Tunnel ram cam?!

vntned said
So I'm ready to make my dart a little wilder than it is! Currently it's just a 360, with H116CP pistons, (scr is at 9.4:1 with standard felpro head gaskets),
CompCams 268AH-10, untouched small valve 587 heads, 340HP manifolds, Eddy LD340 intake and a 750cfm Street Demon. The car is backed by a 2.66 first gear A833 4spd with a 3.55 in the back and a 26" tire.

Current plans are to keep the short block, change the cam, put on some hogged out big valve Jheads, Offenhauser dual quad tunnel ram, some big gnarly Hedman Husler fender-well headers, and a 3.91SG I just picked up for it.

I've already got the headers, and tunnel ram. The heads are at the machine shop being gone through. Shortblock has around 10k miles, so it's still basically fresh. I've got a fresh 4spd ready for it! And all this stuff is set in stone.

My two questions are cam and carbs. Carbs I'm thinking a pair of 390s or 450s. Im not sure on where to start really. I want the car to remain a weekend brawler with occasional trips to the strip. However, I'd like to run low 12.0s or better.

Suggestions for what cam specs I need?

-Yes, I know I should call Racer Brown--WHY?
-Yes, a custom cam is better than an off the shelf--SPEC'D right--YES
-No, I don't care about you hating CompCams--Me either
-No, I don't care about how much you love Hughes--Me either
-No, I don't care about cold starts with a tunnelram--Not an issue with proper carbs--a TR is not a CR
-No, I don't need a mathematical breakdown of gear vs rpm vs torque multiplication vs etc..--Good
-No, I don't care about anything not regarding cam specs for this specific application--Are you sure?

Experience tells me that a TR will add about 20-25 hp in your case and about 40hp in a larger cube app and about the same in TQ. A TR doesn't care what cam you have it always works. A TR is NOT a high RPM deal at all--it would make a better truck manifold than a race manifold unless it is way TOO big or you are carb limited--think Pro-Stock here. I've made 671TQ @ 470 cubes and didn't really know what I was doing-it also peaked 700rpm too early no matter what I did. What is very interesting to me is when I've measured TR airflow through the carbs via the dyno turbine--is a 1000cfm rated 4bl on a single 4 bl manifold will pull about 890cfm at about 725 HP. Stick the TR on and 2 x 1000cfm carbs and the engine moves the same air or even slightly less while making MORE power. I've even installed 2 x 650 HP bodied carbs on the same build and lost 14HP while moving the same CFM.

A TR is not a mysterious unicorn type of thing--Long runners make mondo torque--Mondo torque that carries=more HP. I've tested more than my fair share of TR's and it always equals +20-40HP/TQ while peaking earlier than you really want. Unless your carbs aren't right they won't blow up on cold starts -they don't hesitate, they don't really act any different than a single 4bl. They do usually require a hole in the hood and more complicated when it comes to throttle linkage and fuel lines though. Expect more pedal effort as well. Happy TR'ing. J.Rob