'm wondering how else I might tune to help this deal out.

any thoughts?


Thanks,

Rootsgroup