Torqueflite
Well-Known Member
I spent the last couple days reading all the 318 cam threads in the search, but none I found comes close to my setup. I'd appreciate hydraulic flat-tappet cam profile or brand/number input from those of you who really know mildly hopped up LA318s. Keep in mind I haven't purchased any engine parts yet, so the below details are from my current spreadsheet but can change if needed.
The backstory is that my wife and I are building her a car. We are finishing a 1940 Ford coupe with an aggressive 383. Long story short, the engine is too aggressive and the car has too many blind spots for my wife's comfort. She won't drive it, which sucks for her. We picked up a 1926 Dodge roadster, and she wants to build it in a mid-60's land-speed aesthetic style like someone dropped a 273 Commando in it. I already have a solid 318 core, so we'll work with that. Mainly street, low-rpm driving. Not much freeway. Weekend flogging with me driving out on the prairie away from the fuzz. The car will likely run quicker than 14 seconds at Bandimere Raceway (1/4 mile) to where I'd need a rollbar; that's not going to happen for aesthetic reasons, so it likely won't see much track time despite my disappointment.
The specs:
-1926 Dodge roadster, highboy, comes in at approx. 1,800 lbs wet on paper.
-1976 non-lockup 904 I'm rebuilding with upgraded Alto clutches/band, not like we'd plant enough torque to break a stock setup. Factory valve body with some tweaking for crisper shifts.
-Factory stall converter (around 1,800 rpm). I'm happy to adjust the stall for the cam.
-Posi differential currently with 3.0:1 gears. I'm happy to adjust gearing for the cam. 3.31 or 3.55 might work better with less torque, but the car is very light.
-Likely around 30" - 32" tall tires, so not too tall.
-1970 318 block, freshly bored to 323 cid.
-KB167 pistons should clearance at .001" in the hole. Not going to worry about zero-decking.
-Likely factory rods unless they require enough machine work to justify buying new forged.
-Factory crankshaft.
-1970 #675 heads with 1.78"/1.50" valves that look like they will lap in on the cheap. I'll be porting the heads per Justin's sticky thread because I like that kind of work.
-Assume 8.3 static CR at sea level, pump gas friendly: With a .028" head gasket and 5cc valve reliefs, static CR should be 9.3 - 9.5 assuming a head cc between 67 and 69. Keep in mind my wonderful 5,600' elevation knocks off approx. 1 whole point of compression when calculating dynamic.
-Edelbrock Performer or Offy dual-plane single four-barrel intake. No spacer unless you say it will like one with the cam you recommend.
-Likely a de-jetted 600cfm Holley 4160 or Edelbrock/Carter.
-Pair of factory passenger-side exhaust manifolds (block-huggers) with some porting. I might be open to headers, but the factory manifolds would likely be more mid-60's period-correct and fit inside the tiny engine compartment. Plus, I already have them.
-2" or 2-1/4" dual exhaust with something like super turbo mufflers.
What are you thinking would be a good cam profile for this setup? Thanks.
The backstory is that my wife and I are building her a car. We are finishing a 1940 Ford coupe with an aggressive 383. Long story short, the engine is too aggressive and the car has too many blind spots for my wife's comfort. She won't drive it, which sucks for her. We picked up a 1926 Dodge roadster, and she wants to build it in a mid-60's land-speed aesthetic style like someone dropped a 273 Commando in it. I already have a solid 318 core, so we'll work with that. Mainly street, low-rpm driving. Not much freeway. Weekend flogging with me driving out on the prairie away from the fuzz. The car will likely run quicker than 14 seconds at Bandimere Raceway (1/4 mile) to where I'd need a rollbar; that's not going to happen for aesthetic reasons, so it likely won't see much track time despite my disappointment.
The specs:
-1926 Dodge roadster, highboy, comes in at approx. 1,800 lbs wet on paper.
-1976 non-lockup 904 I'm rebuilding with upgraded Alto clutches/band, not like we'd plant enough torque to break a stock setup. Factory valve body with some tweaking for crisper shifts.
-Factory stall converter (around 1,800 rpm). I'm happy to adjust the stall for the cam.
-Posi differential currently with 3.0:1 gears. I'm happy to adjust gearing for the cam. 3.31 or 3.55 might work better with less torque, but the car is very light.
-Likely around 30" - 32" tall tires, so not too tall.
-1970 318 block, freshly bored to 323 cid.
-KB167 pistons should clearance at .001" in the hole. Not going to worry about zero-decking.
-Likely factory rods unless they require enough machine work to justify buying new forged.
-Factory crankshaft.
-1970 #675 heads with 1.78"/1.50" valves that look like they will lap in on the cheap. I'll be porting the heads per Justin's sticky thread because I like that kind of work.
-Assume 8.3 static CR at sea level, pump gas friendly: With a .028" head gasket and 5cc valve reliefs, static CR should be 9.3 - 9.5 assuming a head cc between 67 and 69. Keep in mind my wonderful 5,600' elevation knocks off approx. 1 whole point of compression when calculating dynamic.
-Edelbrock Performer or Offy dual-plane single four-barrel intake. No spacer unless you say it will like one with the cam you recommend.
-Likely a de-jetted 600cfm Holley 4160 or Edelbrock/Carter.
-Pair of factory passenger-side exhaust manifolds (block-huggers) with some porting. I might be open to headers, but the factory manifolds would likely be more mid-60's period-correct and fit inside the tiny engine compartment. Plus, I already have them.
-2" or 2-1/4" dual exhaust with something like super turbo mufflers.
What are you thinking would be a good cam profile for this setup? Thanks.
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