Cam Selection

[7-UP BILL]

Had to remove heads because of HG failure, so I'm contemplating a cam change. Has an Iskenderian custom now, but would like something with a little more lope. Stock bottom end, Edelbrock 6025 heads, GT-40 tubular, 42's, S-trim Vortech. Suggestions and experiences will be appreciated. Not interested in Ford letter cams. The Anderson sticks look good, but they won't divulge specs. Makes it a little difficult to compare. I may have a line on a B-31 cam. (brand new). Your thoughts. I'm not a racer, it's a weekend driver, so if I lose a little with more duration I'm ok with that. Thanks in advance.

 

[FastDriver]

Sounds like an awesome little setup! You have the right equipment to run block splitting power. How much boost?

I think it's hard to make any decent guess without more info. Since how much lope is a matter of personal taste, and given that we know you're not happy with a custom cam that's already in it, perhaps it would be best to disclose the specs of that cam, first. A mild custom could be anywhere in the 216-240 range at .050". I'd assume yours is on the lower side of that. Maybe something in the upper 220s or lower 230s would better suit your tastes.

Given that your car is blown, you'll probably find a nice bias towards the exhaust on the one you have. If I were recommending a street cam with a split pattern on a blown car, I think it would be in the 218-224@ .050" range on the intake and with those heads somewhere around .550" intake lift. The exhaust would probably be in the 230@ .050" range, and an LSA in the 214 range. If you found that your intake was in the 218 range, bringing it up into the mid-high 220s and/or reducing the LSA would have a nice effect on lope. But, I prefer a milder cam, and you may be hard core, lol.

Chris

Edit: Meant to say 114 LSA. 214 wouldn't run, lol.

 

[7-UP BILL]

Chris, thanks for your input. The cam in there now is .500 int. .520 Exh. @.050 int 218* and 228* on a 114 LC. I'm also going back to a timing chain as I have an Edelbrock Accu-drive gear drive. I think I'm done with the gear noise, but it has been quite reliable for the past 23 years. With what your advising, the Anderson B-31 cam with the .544 lift for both and mid to high 220's for duration will work. I run 8-10 lbs of boost. We also have a 3550 TKO and 3.73's with 31 splines. It runs well, but after 23 years like this, I'm looking for a new girlfriend, so to speak. Any more insight is expected and appreciated.

 

[FastDriver]

From what I'm seeing, it looks like the duration on the B31 is identical to yours in duration: 218/228. I don't think you'd notice a difference, overall.

Your custom cam's specs make me more confident that you would appreciate the lope of a cam in the mid-high 220s on the intake a little more. The LSA is a moderate 112 on the B31, which is slightly more aggressive, but still pretty mild. Ed Curtis sent me a mid-220s cam with a 111 LSA for an old n/a 302 combo that had a very nice sound for me and I still considered it a very mild very streetable cam.

I'm really not one to recommend cams, and I don't do anything but let Ed Curtis decide what's best on mine, but I took a look at a list of Anderson cams and wondered if the B41 would be more your style. 228/236 112LSA and .544/.544 on 1.6 rockers. That would be a pretty nasty sounding cam, and should still have some manners if tuned. A quick lookup of some videos, and I really dig the sound. See what you think:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXAO4miRyO0


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CBdGe88MVQ


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHeRUjt0rBw

 

[7-UP BILL]

Chris, Thank you for your insight. I like the added lift of the B-31 and the duration numbers, if identical as you say, are ok with me. I think that having a bunch of duration on a forced induction engine may turn out to be a mistake. I'm going to try it and hopefully it will be to my satisfaction. Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[FastDriver]

Good deal, man. I'm sure you'll be fine with it. Don't forget to let us know how it all works out.

 

[7-UP BILL]

I'll do a video on start up.