440 Camshaft recommendations for up to 6-6,500 rpm?

-
Now back to your camshaft, there are a lot of variables but shooting from the hip I would be looking at something in this range. 323 are a little tricky running up that high on the RPMs because of the long gears work against a peaky cam. There are faster cams out there no doubt but this would have good Street manners and longevity. Just my two cents

Screenshot_20210426-190309.png
 
BullyDodge said:
According to Jegs:
Advertised Duration: 268°/284°
  • Centerline: 115°
  • Lift: .450"/.458"
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the cam I was thinkin with the RPM range he quoted. That's the Road Runner cam.....but he said he has .550 lift.
 
Put it in neutral and stomp on it. It may make it to 6,000 rpm a couple of times. I think we are looking at the need for more than a cam change, but a different engine design as others have alluded to.

I can hear the Boss singing 'Glory Days' again so here it goes one more time......

'Pop's Engine' another 440 on the dyno.
 
BullyDodge said:
3.23 rear diff, auto 727, edelbrock AVS2 800 cfm, edelbrock performer RPM, flat tappet.
Click to expand...

That combination of parts, along with the shorty tri-y’s, isn’t really beckoning for a cam that needs to run over 6K.

Sure, you could overcam it a bit, and then crutch it up with a loose converter....... if one “had to” regularly run it over 6k.

If 6k+ capability is truly the goal, you should just step right up to a solid lifter cam.
With what is out there for hyd lifters these days, I def wouldn’t assume they’ll be up to the task.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah. I'd be asking myself if there's a NEED to pull to 6500.
Click to expand...

I agree Rob. With my custom spec'd and ground Comp hydraulic (basically a XE285HL intake lobe with a larger/less aggressive 301* exhaust lobe and 112* LSA, .545" both sides on lift) my wagon's 440 will TURN 6500rpm readily, but short shifting at 6200 or even 6000 netted me quicker ETs. I used the Pro Magnum lifters and Crane iron adjustable rockers/pushrods and Comp #925-16 springs to enable the hydraulic cam to reliably operate above 6000. The old Crane Commander 302/312* .504/.528" 112*LSA using stock stamped rockers was really done by 6000, with the original setup.
 
BullyDodge said:
Purchased this Dart with a 440 with a Mopar purple for idle to 5,800 (as per the engine shop). Was thinking of going with something to get me into the 6-6,500 range. I know that will sacrifice a smooth idle and depends on heads and valve train. Specs on head and valve-train when I bought them are:
915 heads port and polished,
105# at installed height 1.80
300# at 1.25 .550 lift
coil bind 1.10
good to .600 lift
I an not an expert on these calculations. Any suggestions as to what would work best to get me into a higher rpm zone? Purpose = street and informal timing at airport strip.
Click to expand...
Take a look at 250-260 duration camshafts you'll get what you desire. I can't tell you lift since I don't know your clearances between valve & pistons..youll need a torque converter too
 
BullyDodge said:
Purchased this Dart with a 440 with a Mopar purple for idle to 5,800 (as per the engine shop). Was thinking of going with something to get me into the 6-6,500 range. I know that will sacrifice a smooth idle and depends on heads and valve train. Specs on head and valve-train when I bought them are:
915 heads port and polished,
105# at installed height 1.80
300# at 1.25 .550 lift
coil bind 1.10
good to .600 lift
I an not an expert on these calculations. Any suggestions as to what would work best to get me into a higher rpm zone? Purpose = street and informal timing at airport strip.
Click to expand...

The Mopar 0.528 cam will pull well past 6000 rpm in a 440 if the top half of the engine is up to it. Those 915 heads will need to be professionally ported and you'll need a good intake as well as a good exhaust system. I tested a bunch of cams in my low deck 470 years ago. That engine had HP exhaust manifolds, RPM heads and a RPM intake. It would pull to 7000 on the chassis dyno but peak power was down around 6000. Here is an article on the tests: Moparts on the Web - Main Index

Here is the test car on the chassis dyno. It pulls well past 6000 rpm without a big cam. This is with HP manifolds, not headers.
 
Last edited:
MOPARMAGA said:
Take a look at 250-260 duration camshafts you'll get what you desire. I can't tell you lift since I don't know your clearances between valve & pistons..youll need a torque converter too
Click to expand...

The old Mopar 0.528 solid will pull past 6000 rpm and it is only 236@050. I don't think I'd go much bigger than that for what the OP is describing. Kind of depends on some other factors which he hasn't mentioned but too big of a cam will make things much worse than too small.
 
AndyF said:
The old Mopar 0.528 solid will pull past 6000 rpm and it is only 236@050. I don't think I'd go much bigger than that for what the OP is describing. Kind of depends on some other factors which he hasn't mentioned but too big of a cam will make things much worse than too small.
Click to expand...
I remember that test, your car Loved that .528!
 
I don't know if the OP is seeing this trend so i'll point it out. Quite a few guys here have said their 440's will pull past 6,000 but run better when shifted earlier or they peaked on the dyno in the high 5's or about 6k.
 
roccodart440 said:
I don't know if the OP is seeing this trend so i'll point it out. Quite a few guys here have said their 440's will pull past 6,000 but run better when shifted earlier or they peaked on the dyno in the high 5's or about 6k.
Click to expand...
Yep, and the majority that said their 440 will pull that....have solid lifter cams.
 
AndyF said:
The old Mopar 0.528 solid will pull past 6000 rpm and it is only 236@050. I don't think I'd go much bigger than that for what the OP is describing. Kind of depends on some other factors which he hasn't mentioned but too big of a cam will make things much worse than too small.
Click to expand...
Well, I definitely cant disagree with you.
You've done the work for all of us to,read up on.
 
33IMP said:
Yep, and the majority that said their 440 will pull that....have solid lifter cams.
Click to expand...
True, but hyd flat tappet and hyd roller cams will also pull past 6000 rpm if they are set up correctly. The cam test article that I linked to had a hyd flat tappet cam that I spun past 7000 rpm and my current hyd roller doesn't have any problem going well past 6000 rpm. But you do need to use the correct valve springs and the valve train does need to be in good shape. The type of oil and the oil pressure is also important when spinning a hyd roller past 6000 rpm. Chevy guys buzz the LS hyd roller cams well past 7000 rpm but that requires buying the correct parts.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
With that gear I'd definitely go with the .528 purple solid flat tappet Andy F mentioned
Click to expand...
In the old days the Mopar 0.528 would've been my first choice also. These days Mopar charges a lot for that cam and the quality is a little suspect. So if it was me I'd try to find a shelf cam from a trusted source that had similar specs. The 0.528 had a wide 112 lobe center (which is out of favor with most people) so that is the rub if buying a shelf cam. Most shelf cams are ground on 108 for better peak performance.
 
AndyF said:
The old Mopar 0.528 solid will pull past 6000 rpm and it is only 236@050. I don't think I'd go much bigger than that for what the OP is describing. Kind of depends on some other factors which he hasn't mentioned but too big of a cam will make things much worse than too small.
Click to expand...
I thought the @.050 was in the 240s your article states [email protected]
Mopar performance Advertisements state it is [email protected].
 
AndyF said:
In the old days the Mopar 0.528 would've been my first choice also. These days Mopar charges a lot for that cam and the quality is a little suspect. So if it was me I'd try to find a shelf cam from a trusted source that had similar specs. The 0.528 had a wide 112 lobe center (which is out of favor with most people) so that is the rub if buying a shelf cam. Most shelf cams are ground on 108 for better peak performance.
Click to expand...
Yeah you're correct, honestly purple shafts are a rip off. I shouldve said a cam in those dimensions or close too.
 
MOPARMAGA said:
I thought the @.050 was in the 240s your article states [email protected]
Mopar performance Advertisements state it is [email protected].
Click to expand...
There is a long history to that. Mopar Performance used to say that the 050 number was meaningless and they wouldn't publish it. Then they said that you could multiply the advertised duration by a factor and get the 050 duration. I think that is where the 236 number comes from. Then they changed their tune. I don't recall seeing the 241 number but that could be what they say it is now. The 243 number is probably what I measured in my engine but it was 20 years ago so I'm not exactly positive. The odds are that the 0.528 is somewhere around 240@050 so that is what I'd shoot for if I was ordering a cam for the OP. I don't think it matters a whole bunch, I'd just shoot for something in that general area with a lobe design that is street friendly and a lobe without a ton of lash. The MP 528 has a lot of lash, 0.030 or something? so that could be tightened up a bit with a modern lobe design.
 
What about a Comp Cams XS282S? 244/252 @.050 .520/.540 lift 110 LSA. Lash ramps supposedly allow quite a bit of fine tuning (+/- a few degrees duration so that you could even end up with the same intake/exhaust duration making it a symmetrical cam duration wise).
 
Last edited:
AndyF said:
There is a long history to that. Mopar Performance used to say that the 050 number was meaningless and they wouldn't publish it. Then they said that you could multiply the advertised duration by a factor and get the 050 duration. I think that is where the 236 number comes from. Then they changed their tune. I don't recall seeing the 241 number but that could be what they say it is now. The 243 number is probably what I measured in my engine but it was 20 years ago so I'm not exactly positive. The odds are that the 0.528 is somewhere around 240@050 so that is what I'd shoot for if I was ordering a cam for the OP. I don't think it matters a whole bunch, I'd just shoot for something in that general area with a lobe design that is street friendly and a lobe without a ton of lash. The MP 528 has a lot of lash, 0.030 or something? so that could be tightened up a bit with a modern lobe design.
Click to expand...

I always ran that cam at .024 and .028 without issue. Stock spec is .028 / .032
 
I did degree a 528 cam many years back, it was in the 244-248 @ 050 range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top