How to choose the best cam?

I am looking for the right cam for my build. Using dynos posted on this forum, I originally chose the TA 290H cam. With my ported Edelbrock heads, that cam seemed like a good choice. But I called TA Performance and that cam is NIS. Don't know when they might have it back in stock. So now I need to decide on a new cam.

There are many other cams along the same grind to choice from. I am looking at the 298H cam now, if TA has one. JW posted the dyno for a engine with this cam and the numbers were very good. My heads probably won't flow is good, but I expect 550+ HP. Not looking to run over 6k rpms. As for my build, around 10.5 to 1 with the dcr around 7.5. Edelbrock heads flowing 321/215 cfm at .500". SP1 intake. Baffled headers. Holley HP 1000 carb. This engine is street/stip. It's not going to be a daily driver.

Any experience or knowledge of other posts with dyno runs using the same or similar cams is appreciated.

Thanks

 

Discuss it with Mike at TA.

 

You can find something close for a shelf cam,but if you want to leave nothing on the table,it’s always best to have one ground for your exact application.

 

288-92 was used for car craft shootout in 2001-2002. The buick won against the other 5 big blocks. Cam was made by popular brand and now in TA catalog. Comp Cams Extreem Energy 230-236
It made 555 hp and still pulled a vacuum at the top end! Begging for a bigger carburetor!

 

Thanks Gary, but my car has manual brakes. I don’t need power brakes on an eighteen hundred pound vehicle with discs front and rear. As long as there is enough for the carb and distributor. That cam looks good. Would like a little more intake lift with my ported Edelbrock heads, which was why I was looking at the 290H.

12 lives, I thought about asking TA. I found a dyno posted here a while back which had the output in the range I was looking for. That engine used the 290H cam. That was the reason I was going with the same. Sorry, I don’t remember the person at the moment. They had ported TA aluminum heads, not sure Stg 1 or 2. Max hp around 5600 rpm’s.

I was also looking at a Crower cam, 52242, 538/536, 112 degrees. I’ve read good things on this forum about their cams. I don’t have to make a decision tomorrow. TA does not have the pistons I want in stock. Will be at least a few weeks before they can be shipped…. Or longer.

 

I was refering to vacuum at peak hp meaning that holley 750 was too small. It was needing more air.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood your response. A 750 Holley is smaller than what came stock on these engines. I would have thought they would have used an 800 or larger. Thanks.

 

I have both those cams. Was going to use the 288 as it came with the parts I bought. But once I was able to score some ported TE heads, I upgraded to the 290.

 

I ran Crower 52242 in my 10.5 :1 (actual) compression 430 + 0.030" w/headers a long time ago. Still had great low end, noticeable but not radical idle, and pulled great from off idle, midrange and top end as far as I was willing to push it which was ~5500 rpm. A few years later as an experiment I dropped that same cam into a stock, worn 430 w/exhaust manifolds...low/mid were still surprisingly strong, but that engine was missing a point of compression and was relying on stock exhaust manifolds, so across the board performance was down compared to the 436 engine...but the worn 430 still felt better after the cam swap!

Devon

 

I don’t have any experience with the Crower 52242 but I did make 602.8 hp with a Crower 52243 cam in a 12 to 1 compression Stage 1 motor.

 

Car Craft magazine set the build limits for the shootout. All 6 engines had to use the same 750 dyno carb and had to use 10 to 1 compression to level the playing field.

 

Larry, not to move too far off topic, I could have gone with a sbc. But you can't throw a rock at a car show without hitting a street rod with a sbc in it. How many Buicks do you see? I saw a nailhead in the t bucket pre covid, once. Can't say I remember seeing a 455 bbb.

 

A monkey can build a Chevy. If you can’t make one of those go fast,just quit,it’s not in your DNA.

 

1. It always fun to win.
2. It's way more fun to win with a Buick!
3. Now, show them your quadrajet and watch their expression.

 

JW for pistons?

 

Just to update, I went with the the 288-92H. It has the same lift as the 290 but 110 degree instead of 112.

 

Tighter the better......