Best FE Cam

[Calvin Gunter]

OK don't mean to start a big flame but I'm in the market for a different camshaft.I have a 30 over 390,600 Holley, Weiand intake,headers,Mallory Unilight,3;50 posi.I do some light towing and I do have power brakes.Right now I have a Comp 260 that I'm not liking.What do you suggest for some bottom end power without getting too radical.TIA,Calvin

[sideoilerfe]

Crane 343941

[convincor]

I'm running that crane 941 in my Cobra.
I like it, but I find it to be noisey..
In the truck I think I would step down to the 901, but that would also depend on how you plan on using the truck..

[convincor]

here's a "truck" cam they are advertising, thinking about it for the 68's 390-
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku

[DuckRyder]

What is the compression ratio?

The 941 is a good cam, bit mild for me, the 343801 is a good can too if you don't mind a slightly rough idle and have enough compression.

Convincor, the 941 is a hydraulic flat tappet, it should not be noisy if correctly set up...

I personally would stay away from any comp and any single pattern cam...

[convincor]

[quote="DuckRyder"]
Convincor, the 941 is a hydraulic flat tappet, it should not be noisy if correctly set up... quote]
I know what the cam is....
Set up with .030 preload as per Cranes specs.
So why do I here it only at around 2000-2200 rpm
At idle it's fine, at 3000 it's fine. Only hear it at that RPM range when just cruising..
Talked to my machine shop and he seems to think(he's heard it) it's the cam also...

[DuckRyder]

Convincor, the 941 is a hydraulic flat tappet, it should not be noisy if correctly set up...

I know what the cam is....
Set up with .030 preload as per Cranes specs.
So why do I here it only at around 2000-2200 rpm
At idle it's fine, at 3000 it's fine. Only hear it at that RPM range when just cruising..
Talked to my machine shop and he seems to think(he's heard it) it's the cam also...

Interesting, what does crane have to say? My experiance with them is pretty good...

[convincor]

My machinist is going to call his contact who's been with Crane for 40 years and see what he has to say..
It's not like it's loose valve train sound. Almost sounds like a head gasket leak between cylinders, but it's not.. checked it.
We'll see what they say...

[Redcap]

I'm real partial to Isky cams, they have always treated me right.

[rubiranch]

What is the compression ratio?

This is a very important question when you pick a cam.

A cam designed for a high compression engine will not perform well in a low compression engine and visa versa.

You also need to know roughly what your cruise rpm is.

I picked a cam that was designed with short durations and very little overlap (208 @ .050) in comparison to its lift (.484). This was done to increase cylinder pressure in low compression engines (mine is 8.2) and correspondingly boost torque, gas mileage potential and throttle response. Peak torque is usually achieved between 2350 and 3350 rpm.

I picked this cam, and cast iron S intake, a Holley 600 cfm carb, Heddman Hedders and a custom 3" single exhaust. It has a little lope at idle and runs very good.

Cams are always a tough one, what I like and what you like may be two different things.

Make sure you use a break-in lube on the lobes and lifters and use an oil with a high Zinc content for proper flat tappet break in.

[robroy]

You also need to know roughly what your cruise rpm is.

Is this so that at that RPM, the cam will be telling the engine to be conservative on fuel?

So if I cruise at around 2,800RPM, does that mean I'd want a cam that starts to use tons of fuel (power) at around 3,000RPM and above?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[Calvin Gunter]

Hey rubiranch which cam did you use?

[rubiranch]

I used a Reactor Cam sold by a company named No 1 Performance here in Salt Lake. They recently closed their doors but I will see if I can find the company that ground it for them.

My truck runs about 2900 rpm at 65 mph and I use it mostly for towing our travel trailer, that's where knowing the cruise rpm comes in to play. It also added a huge amount of bottom end torque. The truck performs better at all rpms.

I had a 63 Merc with a factory "300 hp" 390 and the one in my trucks runs a lot better than it ever did.

Another thing that I liked is that the cam having less than .500" lift it didn't require new valve springs.

[brownac1983]

Schneider Racing Cams near San Diego, Ca. will cut any grind you want. They can also plug all of your specs into their computer and recommend a good grind. I use them in all of my engines, and have never had a problem. Their prices are better than a lot of off-the-shelf units. I think I paid $174.99 for the last one I bought about 2 years ago. That's for a set of cam and lifters for a 352. I believe the cam alone would have been around $120. I don't have their number handy, but I'm sure you can find it on Google. Good luck.