Can anyone tell me the proper compression range for a good Daytona Engine?
Even is the answer you are looking for. The actual number has a number of variables. Cam timing is a really big factor. In a compression test you are looking for a variable in cylinder to cylinder. If it is within 10-15% on an older engine, you should be just fine. I would say that on four cam engines, you may find one side is higher than the other as well. This is again cam timing. A few degrees can make a big difference. This is not an issue when evaluating the "health" of the engine as this can be adjusted. As long as the bank is within 10-15%. I had a 355 that had fantastic compression numbers, like #255+ on some. It was not even though and ran poorly. The cam timing was really far off. The uneven reading was the clue to bad valve guides. I suspect the shop had altered the cam timing to get decent compression number to mask bad valve guides. This car was a recent purchase brought to me because it didn't run well at low RPM. Anyway, long rant to say, look for even, not high numbers.