heres the deal guys..i have a 70 GSX (clone) with a autogear 4spd and Ta stage2 heads and a performer intake and a 850 holley carb....now first question..i want to replicate the original stage 2 package as close a possible and now i have the money to do that:grin: ....which cam best represents the original and after the fact would it be streetable? also with that combo do you think a 4spd would be too much for street use?
Crane will still grind the stage 2 cam for you; they have the profile. The cam is not a very friendly unit for the big block Buick torque motor, I have been told (haven't run one myself). The cam has too much duration, i.e. made for high RPM. Dan
I ran the Stage 2 cam back in the early 70's. My car had a 400", the Stage 2 cam, the Stage 2 11:1 pistons, stock small-valve heads, M/T Super Scavenger headers, and stock intake with an 850cfm Thermo-Quad, with a 4-speed and 3.90 gears. It was streetable with the 4-speed. I remember the cam idled fairly well at around 900 rpm. It had a lope, but it had enough vacuum to run the power brakes. The performance was a little doggy on the low end, but I suspect it would have been more forgiving in a 455" than it was in my 400". I lost the cam specs a long time ago, so I took my old lightly used Stage 2 cam out of moth balls and installed it in my mock-up motor and took a few measurements. Here are the basic numbers: Intake duration @ .050": 225* Exhaust duration @ .050": 254* Overlap @ .050": 10* Intake Duration @ .006": 311* Exhaust duration @ .006": 331* Lobe separation: 115* Intake Lobe Lift: .285" ( .456" w/1.6 rockers) Exhaust Lobe Lift: .302" ( .483" w/1.6 rockers) The Stage 2 cam was not all that radical by today's standards, especially on the intake side. Hope this helps. Larry
I think there were two Stage-2 cams for the 455. One required notched pistons for the valves, the other did not. The 4.78:1 posi was also part of the deal. This is why the factory Stage-2 cams may not be the best for street use. Stage-2 cam specs (w/ notched pistons) ???? .510 .534 244 258 113 Sell the Performer and pick up a B4B. Edelbrock in making new B4B's now.
WOW i didnt know that the B4B was still in production. if i had known i would have bought it. i can still take the performer back though (still in box)..has anyone driven on the street with the 4.78s? i bet that would be kinda psycho.....
Yes we drove our first GSX on the street for a while with that gear. Just nuts. I finally took it out and put in a 3.23. The car was featured in Popular Hot Rodding in either April or May of 1978, had a B4B and now belongs to another Board member in L.A.
i cant wait to get all this together. im shooting for a solid 500-550 hp from this combo and need it to be streetable. only about 1/4 of the time will be spent on the track. would the S2 heads be too much?? am i better off with the S1 heads?
i dont even see how it could be considered a Stage 2 with out the heads. they are the most important part of this formula.
