Hi All:
Sorry to weigh in so late--just got back into town and saw the thread.
Dave made a good point about the gas available today. One option is
ceramic coating the piston tops, cylinder heads and valve fronts.
This'll allow you to go with a bit higher compression without detonation.
Best way is to contact Sean Ford--his company does this kind of
thing--or, you can do as I did, cheaping out and do it yourself (sorry
Sean!). I used Techline Coating's water based product, sprayed it on
with a detail gun and baked it in an electric oven (not the one at
home!). Took a couple of tries to get it right and, as I say, Sean's
people are experts, but however you approached it, the ceramic coating
and your subsequent experience with the car on a daily basis would make
an interesting sidebar to the technical article in the magazine.
I've got about 9.4:1 flat-topped pistons (according to the chart the
machine shop had). I'm running regular gas with (I think) about 6 or 8
degrees initial timing. So far it's running okay. Not a crate motor
(which would, in hindsight, have been cheaper and likely made more
power)--it's a '68 J-code 302 with a 4 bbl. The original 10:1 pistons
disappeared when the P.O. replaced them with dished pistons years ago.
If you were willing to run premium gas, you might go as high as 10:1 on
today's gas.....
Best Regards
David Sosna
DJoh797014@aol.com wrote:
>The HIPO 289 would be great, but with the crap they sell now
>days for gas, you'll have to run only premium. Remember the
>stock Tiger had 164hp from its 260. The Hipo 260 gave about
>200hp. That with the 4 bbl premium gas etc. Just going to the
>289 like the MK II gave 200 hp with a 2 bbl. The problem with the
>Tiger has never been not enough HP. The issur is how to get
>it to the ground. The MK II trans helped solve the stumble
>start that the Tiger was famous for.
>
>For a good reliable driver that won't overheat in the AZ heat
>consider a crate 289 if you can find one. With a 4 bbl and
>mild tune, it'll be a joy to drive and not overheat.
>
>Dave
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