I was just addressing that to you sucka, because I want you to be there and hopefully I can help you beat me either with the motor or with the dial in. Just think right now you will have a head start on me in the bracket world, and at about the 1000ft mark I will flip on the nitrous and blow by you LOL, see the spikes coming out of my head lol. I think we should all put on a little nitrous kit and go after the 455 guys. Maybe we can get one complete lane for just the 350 cars. Now that would be a first. Another question, If those later heads were not good and did they not get 240 out of the intake? Well that is more than my heads as mine only flowed 235 intake and 176 exhaust. I still had more power, it really all came down to the low compression on this one. In the end here they were just going after a street motor that was going to run on pump gas and I have to say even though the cam was a little big if I pulled up to you with that car at the light you would be a little intimidated by my cam sound and I bet once the car got rolling that cam was going to turn on in the second half of the show. Just like my little 268 Comp Cam did back in 83, 1st and 2nd gear in the 1/4 mile with my 256 gear. It did not come on till after 2500 rpm but I still beat a lot of people with it. Like the RS Camaro that tried to race me 4 times at Quaker and after I came around him and beat him each time he got out of my lane. Or that 68 Buick wildcat with that 440 TQ motor that got me a Whole intersection out of the hole the second time I race him and I went by him in second gear like he was standing still. I took his money and so did everyone else on that bet, That was in 1985. So do not discount those cams that might be a little large for the motor as they turn on in the second half of the race. and usually win.
As long as the compression matches the camshaft, cam it any way you like. This is probably the single most important factor of building, all things considered. :TU: Gary
Cam selection needs a change. Custom is the way to go for street unless your running 10 plus compression. And most cams priced close to 200 bucks spend a few more and get something that will perform well in your combo rater then trying to match your combo to a cam
There's always more than one way to skin a cat, but there comes a point when it becomes splitting hairs. Many off the shelf camshafts out there already have been proven performers, so why spend more money on a custom cam that may or may not perform better? You'd need to locate a talented camshaft engineer for a better custom cam, otherwise you're wasting your money and (probably) hurting your engine. I used to advocate custom camshafts and will still only do so if the compression is already set up and someone wants the cam to better match the compression because there's no off the shelf cam that comes close. This would be the only scenario I'd advise on a custom cam. It's not difficult matching the engine's compression to the camshaft being used. As long as it falls within about .1 -.2 points of where you want to be and allocate for chain stretch, it'll be fine. The block and heads are going to be milled anyway, why not put it where you want it? Most people are camshaft illiterate and don't understand even the simple basics, much less more complicated aspects that affect how the engine will behave at varying RPMs, which other parts to recommend with said camshaft, which type of gasoline to use, how it will idle, how much vacuum it will have, which stall to use, what sort of mileage, performance, and longevity to expect, etc. etc. You're rolling the dice when you go custom. You might get lucky and get a competent grinder, or you may end up with a totally jacked up cam, no matter which specs you told him to grind it at. How well will it be hardened? Catalog camshafts are made in batches and your chances of getting an accurate, dyno proven grind is far higher. Most of the stories you hear about someone 'overcamming' an engine have very similar characteristics: doggy low end, weaksauce midrange, and by the time the engine can come close to turning on, the valvesprings/rods/heads/intake/exhaust are limiting factors... The story is always the same, and one key element remains the common denominator: the compression is always way too low for the intake valve closing point. Even with a camshaft way too big, you'll still vastly improve power across the entire powerband by matching the compression to the IVC point. I guarantee you if all you did were match the compression to the camshaft used in the test engine this thread is about (and tuned it accordingly) you'd see an entirely different engine, even with the camshaft specs out of whack. Gary
All good points Gary, but I think Andy was referring to Scotty Brown to get a custom cam from him, you basically can't go wrong unless you totally don't know what your combo is and give him totally wrong specs. Derek
Yes it is true that the Scott Brown custom cams are sure to be really good, especially for a high $ build... I see Gary's point though I think that 95% of the engines built are perfectly fine with proper selection of a TA cam that matches the compression. I think often times we are over complicating things... Pick the rpm range and fuel level you want to run, pick the camshaft you want, then make the compression work out to match...
Ta cams priced about 189. Scott's custom is 208. Not seeing the huge expense difference. I'm sure years ago it was a bigger difference.now it just makes sence. Half of the proven cams never took a street 350 over 400 HP.
19 bucks is a risk? See aloft of 455 cars doing well with Scotty's cams. At this point I don't see it being a risk. I have tryed the rv112,118,310,284,comp 268, and have yet to be impressed.
Sure. I think your base engine would be a great start. Lower mileage. Heads ported with bigger valves and mild port work. Flowing 230-240 on intake. Mill heads .030-040 to get a 50 cc chamber. That will give a real compression of about 8.2 then call Scott with specs for him to decide on a cam grind.
