Cam choosing help

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tomcopbar

tomcopbar

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Does any one know who makes a good mechanical camshaft for a small block. I am thinking of a 318/390 stroker. Any help with specs and manufacturer and if anything needs to be done to have solid lifters instead of hydraulic such as any changes in oilingto the heads? I really have no idea about hyd. to solid, unless I havent found anything about the cross-over because there is nothing to know. idk. i have found a kit at Mancini for a mech. cam with a mopar purpleshaft and bunch of other stuff. I am leaning towards the 11.5compression pistons from KB with eddy heads.
 
I have had great luck with Comp Cams.The have a great tech line.Give them your specs. and the with give you a cam to match.
 
i was planning the same thing but im going with a solid roller since i already have a roller block. i would see what your going to use it for and figure out stuff like rearend ratio? overdrive trans? strip only? street? then call someone like comp, crane, lunati, etc. and see what they recomend and offer. i see you can even get solid flat tappet lifters with the small hole in the bottom to aid in cam oiling to give it a longer life. hyd. to solid swaps drop right in with no machining, just need adjustable rockers and your good to go.
 
try Hughes they make mopar specific grinds and then Lunati has gotten some good grinds for mopars lately too
 
Thanks fore the info, thats all I need for now but I am sure I will have many more questions later.
 
I would stay away from Hughes they are junk.They go flat I know alot of people who have had trouble with Hughes cams including myself.And you can't say I must have installed it wrong or done something wrong.Because Hughes engines installed my 2nd one that went flat .If you ever here of a guy named Herb Beer from Central IL he will tell you all about Hughes Engines also.To bad because I only live 6 miles from Hughes Engines. Jim
 
I'd also stay away from Hughes. I recently asked them for a cam recommendation for my 360 efi/turbo motor that will make 600hp under full boost and will be a daily driver. They told me I had to choose between 600hp or having a daily driver. guess they haven't heard about the new Corvette that makes 635hp. I also guess they haven't heard about forced induction.

That's like asking someone for directions, and them telling you that "You can't get there from here."
 
I'd stick with Comp if you want a solid. I have a mopar cam in mine, but I plan on switching this winter to either a Comp or Voodoo roller.
 
What are you planning to do with the car once you install the new engine? Street machine?
 
The major manufactures can cut you a great cam customized for penny's more than a off the shelf grind. Huges has a great marketing plan and are not the only ones that have cams ground to take advantage of the larger .904 lifter diameter.

Comp Cams and Lunati have them listed on there sites. However, you don't need to take full advantage. You just need to take some advantage. Your not racing are you?

The change to a solid cam is straight foward and needs nothing special.
 
Yep, maybe change pushrods. Definitely have to swap out to adjustable rocker arms. The Demon has a Crane in it. Used a Mopar purple shaft on another motor. Was satisfied with the street grinds used.
Unless you have a sophisticated engine management system, you may in fact have to choose between power and driveability. At minimum you'll need knock sensors, an O2 sensor, and the ability to substantially retard timing. With 11.5:1 compression, you'll need an aluminum head to run pump gas. High duration/overlap cams respond well to lots of compression and low gears.
 
Comp has software you can down load that will allow you to play with differnent options and see how they impact the power. I believe its called Cam Quest but you should be able to find it on their web page, really don't know how it compares to the other dyno software packages but it is free.
 
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