CAM HELP NEEDED!

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Pretty sure Howards grinds the cams for Hughes engines. If you have a search around on the Howards cams website they have a pdf with all their lobe profiles listed on it, there are some interesting lobes there. Doesn't cost that much more to pick what you want and have them grind you a cam.
I ordered a SFT cam from them for my 318 - fast rate 258°adv duration, 230°@.050 & .574" lift with 1.6 ratio rockers. It was shipped much earlier than the quoted lead time so they must have a reasonable supply of cores (or maybe I just got lucky). I like your thinking with the short duration & high lift to take advantage of the flow available from the alloy heads. If you have adjustable rockers why not look into a solid cam? Might be easier to find something that suits
 
Ted265 said:
Pretty sure Howards grinds the cams for Hughes engines. If you have a search around on the Howards cams website they have a pdf with all their lobe profiles listed on it, there are some interesting lobes there. Doesn't cost that much more to pick what you want and have them grind you a cam.
I ordered a SFT cam from them for my 318 - fast rate 258°adv duration, 230°@.050 & .574" lift with 1.6 ratio rockers. It was shipped much earlier than the quoted lead time so they must have a reasonable supply of cores (or maybe I just got lucky). I like your thinking with the short duration & high lift to take advantage of the flow available from the alloy heads. If you have adjustable rockers why not look into a solid cam? Might be easier to find something th
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The engine did have a solid cam in it when I bought it. I like the idea of a quiet maintenance free cam, if I can have it. The cam That was in it had the following stamps on it. I actually considered putting hydraulics on it. I have not determined the profile of it yet. I can only assume its a 285/295 on a 06 LSA. I do know its an older grind.

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MopaR&D said:
Hughes prides themselves on using "REAL CHRYSLER" fast-ramp cams (high lift for a given duration) which do give more performance but at the cost of valvetrain longevity (mainly springs and lifters). A buddy of mine used one of their hydraulic flat-tappet cams in the SBM in his Ramcharger truck and it ate a lifter once during break-in and then again about a year after break-in. He followed Hughes' instructions to a T and when he called them for a replacement the second time it went bad they basically told him it was his fault and to go pound sand. I personally wouldn't buy anything from them unless you don't mind having no customer service. Plenty of other horror stories if you search around a bit.

Better IMO to call up one of the smaller outfits like Schneider, Bullet, Racer Brown etc. and get something from them. Or pretty much anyone besides Hughes.
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I hsd heard horro stories aboyt dealing with Hughes...found myself learning first-hand about them.

Placed an order for a cam, their Airgap intake, valve springs, and their almost-$800-now -$1300 rocker arms. That order was placed 3/28 of last year. Intake apparently was not in stock (not mentioned anywhere on the sight when I checked out), but they got some in back in stock sometime in June. Rocker arms also weren't in stock (like with the intake, not advertised anywhere that they weren't in stock). So every few weeks I would email or call and ask about the rockers, and every time it was something along the lines of "we're still waiting on our supplier to get the pieces in", or something along those lines. Around end of August/beginning of September, I called and asked about the rockers...got the same response. End of October, Dave Hughes called me and and I got the "good news/bad news" scenario: good news is they FINALLY got the rocker sets in...bad news is they were a little more than HE had been advertising them for. I said how much more..he said $1299. I asked what that meant for me, and he said I could pay the difference or he could give me my money back. No apology for the EXCESSIVE price jump...no offer for a discount on future orders. Nothing. So I got my money back. Then I called the BBB of Illinois and filed a complaint. They told me that they're not any kind of enforcemnt bureau, they were just facillitators for dialogue between parties, and maybe some resolution would come from that. I gave my side of the story: made the purchase, wasn't informed of the out-of-stock part until AFTER I paid...Hughes held my money hostage for 7 months and kept stringing me along, and when they FINALLY got the parts in, the price, that I PAID IN ADVANCE IN GOOD FAITH, had almost doubled. He responded with a very sloppily written note (keep in mind, when you do a claim in the BBB website, you TYPE your letter, directly on the site..his hand-written note had to be uploaded manually, for some reason) that was nothing more than him bitching about "when trump was in office, we didnt have these supply chain issues blah blah blah", and "what am I supposed to do, eat the cost difference?" Zero accountability for holding my PRE-AGGREED-UPON-PRICE, PRE-PAID money hostage for 7 months only to double the cost.

Long story short: Dave Hughes is a crook, don't do business with that company unless you EXPECT to get screwed!
 
I've read MANY places where Bullet was grinding cams for Hughes. I don't know who does it.....and really don't give a chit. lol
 
Three years ago, I had a special order cam from Howard's in 2 weeks. Have the same for my Hemi ordered now, been waiting 2 months.......
 
kelsey45acp said:
I hsd heard horro stories aboyt dealing with Hughes...found myself learning first-hand about them.

Placed an order for a cam, their Airgap intake, valve springs, and their almost-$800-now -$1300 rocker arms. That order was placed 3/28 of last year. Intake apparently was not in stock (not mentioned anywhere on the sight when I checked out), but they got some in back in stock sometime in June. Rocker arms also weren't in stock (like with the intake, not advertised anywhere that they weren't in stock). So every few weeks I would email or call and ask about the rockers, and every time it was something along the lines of "we're still waiting on our supplier to get the pieces in", or something along those lines. Around end of August/beginning of September, I called and asked about the rockers...got the same response. End of October, Dave Hughes called me and and I got the "good news/bad news" scenario: good news is they FINALLY got the rocker sets in...bad news is they were a little more than HE had been advertising them for. I said how much more..he said $1299. I asked what that meant for me, and he said I could pay the difference or he could give me my money back. No apology for the EXCESSIVE price jump...no offer for a discount on future orders. Nothing. So I got my money back. Then I called the BBB of Illinois and filed a complaint. They told me that they're not any kind of enforcemnt bureau, they were just facillitators for dialogue between parties, and maybe some resolution would come from that. I gave my side of the story: made the purchase, wasn't informed of the out-of-stock part until AFTER I paid...Hughes held my money hostage for 7 months and kept stringing me along, and when they FINALLY got the parts in, the price, that I PAID IN ADVANCE IN GOOD FAITH, had almost doubled. He responded with a very sloppily written note (keep in mind, when you do a claim in the BBB website, you TYPE your letter, directly on the site..his hand-written note had to be uploaded manually, for some reason) that was nothing more than him bitching about "when trump was in office, we didnt have these supply chain issues blah blah blah", and "what am I supposed to do, eat the cost difference?" Zero accountability for holding my PRE-AGGREED-UPON-PRICE, PRE-PAID money hostage for 7 months only to double the cost.

Long story short: Dave Hughes is a crook, don't do business with that company unless you EXPECT to get screwed!
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I wasn't getting a warm and fuzee feeling when I called and spoke with Tom so I canned the Hughes idea and went with Howards. Nobody had what I was looking for so I settled on a Rattler cam lifters and lube 718001-09. If I think I need more lift ill go with 1.6 rockers. All in stock at Summit. Be here Monday. Clearly paying the MOPAR tax.
 
spd691 said:
I wasn't getting a warm and fuzee feeling when I called and spoke with Tom so I canned the Hughes idea and went with Howards. Nobody had what I was looking for so I settled on a Rattler cam lifters and lube 718001-09. If I think I need more lift ill go with 1.6 rockers. All in stock at Summit. Be here Monday. Clearly paying the MOPAR tax.
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I have a rattler (roller though) in mine and so far i'm happy (haven't driven yet,but sounds good) The thing i like bout howards is that i had a couple of minor questions and they emailed back right away.. companies with slow or no response at all never get my money a second time :)
 
I like Howards grinds. They are more apt to work well in Mopars since they are ground with more lift compared to some other brands.
 
spd691 said:
Ill try to keep it short. The car is a Dodge Dart Sport 340. I'm doing a refresh on my 340 (1969 engine), here is how its going together. 340 bored .030, zero decked, closed chambered SM heads .03 head gasket. I have a Holly Strip Dominator intake with a Barry Grant 750 DP. Looking for a dual plane now. Crane 1.6 roller adjustable rockers. The block combo should yield a static compression ratio of about 10 to 1. The car is roughly 3700 LBS, 4 speed, 355 gears, tires have yet to be decided. I decided to use a Hughes Engine cam and lifter set. I sent the information to Hughes and the recommendation I got was the SEH 3236AL8. I called to order it, they said they didn't have it and don't know when it will be in. I was told they just received some today and to call back Wednesday to see if one arrived. This car will be a street cruiser, car shows and the like, maybe a few trips down the strip, its close by. Anybody have any recommendations if they don't have the one recommended. No power brakes... Thanks guys.
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Wlhat is the LSA? I would be looking for 108°. The rest looks good to me.
For the intake I would look at the Edelbrock version, not one of the knockoffs. Yup, costs more but that is the quality. Like the old Fram filters adverts, pay me now or pay me later. For the carburetor I would be looking to annular boosters.
 
Dale Davies said:
Wlhat is the LSA? I would be looking for 108°. The rest looks good to me.
For the intake I would look at the Edelbrock version, not one of the knockoffs. Yup, costs more but that is the quality. Like the old Fram filters adverts, pay me now or pay me later. For the carburetor I would be looking to annular boosters.
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Nobody had what I was after. Need to get this thing together so I settled for this
Camshaft Series:
 Rattler
Year:
 1964 - 2003
Make:
 Chrysler

Engine:
 273, 340, 360

Camshaft Type:
 Hydraulic Flat Tappet
Basic RPM Range:
 2000 to 5800
Valve Lift Intake:
 .480
Valve Lift Exhaust:
 .488
Duration Intake:
 281
Duration Exhaust:
 289
Duration at 050 Intake:
 227
Duration at 050 Exhaust:
 235
Lobe Separation:
 109
Intake Centerline:
 103
 
chrgdrt said:
I know we’re talking cams here but what’s your thoughts on zero deck, .03 Head gasket and closed chamber heads?
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Promotes good squish. Read that as mixture motion which aids quick burn rates. I would be looking for high silicone pistons to control expansion. Pistons exexpexexpand not just on the diameter, but vertically. The 2618 aluminium pistons will expand more vertically than the high silicone pistons. Then you need to consider intended max RPM, which agrivates rod stretch. A light piston offsets that.
 
spd691 said:
Nobody had what I was after. Need to get this thing together so I settled for this
Camshaft Series:
 Rattler
Year:
 1964 - 2003
Make:
 Chrysler

Engine:
 273, 340, 360

Camshaft Type:
 Hydraulic Flat Tappet
Basic RPM Range:
 2000 to 5800
Valve Lift Intake:
 .480
Valve Lift Exhaust:
 .488
Duration Intake:
 281
Duration Exhaust:
 289
Duration at 050 Intake:
 227
Duration at 050 Exhaust:
 235
Lobe Separation:
 109
Intake Centerline:
 103
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If you are ordering a cam, getting the right one costs no more. Might delay you a week or two, but the end result justifies that.
A 109° LSA is not a deal breaker with fairly high compression and quick off the seat valve action. The 1.6 rockers aid that.
If you study up on David Vizard's 128 formula, you can not stop reading at the first number that gives. High compression incteases LSA as does quick off the seat. Back cutting the intake valves is also an aid here. This is about flow during the overlap triangle.
 
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Dale Davies said:
Promotes good squish. Read that as mixture motion which aids quick burn rates. I would be looking for high silicone pistons to control expansion. Pistons exexpexexpand not just on the diameter, but vertically. The 2618 aluminium pistons will expand more vertically than the high silicone pistons. Then you need to consider intended max RPM, which agrivates rod stretch. A light piston offsets that.
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Running 2316 forged pistons on H beams. I have a set of Mahle head gaskets that are supposed to be .040 thick but I don't know how much they will compress.

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spd691 said:
Running 2316 forged pistons on H beams. I have a set of Mahle head gaskets that are supposed to be .040 thick but I don't know how much they will compress.

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Your gasket is measuring thicker than it should because it looks like you are measuring across the sealing rings.

Find an area that doesn’t have a sealing ring in it and measure it there.
 
4eighteener said:
Hughes cams does this on all their cams for what I thought was proprietary reasons. Comp cams just seemed to do this on their roller cams.
When I check for dcr or vp on wallace to compare cams I just guess and add 20 to the .050 number. Not sure that is right
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Comp Cams has a valve timing tutorial available with a diagram I printed off to help me figure out valve timing events. You can take the duration (total) and the installed angle to get the ABDC closing. It will be the installed angle plus one-half the duration minus 180. For example with my cam; (108+(280/2))-180=68ABDC.
 
Spadman said:
Comp Cams has a valve timing tutorial available with a diagram I printed off to help me figure out valve timing events. You can take the duration (total) and the installed angle to get the ABDC closing. It will be the installed angle plus one-half the duration minus 180. For example with my cam; (108+(280/2))-180=68ABDC.
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Cool beans! I will use this formula in the future.
 
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