Wanting to buy a cam...any suggestions?
- Thread starter 66nightMARE
- Start date
biggyfan1
Member
call comp cams up tell them what you have, what you will do with the car, and what you expect for power. thats what i did. they do it day in day out.
Sorry, I forgot to give yall more info. I was in a hurry to get out the door. Its a 289, basicly stock. C4 tranny, holley 600 carb, edelbrock performer intake. My dad drives it to work during monday thru thursday (4 miles round trip a day lol) and I drive it on the weekends just aound town and what now. I want to get some decent power out of my motor and most people I talked to recomended cam, headers, heads, gearing, etc....so I figured Id start with a cam. Do yall think starting somewhere else would be better?
Gears first, cam second. plan out what heads and exhaust you want and choose a cam that will work with them. You will have some performance increase with a big cam sound but till you install new heads/exhaust you wont feel the full potential.
Those comp magnum cams seem real popular for average street performance, they also give a reccomendation on rear gearing. If you go with a big cam you should also swap out the converter for one with more stall...
Those comp magnum cams seem real popular for average street performance, they also give a reccomendation on rear gearing. If you go with a big cam you should also swap out the converter for one with more stall...
66nightMARE said:
Yeah...first plan what headers, gears, heads, compression ratio, and convertor you'll use. Once you have all your parts picked out, you can pick the right cam. Since you plan on upgrading, toss the Performer and go for a PerfRPM intake.
There's a million ways to go about this and we don't have enough info to give good advice.
Only thing is, what about rebuilding the engine? I wouldn't do all this to a worn out, or old motor. If the engine needs rebuilt, rebuild the bottom end to spec with your mods in mind. That'd be the first thing to do, as it's the most expensive.
LMan
Founding Member
66nightMARE said:
Absolutely. Gears - exhaust - C4 upgrade first. Id recommend doing cam and heads together (either diff heads or port what you have) for best effect.
Dont forget to stiffen the suspension so you can put it to the ground.
Like everyone else . . .
You need to plan out what you want first, if you want just a cruiser, keep the Performer.
Then decide on the budget, and only from there you should buy anything.
The first things to do once you have decided that are, gears (probably nothing more than 3.55s with a c-4), exhaust and then into the motor.
As far as heads are concerned, if your planned powerband is less than 5600-5800, learn to port on your heads or get a set of D0OEs.
Converter, I have and have heard only good things about Edge . . .
You need to plan out what you want first, if you want just a cruiser, keep the Performer.
Then decide on the budget, and only from there you should buy anything.
The first things to do once you have decided that are, gears (probably nothing more than 3.55s with a c-4), exhaust and then into the motor.
As far as heads are concerned, if your planned powerband is less than 5600-5800, learn to port on your heads or get a set of D0OEs.
Converter, I have and have heard only good things about Edge . . .
No no no, supercharger first. Then do the rest. Its so much more fun that way! I'm kidding, but I've done it that way before. I would start with a good suspension and brakes. If all that is good, it won't matter what you put into it, it will be safe and fun.
brianj5600
Active Member
73 2bbl Boss 302 ? Ain't no such thing.5.0ina66 said:Comp 292H, I helped put one in my cousin's friend Bubba's 302. 73 2bbl Boss 302, man that thing would flat out git it when we put that cam in! Had to crank the idle up a ton too, damn holley.
The 292H is the last thing he'd want in an automatic backed 289 that's used for commutes. Yea, it'd sound wicked, but would get it's ass handed to him by the local ricer crowd.
Z-cam's a POS ?57fairlane said:Good thing he doesn't have a roller motor.
He might be tempted to put that piece of junk z-cam in it!
Better stay clear of the one in my 331-sixpack then 
One of the better cams I've tried. Idles at 600 rpm, pulls like a freight train to 6500+ with no flat spots. No, I wouldn't recommend it in his 289, but it worked stellarly in my 331.
I personally couldnt see taking an engine apart for a big cam and not swap the heads for somthing better. A set of milled and ported 65-66 289 head would be nice with a comp270 or 280 cam. But gears and converter is what your gonna feel while cruising for action. I remember when my car had the stock trans and 2.80 gears, the car didnt really start to pull till about 25mph in first gear.
Kidding! (figured you were gonna see that)D.Hearne said:73 2bbl Boss 302 ? Ain't no such thing.
I'd probably go with a comp XE256h or with better heads and all, a comp xe268h.
