new to this site/cam ?'s

[Russell Keys]

new to this site/cam ?\'s

well I have made a few posts, and read all of the ones in the past. I must say I'm very impressed and feel lucky to have stumbled across this site. Once I figure out how to post pictures I would like to get some pics of my 73' on here. To all of you engine builders, I'm rebuilding the 350 in my pull truck. It started smoking last month. What kind of cam(brand, model, part#) do yall recommend? The truck is an 81'K30 crew cab, 4.56 gears,4spd, 33x12.50 tires. It has a weiand stealth intake, and a edelbrock 750, no headers, dual exhaust. Oh, it's red, vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, no radio, and A/C blows cold.

 

[mudfanatic]

Re: new to this site/cam ?\'s

I have been around a lot of engines in my life, some with heavily built cams that run great at WOT, but won't idle for sh**, some that are a medium build that idle ok when warm but not cold,some that are mild race that are great for high rpm values, and some that are a mild RV that produce torque but not very much high end.
What I am getting at is how do YOU want your rig to run and perform, generally a stock cam is rated the best all around cam but there are some that have a degree or two more of duration that allows more time for air/fuel to enter and leave the cylinder which in turn increases HP just a little but shouldn't affect idle much. Chat with a local performance shop in your area, tell them how you want your rig to act/perform and see what they recommend.
I hope that in all of my ramblings I didn't bore you too much, I just want you to get what you want, not what someone who runs 36" swampers and wants to climb hills at 70 mph says that he has and it works great for his rig
'77 K5

<font color=red>mudfanatic</font color=red>

 

[SVBlazer]

Re: new to this site/cam ?\'s

Agree with MF. Your first stop is the local shops. Using MF's advise will get you started down the road to finding what you want. If you want the high end horse power and are willing to give up the idle and low end, look for someone taking high lift long duration cams. Now, if your looking for low end torque (like most 4x4 folks) shy away from shops speaking that language. Instead, look for the RV cam, limited lift and duration language.

I spent several month searching for exactly what your looking for. Almost resorted to buying a torquer motor from summit. Found a guy that knew a guy that had a shop recommendation...called the shop and explained what I wanted. The shop's answer was 383 with a dual profile RV cam. My language. The shop recommended the following cam grind:
Intake .420 lift/280dur centered@107
Exhaust .443 lift/295dur centered@117

The numbers on the dyno are 400+hp @ 5200 and 400+lbs torque at 3250. The thing dies above 5500 and floats the valves above 6500. (Yup, been there). I don't recall what my spring rates were...These number also reflect a ton of head work to improve flow.

My point with all the rambling is figure out what you want and start talking to some shops and be prepared to get your checkbook out...

 

[White Knight]

Re: new to this site/cam ?\'s

Got a RV in my 350, great for off-road work but its not a 1/4 miler, high rpms it bottoms out, but hey high rpms are the<font color=red> kiss of death </font color=red> as far as I concerned! I would suggest plenty of R/D before you buy and build!

<font color=blue> may the dirt rise to meet you and the wind be always at your back </font color=blue>

White Knight

 

[Russell Keys]

Re: new to this site/cam ?\'s

Thanks for the input guys. I just got off the phone with the Jeg's tech line. They suggested a comp extreme energy cam with 212-218 duration @.050" and a lift of .447/.454". Has any one used extreme energy cams before? He also suggested to use screw in studs because of the amount of lift this cam has. The cam in my '73 has .488" lift and I've not had a problem with pulling studs out of the head. Are screw in studs more of a prevention measure? Is it worth the extra $$ to do it now since the heads will be in the machine shop anyway? What would be a roundabout price to have the screw in studs installed?

Sorry about the lengthy questions,
Russell

By the way how do yall get the nicknames under the posters names, and the colored type?

 

['73 K5]

Re: new to this site/cam ?\'s

ALRIGHT!!! That .447/.454 Xtreme Energy one is the EXACT same cam in my Blazer right now. I, too, put quite a bit of research into it. And I'm pretty satisfied with my choice.
I've got Edelbrock intake, carb, Vortec heads, Comp cams cam and pushrods, Cloyes double roller chain, dual exhaust. I also have the 4-speed.
Yea, you're supposed to use roller tipped rockers and their valve springs if you go with that cam because of the added stress it puts on those components. I did that and STILL pulled a stud. I thought it was a fluke, but maybe not. The Comp Cams people said screw in wasn't needed, but maybe they're wrong. I'd get screw in style if I was you, since that happened to me. I don't know a price, but you'll spend a sh*tload of money fixing the problem if it happens.
OK, back to the cam. Decent torque and horsepower. It idles a little rough when its cold, but nothing like a lopey muscle car. It will idle up my driveway at 400 RPM in granny gear all day long and still put a smile on my face in second gear above 2500 RPM.

'73 K5
Chevy good...Ford bad