I still glaze over when i try & figure out the right cam to use, especially with this engine/trans. combo so i need your help in selecting the right cam for this build & car.

Block- 83 H.O.
Stroker kit - 331 nodular iron crank, pistons 4032 alloy, lunati rods.
heads - Edelbrock aluminum
intake -edel. RPM air gap
Carb- holley Street av. 650
Distro - Mallory plug & play -holley dig. box
Harlan sharpe - roller rockers
Comp. -lifters, pushrods

Car - 2800 pounds/3:73;s trac -lok
Trans. built C-4 with gear vendors over/under drive
Convertor - 2800 stall
With the low C-4 first, first over gears i;m assuming the car will come out of the hole pretty well, so i was thinking a cam that came on at 1500 rpm plus would be the ticket.
Splitting gears will allow the engine to stay in its power range, there is only a 200-300 ropm drop if you use first, first over, second, second over,etc.
6th gear or O/D is .67 so i;m figuring criusing would be almost the same as the AOD.(70mph at 1800 rpm.)
Where do i start in figuring the right cam for this combo.
Thanks in advance.
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roger powell

That sounds sweet already! Which edelbrock heads are you using? Are you going to drive this car alot, or just around town on nice days? Will it see much track time?
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Sha. '67...460...top loader...3.25 9"

Oh...I forgot...the 83 blocks didn't use a roller cam right?
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Sha. '67...460...top loader...3.25 9"

Edelbrck victor Jr.wanted the AFR 165;s but here in Canada the price diff. between the 2 is $1,750.00 compared to $2,275.00
Yes, the 83 is a non roller but i could retro fit a roller, thats an option ,although an expensive one & this is adding up quickly!
So, i;m thinking a flat tappet. this engine/trans. combo will always be in its power band so deciding on a cam has me puzzled, i haven;t spoken to comp. or anyone yet regarding cam choice though.
The car is a fair weather only, track time once, twice a yr, but definately right off the bat to see what she will do.
With the AOD i did more miles in one year than the first 10 i owned her!
i;m thinking the GV unit overdrive will be even better,especially getting up to where I need O/D.
Even with the little 5.0 based 327 in her now it feels like i;ve added 50hp.with the GV unit, your just always in the mills sweet spot & once you get onto it your right hand is very busy!
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roger powell

oops
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'68 Fairlane 500 sportroof, 428CJ, close ratio toploader, 9" detroit locker, 31 spline axles, 3.50 gears.

Last edited by fairjohn on Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:06 pm; edited 1 time in total

oops again, sorry I'll get used to this new forum eventually.
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'68 Fairlane 500 sportroof, 428CJ, close ratio toploader, 9" detroit locker, 31 spline axles, 3.50 gears.

Last edited by fairjohn on Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:08 pm; edited 2 times in total

ok lets try this again. The 302 I had in my fairlane before my big block conversion was similar . I ran ported '69 351 windsor heads, 10.5 compression, holley 650 dp, hooker super comps, C4 with 2800 stall and 3.89:1 open rear. The cam that I used and what was recomended to me at the time was the Erson Hi Flow AM grind #E210322.
Mechanical Flat Tappet
Duration @ .050" 242 intake
246 exhaust

Gross lift .544" intake
.544" exhaust

108 degree lobe center

The application for this cam according to Erson was for an engine with 10.0-11.0 compression, mildly ported stock heads or aftermarket heads with bigger valves, 4-speed manual or C4 automatic with 3000-3500 rpm converter. I had a 2800 rpm converter I never noticed a dead spot or anything like that. As soon as I mashed the gas it ran really strong from the get go. I had 3" exhaust with turbo mufflers and every one that heard it was amazed that it only had a 302 in it.
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'68 Fairlane 500 sportroof, 428CJ, close ratio toploader, 9" detroit locker, 31 spline axles, 3.50 gears.

I would definitely go with a mechanical flat tappet cam since you aren't going roller. The solid lifters have a faster ramp. Granted...it will be more maintenance, but adjusting valves doesn't take too long. Look at Isky cams and Comps as well. I would think you could go to 280* advertised duration...maybe more. Need to be careful not to go too long or too much lift because you don't want those valves to hit the pistons.

My 289 has a solid 270* or 224* (i think) @ .050" and .500" lift...that is both intake and exhaust. Has a nice mild lump to it. I believe its RPM range started @ 1500 RPM...and it sure works great now that i have a T5 and 4.11s in it. Boy does it fly to 6 grand...almost a little too fast.

Just what i think. Have fun. let us know what you settle on.
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Red 1967 Ford Fairlane convertible with built 289, 4.11s and T5!

I agree. something in the 280 advertised duration range with about 520 lift. I would go with a hydraulic lifter cam though. I was just flipping through the summit catolog and saw their performer rpm cam. That might fit the bill nicely. I would still call the tech line at whatever brand you're looking at. Those guys always know their stuff.
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Sha. '67...460...top loader...3.25 9"

I went with mechanical because it will help increase power versus the hydraulic.

Just wondering...why would you go for hydraulic over mechanical?
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Red 1967 Ford Fairlane convertible with built 289, 4.11s and T5!

Roger,

What is the compression ratio? The 1800 rpm @ 70 mph plus the 3.73 ratio indicates you probably need a low to medium duration cam. The long duration cams would like the 3.73, but not the overdrive. I am not sure how the overdrive unit would work with the 2800 stall. Probably the best approach is to provide complete information to the cam company and ask for their recommendation.

Larry

i did talk to comp help line yesterday & his comments were: hydralic roller, with their new profiles he didn;t feel a solid was needed in this day & age especially for the street.
They;re talking their x-treme series 270 or 262.
by the way, i made a blooper, heads are performer RPM not victors.
Then talked to Lunati about stroker order & they threw a new curve at me, came up with this for a combo:
Nodular iron crank -3.425 inch & 5.400 inch connecting rods.
pistons are 4032;s hi-silcone which they say are better street pistons.
i;ve at least got to order stroker kit asap to get started as the shop is waiting to re/re the block & won;t start without the exact innards i;m using.
i;ll let you know what Lunati reccommends for a cam for this combo.
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roger powell

keep hitting the wrong button! Compression ratio is about 9:5 to 1, 9:7 to 1 as near as we can figure with the edel. performer rpm,s.
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roger powell

I see the allure of using a mechanical cam. They open and close the valves very quickly. But, I always use hydraulic cams due to ease of maintenance. As far as adjusting the valves goes with a hydraulic cam, you set it and forget it.
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Sha. '67...460...top loader...3.25 9"

That thing sounds like it will be a screamer.

I guess hydraulic lifters have gotten a lot better than they were. I wish i sprung for a roller cam...i think they are cool first of all, and they really cut down on the friction.

I get worried about how long will the roller last and if the roller broke would it fall into the engine? I just haven't seen or looked at a roller lifter.

How much power are you expecting or going for?
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Red 1967 Ford Fairlane convertible with built 289, 4.11s and T5!