Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

I have run 3 of Mr. Jones’s cams in three different motors. A 565 BBC a 468 BBC and a 416 Small Block MOPAR. Like every other racer I think I know what I am doing based on years of running the same car and trying many combinations. The first time I called Mike I did so out of frustration because I c...

I just tried that calculator against a know combo, and it is totally off base...

All I know is after reading David V’s BBC books I started doing what he recommended with LSA, which was just the opposite of the recommendation you get when calling a cam grinder, and my car came alive and way more consistent. I was running a bracket 468 in a 2000 LB car with the normal recommended ...

Let me say this about Mr. Vizard’s advice and his books. I am a local bracket racer that had been listening to my machine shop guy and my cam grinder for years. I do most of my own stuff and I don’t have a big budget. Then I found one of David’s books. Then I bought every book he ever published and ...

Interesting topic. I am also building a new 4.310 bore BBC and have been going thru the same mental struggles when it comes to picking the correct head. My heads of choice have been AFR. In talking with several engine builders, and a few head manufactures, the general consensus opinion seems to be t...

The tall deck you want was produced from 68 to 85 - They are all 4 bolt mains and will accept a 4.25 stroke crank with no grinding. These were all Gen iv. They were all thicker wall castings and can be bored to .100 plus. There were Gen 5 427 tall decks produced. They don't have as thick cylinder wa...

I have been playing with spacers for years on my race BBC. I have stumbled upon an combo that seems to work very well. I am sure it has to do with a bit of anti reversion, but who cares as long as it works. I have been using a one inch four hole spacer below a 1050, and then a ½ inch open phenolic s...

If you have a MSD ignition the timing lights with the advance won't work correctly, and won't give you a true reading. Invest in a MSD timing light. It is the best light on the market and works great with every type of ignition.

Simple answer - If you want a cam that will work for a MOPAR - Call Racer Brown - After 4PM central that is....

I have an Ohio Crank in a 468 BBC. I had to have it turned 10 under to get it straight, and it was hard to balance, but it has lived thru 3 rebuilds and I have over 700 runs on it. If I had it to do over again, I think I would buy a Manley or a Callies. I am building a 496 and from what I have seen ...

I second Wiseco - If it is a special order, contact Vic Ellinger vellinger@wiseco.com - Great guy and always spot on, very knowledgeable and a racer himself.

I also have had very good luck with Ross.. They make a nice piston.

So if you are an average racer building a motor, and you want to design it yourself, which I think is fun, perhaps not the best idea when it comes to motors that are available from engine builders now at very reasonable prices, but still fun, and after all, it’s your money and your race car, so why ...

Lockwire - When it comes my knowledge vs. practical experience, and real racing I know what matters going down the track and what doesn’t. I am a bracket racer, and a ME, so I do understand engine theory. However, the average guy racing any class short of Comp Eliminator or Pro Stock can spend a lot...

If you have a 400 block, and a 440 crank, build a 451 - That is the best MOPAR motor you can build out of stock parts anyway.

Rods have one purpose – They connect the crankshaft to the piston – The normal guy, or racer will never notice any difference in rod length.