All i know is the retro fit rollers are limited in how aggressive they can be, but i don't know exactly how limited because i've never looked into it. This may or may not be a big deal...i'd look for AT LEAST .550 lift and 240-250 duration @.050 and a 109-110 lobe separation. If you can find a cam in that neighborhood i think you'll be kicking ass. I'm no cam guru but that's where things really start waking up as far as cams go and you have the heads and intake and cubes to really make the best of it. Hell i would recommend the cam i have if you could use a regular roller cam.
Well I can tell you what I would use as a temporary cam with your low compression.
I would go with .550 lift max and no more than 230-235 @.050 and it seems to me that if stay in the 112-114 separation you have a chance for some more power.
85 ss 302 the reason im saying 112-114 is it seems that all the cams that call for higher compression tend to be 110 separation and less.
If you look at some of the AFM cams you will see what I mean, lower comp 112, higher comp 108-110. I think some more lift will help regardless of compression.
I will add this, borrowed from another stangneter.
The tighter LSA of 110 degrees:
- Increases cylinder pressure, cranking pressure, dynamic pressure, which can increase octane requirements.
- Increases valve overlap.
- Narrows the power band, and put torque at a more midrange RPM.
- Increases speed of engine revving.
- Initially gives quicker throttle response.
- Reduces idle quality and creates less vacuum.
- Decreases piston to valve clearance.
- Reacts better for carbureted engines.*
The wider LSA of 114 degrees:
- Decreases cylinder pressure, cranking pressure, dynamic pressure, which will decrease octane requirements.
- Decreases valve overlap.
- Widens the power band, and put torque at a higher RPM being more peaky.
- Decreases speed of engine revving.
- Initially gives slower throttle response.
- Increases idle quality and create more vacuum.
- Increases piston to valve clearance.
- Reacts better for fuel injected engines.*
I would go with .550 lift max and no more than 230-235 @.050 and it seems to me that if stay in the 112-114 separation you have a chance for some more power.
85 ss 302 the reason im saying 112-114 is it seems that all the cams that call for higher compression tend to be 110 separation and less.
If you look at some of the AFM cams you will see what I mean, lower comp 112, higher comp 108-110. I think some more lift will help regardless of compression.
I will add this, borrowed from another stangneter.
The tighter LSA of 110 degrees:
- Increases cylinder pressure, cranking pressure, dynamic pressure, which can increase octane requirements.
- Increases valve overlap.
- Narrows the power band, and put torque at a more midrange RPM.
- Increases speed of engine revving.
- Initially gives quicker throttle response.
- Reduces idle quality and creates less vacuum.
- Decreases piston to valve clearance.
- Reacts better for carbureted engines.*
The wider LSA of 114 degrees:
- Decreases cylinder pressure, cranking pressure, dynamic pressure, which will decrease octane requirements.
- Decreases valve overlap.
- Widens the power band, and put torque at a higher RPM being more peaky.
- Decreases speed of engine revving.
- Initially gives slower throttle response.
- Increases idle quality and create more vacuum.
- Increases piston to valve clearance.
- Reacts better for fuel injected engines.*
Yeah that all makes sense. Personally, the next time i have an excuse to take off my heads i'm gonna have them angle milled down to 58cc bowls (hell i migh even go lower if i have the piston to valve clearance to spare) and try to bump compression up as much as i can. I used to buy into that whole "this cam is too big" thing, and to an extent that's definitely true but with as rowdy as my cam is and my buddy's cam is and the fact that both of them are totally streetable and easy to drive really changes my perseption of what is too big and what is just right.