Camshaft for 331 stroker

KaraKedi · Nov 24, 2011

Hi gurus,
I'm trying to build a new engine.
My parts list are:
331 stroker short block from DSS Racing
AFR 165cc cylinder heads
600 cfm holley carburator
Weiand dual plane intake manifold
Tri-Y headers

I need a suggestion for camshaft!

My aim is daily drive and street car. Not for racing!

Could you share your experience and suggestion with me?

Regards

S-Car-Go · Nov 24, 2011

I have a very similar motor and after 4 cam swaps settled on this one.

COMP Cams 35-308-8 - COMP Cams Magnum Hydraulic Roller Camshafts - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Once the oil is warm you can't tell the difference between carb and factory efi. It gets decent mileage when I keep my foot out of it. Great throttle response, plenty of power idle to 5400, then falls on it's face. And runs fine on 87 octane (9.5:1 comp).

Yes, I made more power with other cams, but this one is easy to tune the carb to and not finiky at all. If you are looking for "lumpy idle", this is NOT for you.

KaraKedi · Nov 24, 2011

Thanks for your answer. Do you know, what is your ride's torque and power?

S-Car-Go · Nov 25, 2011

I've never had this car on a dyno, but it should be ~325-350 hp at the flywheel (300ish at the wheels). If you're looking for big hp there are much better cams out there. I never recommend this cam to folks, but it sounded like you were interested one that is an all around performer. This is a high lift version of the factory 5.0L cam. I can reach in the car and start it without touching the gas. I have some 275/35/17s on order because I'm tired of barking the tires at green lights by accident, but a lot of that is due to my rear suspension.
My intake is a Weiand Stealth with a 1" open spacer. You will probably be under carbed with a 600 Holley. I still have the 570 Holley Street Avanger I had when when my motor was a 289. I had to jet it up 10 sizes, the PV is a 10.5 and the squirters are up 3 sizes. It idles at 17" of vacuum and cruises at 20".
My next tweek will be a Quick Fuel SS680 cfm carb with a wideband O2 meter.

KaraKedi · Nov 25, 2011

Are there any suggestions?

PoppyMod · Nov 25, 2011

KaraKedi said:
Hi gurus,
I'm trying to build a new engine.
My parts list are:
331 stroker short block from DSS Racing
AFR 165cc cylinder heads
600 cfm holley carburator
Weiand dual plane intake manifold
Tri-Y headers

I need a suggestion for camshaft!

My aim is daily drive and street car. Not for racing!

Could you share your experience and suggestion with me?
Regards

Hi,
I'm running a 331 (333 w/.040) OEM 5 bolt street warrior. It's running, TW 170s, with a little bowl cleanup, cam matching springs, 10.6 CR, Performer RPM, TRI-Ys, 2.5" (63mm) exhaust into "X" balance, custom hydra-roller CI billet cam (.570/.562 net lift), the dizzy has been custom curved to arrive at 38-39 degs at 3100 Rs, has a full roller setup, when running a custom 680 Holly DP XE, it made the dyno numbers mentioned below.
This engine makes 17" vac at idle, idles very nicely at 900, Initial timing is 16 deg. This engine responds best with full vac to the dizzy.
I have no over-heating issues with running a 4 row brass rad, Flex-lite 17" with a shroud and coolant recovery system.
Oh, forgot to mention, it's mated to a T5z with a 8" 3.55 rear and gets about 15-17 (5th only) depending on my foot action?
This engine Dyno-ed at 392 RWHP At 6100 with 401 RWTQ at 4200 Rs, all while still running a K&N cleaner.
Hope this provides a little insight.

blown65 · Nov 25, 2011

All I would suggest if your going custom is not to send money to Camshaft Innovations, while he once actually delivered on his camshafts that is not what has been happening as of late. Buyer beware is all Ill say.

Ed Curtis at FTI is a good way to go for a custom deal.

palerider94 · Nov 28, 2011

Ive got a comp cam xe274h. Really like it a lot. Good idle adn vacuum but lot of torque. May want to talk to comp cams. I found them to be pretty useful. Gears and stall will also need to be consideration.

Hack · Nov 28, 2011

I would second the recommendation to discuss a camshaft with Comp. The heads and intake are somewhat small for a 331 (compared to what I would choose), which is in line with your goals of not being a racing engine. It will be more torquey - like a good engine for a pickup or for cruising around. I would get a smaller camshaft without much overlap to go with the parts you have right now. It will be compatible with the small heads and give you good gas mileage and off idle torque.

S-Car-Go · Nov 28, 2011

I've talked to Comps tech line a couple of times and they didn't seem very knowledgeable when you start to ask specifics. You can get their free simulation software and try different cams. BUT be forewarned, hp and tq numbers are highly exaggerated. It is handy for comparing tq/hp curves and peak rpms when flipping between cams. Just knock ~100 hp off their scale LOL.The software includes flow numbers for AFR heads as well. Also CompXE and Lunati Voodoo cams can have a fair amount of valve train noise if that is important to you.

+1 for what Hack said about your parts being on the small side. They will work, but if you haven't bought your heads, I'd go with the 185s. I have Canfield 170s on my 331, but I bought them for a 289.

palerider94 · Nov 29, 2011

S-Car-Go said:
Also CompXE and Lunati Voodoo cams can have a fair amount of valve train noise if that is important to you.

Good point on valve train noise. My valve train noise is a little noisier than most. I had just attributed it to the hydraulic lifters and being a roller.

Hack · Nov 29, 2011

S-Car-Go said:
I've talked to Comps tech line a couple of times and they didn't seem very knowledgeable when you start to ask specifics.

I agree with what you are saying here. The people working the Comp cams tech line are not the top people available in the field of cam selection. If you want that then the best way to go is a custom cam. With a custom cam then you are getting the full attention of a real expert. That will get you the best results to extract the most HP possible from your engine.

However, this build doesn't have a goal of getting the most HP possible, and for a mild build you can go with a place like Comp for a recommendation and they will get you a good cam to go with your combo. It's less money than a custom cam and won't be a miss-match. That was why I recommended Comp.

I have bought from Comp on my machinist's recommendation for a GT-40 302 combination and I was happy with the results. My current build in process is a 408 Cleveland and I wanted more, so I went with a custom cam. Hopefully that will give even better results.

KaraKedi · Nov 29, 2011

May i ask a same question again.
What is camshaft suggestion for my combo

iskwezm · Nov 29, 2011

Not to be rude, but your better off calling a cam manufacter.Your gonna get 10 different answers and and each one is right for the person giving them.Unless your engine is the EXACTLY the same as somebody here, the recommendations wont help you.Call ANY manufacter and give them YOUR engine specs, not what you heard or read.

KaraKedi · Nov 29, 2011

iskwezm said:
Not to be rude, but your better off calling a cam manufacter.Your gonna get 10 different answers and and each one is right for the person giving them.Unless your engine is the EXACT same as somebody here, the recommends wont help you.Call ANY manufacter and give them YOUR engine specs, not what you heard or read.

Rude!
What is this icon means
Sorry, if you feel about that.
Also i send a message to Comp Cam
But experience are more valuable for me.
In Turkey there is a proverb.
If you drop from Roof, dont go to hospital, talk with a somesome, drop before roof.

May be i can not Tell myself, may be that cause my little English.

palerider94 · Nov 29, 2011

I think you are getting feedback from people that are knowledgeable. Every build is different and is based on peoples preference (low end versus high end torque, lopey cam vs smooth idle, gas mileage important, etc.) and is very subjective - no right or wrong answers. You got a couple suggestions on what others have done - but consensus seems to be you should ask experts that specialize in cams, that know all the right aquestions to ask. That is what I did with my build.

woodsnake · Nov 29, 2011

What gears and transmission do you have right now? If you don't want to change differential gears, that will tell you exactly how much cam you should use.

KaraKedi · Nov 30, 2011

4 speed manual and 3.00

woodsnake · Nov 30, 2011

So far in my hot roding years, I have put in three performance cams. I had a huge learning curve on the 1st and second, the third one is still in the box.
Valve train geometry is absolutely critical to long engine life, as well as having other "matched" components. The pieces all need to work together. Not too big or too small of carburetor, the right rear end gear, so that you can use the power that the engine makes.
If you look over this list from Comp cams, they give rear end gear recommendations for most of the cams that will fit your "331" platform. The manual transmission gives you some wiggle room, but if you look at these specs and recommendations, you should have a better idea of what you are looking for..

COMP Cams - Performance Camshafts, Lifters, Valve Springs, Rocker Arms

S-Car-Go · Nov 30, 2011

If you don’t like the suggested cam above, you could always use the stock ford hydraulic roller with some 1.7 rocker arms. This was an excellent cam and plenty of fox bodied mustangs used it with aftermarket heads in the late 80s. It’s very street friendly and will work with a carburetor, 4 speed and 3.0 gears. AFR claimed huge power gains with the stock cam in a 302.

Camshaft for 331 stroker

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