I'm looking for a cam for my '72 Skylark. Stock (for now) 350 with the Q-jet. I'm looking for a cam with a good lope...the baddest street-legal cam I can get. I understand I'll have to do more upgrades to the engine with a hotter cam. Any suggestions for the best cam? I really like the lope sound.
When choosing cams just remember: Bigger is not always better. The cam should be a combination with other parts, or the engine will run worse than stock. I would definetely install a stall converter if you have an automatic trans. High speeded rear gears don't mix well with bigger cams either. After the cam and stall install, you need to consider headers, intake and upgraded ignition. Worked heads will really bring an engine to life, but is costly. More hp is made in the head upgrade than anything else you can do. I installed a cam from Poston in my 350 several years back. My engine had the 70 pistons with more compression. I never bothered with a stall, or gears and the engine was a severe let-down. Check TA's and Postons sites for complete descriptions of cams. They describe the lopes. Call them and have a chat if you like. Both can really help you out. Now, all this is wasted typing if all you want is a big Thumpty, Thump while cruising down the local Blvd. In that case, buy that big cam and make them wonder what you have under the hood. But, never challange one to a race without some other upgrades!:grin:
Ditto what John said, When you install a high performance cam in an engine you move the power band up. You gain higher horsepower potential at the expense of idle and low end power. If you have a big block, you can select a bigger cam, because you'll still have descent low end. Put that same cam in a small block, and you'll notice a bigger loss of low end power. It's important to match parts that will work together. Put a 118 cam in a 455, and it's a mild performance cam. Put it into a 350, and it's a hot street cam. Most stock cams are designed to make good power from 800 RPM, up to about 4500. Matched with a stock torque converter that stalls at 1400, they work well. Now put a cam in that engine that comes on at 2000 or 2500, and leave the stock converter. Now the cars a pig from a dead stop, because the converter stalls below where the cam comes on. Putting in a cam with alot of overlap into a low compression engine is another mistake. The overlap bleeds cylinder pressure at low speed, and saps performance. What I'm trying to say is you need to consider your entire engine package when selecting a cam. Best thing to do is call the cam manufacturer and tell them your current combo, and future mods you intend to do. Everything has to work together.
