Can I put a big cam with a lift over .500 if I get springs that support the cam. Into my stock 350 heads.
Cam ??
- Thread starter franknitticutlass
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you can yes, but then the question comes up, why so much lift with stock heads? you will probably lose power, what are the specs on the cam?
I havent made up my mind on an exact one yet. My original choice was this RPM RANGE-1500-4000-- DURATION @.050 204/214. --LIFT-420/442 SUM-K1102. I would like a rough idle with something like 246/246 LIFT-.500/.500 RPM RANGE-3500-6500. SUM-K00112
Resist the urge to over-cam your engine. The biggest cam in the world won't do much for you if your heads can't let the extra air in. The 204/214 cam you mentioned is a better match for your stock heads than the 246 cam.
It will also not require much, if any, carb tuning. The first cam will likely feel quicker anyway. I know it's really tempting to choose from "the bottom of the page" when selecting cams.
Another thing to consider. If you go with the 500+ lift cam, chances are you will need to buy the matching springs. Ok problem solved...well not really. Those springs will have increased pressure to deal with that big cam and your stock heads will(most likely) have pressed in studs that could easily start to pull out with the added spring pressure.
As stated it's best to start off with something on the smaller side, until you can afford to upgrade everything as a package.
As stated it's best to start off with something on the smaller side, until you can afford to upgrade everything as a package.
A big cam will be a dog in a stock 350. It will drain off low RPM cylinder pressure, making it sluggish on the bottom and the heads will restrict breathing just as it gets in to it's power band. I ran computer models (based on flow bench numbers for my heads, compression, intake, etc.) of my engine to pick my cam, and the computer predicted the cam I have to be better than the next largest one on my mild 350. Unless you have the head flow and compression to use it, a big cam will make your car slower. Plus, it will be less fuel efficient, hard to tune and less reliable. If anything, you are better off with a milder cam and bigger heads than the other way around. I will also say that for the amount of work you are going to go through, spend another $50 and buy a name brand cam from someone like Competition Cams. The Summit cheapie cams are usually based on old lobe designs and will not make the power of a similarly sized cam from something like the Comp Xtreme Energy line. If you go that route, use nothing larger than the XE262 unless you have new heads and more compression to go with the cam change. Is it a radical sounding cam? No. However, you will look pretty silly if you have a radical idle and a car that can't beat a 17 year old kid in an automatic Civic with a fart can. Remember that to make the car better it takes a systems approach. It all has to work together to maximize the performance return on your investment.
^^^Agree with all the above. I've got a 442/460 summit cam with regular 2.02/1.60 heads that does better than most guys running any larger of a cam. Problem is if you don't have the money to set up the rest of your motor to handle that cam, whats the point of the cam? Your motor won't handle it, especially with stock heads, and you'll watch your motor either run like a dog or stuff will start to break. Listen to that little cha-ching sound in the back of your head.
I 'overcammed' a 350 years back. I was a basically stock 350, stock heads. Some really big cam (3000-7000RPM range I think), old style torker intake, long tube headers, stock ignition, stock quadrajet, TH350 with stock converter and a shift kit, and 2.29 gears.
Now all that might sound cool. And the fact that it was in a light little monza, you might think it was fast car. Let me tell you, that thing wouldn't have had a chance against itself when the (mostly)stock 305 was in it.
Your whole engine/transmission/gears/feul system, they all have to work together. Trust me, I learned the hard way lol.
Now all that might sound cool. And the fact that it was in a light little monza, you might think it was fast car. Let me tell you, that thing wouldn't have had a chance against itself when the (mostly)stock 305 was in it.
Your whole engine/transmission/gears/feul system, they all have to work together. Trust me, I learned the hard way lol.
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