I recently pulled the stock 289 out of my coupe to replace leaking gaskets and so on. I've since purchased a rebuilt AOD transmission to go back in with as well. I had a lifter tick at startup prior to removal- Any ideas on what cam/lifter setup I should put in - as opposed to just replacing lifters? I have no idea what lift/duration I should go with, and how much I should be spending- As I said before, its a stock 289 with 4 bbl carb, and soon to be AOD transmission-
Your best bet is to get in contact with one of the camshaft manufacturers tech lines. Especially with an automatic transmission you want to be sure you have the right cam for the stall of your torque converter. If you have a stock torque converter you'll want to use a camshaft with a duration of under 220-225 @.050 lift.
As far as the old tranny, it's most likely a C4. You can tell quickly as the bellhousing of a C4 is bolted to the front and a C6 is one piece. Browse Ebay and see what people are getting for used C4's. That'll give you a ballpark for resale value
He's already got the AOD. Golfer, see if you can't get a roller cam/lifters for it. They are more efficient and allow for a more aggressive profile without affecting idle quality. However, you may want to look at screw-in rocker studs with a more aggressive profile. A cam swap like this will also mean new valve springs, retainers, seats(?), and roller rocker arms would be a nice addition, too. All in all, it could amount to about $5-600 with everything I mentioned, although the screw-in studs could be a bit more expensive.
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Proud owner of a '65 289 coupe w/ C4. Equipped with Edelbrock Performer intake K&N air filter, and 600 cfm carb, Comp Cams Xtreme Energy valvetrain, Comp Cams XE262H cam, MSD ignition, and ported heads. Suspended by 600# 1" drop front and stock rear springs, KYB shocks, 1" front and 7/8" rear sway bars, and Traction Master style traction bars. Your friendly suspension kid.
You'll also want to take note of your rear end gear ratio. This will play a large role in camshaft selection as well. If you're running a stock stall converter and a rear end gear in the 3.00 ball park you're going to be looking at a fairly mild cam. Something like Edelbrock's Performer series, not the Performer RPM series though. What you really should do is sit down and decide what you'd ultimately like to see in this car. If you're planning future upgrades and more power then you'll save in the long run by waiting and purchasing all the parts together as a matching package. If you're looking to get that 289 built as a reliable fun cruiser, then my previous suggestion will satisfy you and only cost about $150.
Call up one of the cam manufacturers and tell them what you're looking for and they'll match a cam for you. Just as a reference, I'm using a Comp Cams XE262H grind. 262 degrees duration, .47" lobe lift (if I remember right), 212 degrees duration at .050" lift. Decent idle, aggressive "platting" exhaust note, plenty of power. You can go a little more aggressive than that, I assume. Like I said, talk to a cam manufacturer and they'll pretty well set you up. Let them know about future mods, too, like headers and gearing.
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Proud owner of a '65 289 coupe w/ C4. Equipped with Edelbrock Performer intake K&N air filter, and 600 cfm carb, Comp Cams Xtreme Energy valvetrain, Comp Cams XE262H cam, MSD ignition, and ported heads. Suspended by 600# 1" drop front and stock rear springs, KYB shocks, 1" front and 7/8" rear sway bars, and Traction Master style traction bars. Your friendly suspension kid.
1967 289 with AOD - replace cam and lifters? 
