How big of a cam can I use with the AFR 165s and a 1.6 rocker and stock pistons? Can anybody recomend a decent cam for a 5speed car with these heads, Edelbrock RPM intake, 70mm TB, 73MAF, 24#ers, Powerdyne set at 9psi, 3.73s, and exhaust?
I had a Comp Cams XE274H (flat tappet, not roller) in my 83 with 165s.. no issues. Duration is more of a concern then max lift, considering max lift happens when the piston is all the way down in the cylinder. The cam speced out ad 230 duration at .050 intake, 236 at .050 exhaust, lift was .519 intake, .526 exhaust. Cam was nasty sounding and worked great with the setup.
btw, I called AFR and they said a good rule of thumb when using stock pistons is to keep the duration below 230 @ .050 and you should be good. My p/v clearance was a little less then what most would call "streetable" but it worked.