360 cam question...
Car specs:
1966 Barracuda, 360 .030 over, Keith Blacks flat tops, Holley 650 DP, 727 auto, 8 3/4 sure grip, 3.55 gears - intended use is primarily street.
I measured my cam lift today with my dial gauge. I got an average of .279" intake and .294" exhaust of dial lift. Using the stock rocker arm ratio of 1.5, I get .418 intake valve lift, and .441 exhaust valve lift. I have no idea on the duration. So this is probably not the performance cam I am looking for to take advantage of some 2.02 J heads with some porting. I am considering the Summit cam kit 285/285 .480/.480 as its reasonably priced and approximates the 280/.474 cam in the 360 Stage 3 build found in How To Hot Rod SBM's . I plan on using stock manifolds due to the header issues that plague the early A bodies. I believe they are the original 273 manifolds.
What are your thoughts on the cam choice I am considering? What will its manners be? Is there a better choice considering I am using stock manifolds? Anyone have any experience with Summit cam quality? I know I will leave some HP's on the table not going with headers. But $1500 for headers and their relatively minimal gains puts them out of reach at the moment, due to other areas of the vehicle I am restoring.
Thanks
66 Cuda,
The Camshaft that you spec'd out sounds like a Summit #K6900
Lift....................... .421"/.444"
Duration................ 278*/288*
Duration @ .050" ... 204*/214*
LSA ...................... 112*
* That's a Low-End Torque-Puller, good for {1200 to 4800 RPM's}.
* With a smooth-idle, and good Low-End Horsepower and Torque.
* A good application for a Heavy Car, RV Vehicle, and/or Towing.
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Regarding the quality of the 'Summit' Camshafts. They are out-sourced,
but are fine for 'general performance', and priced accordingly.
The SUM-1798 {$101.97}
Lift...................... 480"/.480"
Duration ............. 285*/285*
Duration @ .050".. 228*/228*
LSA..................... 112*
Has been proven as a decent High-Performance Street Camshaft.
The idle is a little 'rough', but it has excellent Mid-Range Power,
especially from 2500 to 6000 RPM's.
Not the best choice with Stock '273' Exhaust Manifolds though.
With the 2200 RPM Stall Torque-Converter, you are right on the edge
with this Camshaft.
