Need help choosing a cam 1969 340

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krenzy_84

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Hi im almost ready to choose a cam. Info I have is its a 1969 340 auto would like to stay around 3k for stall. I have a 8 3/4 with 323 gears but may go to a 355. heads check out at 63.5 CC block is 40 over with sealed power L2316 pistons. With stock head gasket should be around 9:7.1 with a little shorter gasket 10.0 Its a street car and not racing but want decent power and sound. I know there are a hundred options when choosing a cam. Maybe a purple shaft or are newer grinds a lot better. Running a 255?60r15 rear tire. In a 72 duster.
 
My son just bought a new cam for my Demon motor. It was 3 speed with AC. we got the factory grind cam from Engine Tech. The intake IN. lift 420 . The EX lift 444 . Dur. is 204 215 @50 .. Cam price PN BS1089R. $57.73 lifters $32.80, It is a replacement cam for 68-73 340 auto. Less then $100.00 our cost
 
What intake and carb?

Any work to the heads like porting or the guides cut down? Are you willing to do a push rod length check, replace the springs to match the cam and degree the cam?
 
You got what you paid for- 50 year old grind will run forever, works with stock retainer to stem seal, but low lift for the duration and poor dcr and expansion ratio

op see lots of threads on this subject
just cc,d my heads will this be too much comp. ?
Running some numbers, you'll end up around 9.7 SCR with a standard Felpro 8553 PT head gasket, and around 10.0 with the Felpro 1008 head gaskets.

What is my compression with L2316 pistons
 
krenzy_84 said:
Hi im almost ready to choose a cam. Info I have is its a 1969 340 auto would like to stay around 3k for stall. I have a 8 3/4 with 323 gears but may go to a 355. heads check out at 63.5 CC block is 40 over with sealed power L2316 pistons. With stock head gasket should be around 9:7.1 with a little
shorter gasket 10.0 Its a street car and not racing but want decent power and sound. I know there are a hundred options when choosing a cam. Maybe a purple shaft or are newer grinds a lot better. Running a 255?60r15 rear tire. In a 72 duster.
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You will be miles head if you CALL a few cam grinders and talk to them. In no particular order:

Racer Brown
Cam Motion
Jones
Howard’s
Bullet

Tell them the truth about exactly what you have and exactly what you have and you will get a much better cam than just buying it out of a catalog.
 
I am planning on doing some port work romove some material in the runners and open up the bowl I have a aluminum daul plane intake and a 750 holley DP
 
solid or hyd great lit YR (and look who's missing- there is a reason)
There are more modern grinds than the purple shafts
I do not think Jones has any non racy solids but fill out his form anyway you get best suggestion
he has the best 256-260 hyd but maybe too short for your compression
AJ what do you think?
Street Performance | Jones Cams find approx flows for your heads, there is another thread on this currently, and exhaust???
Engle has both solid and Hyd as does Bullet good range of Mopar grinds including a line of street lobes (and race lobes)
Lunati if you want a catalog grind but as opposed to jones it's luck of the draw with tech support (same with some of the others)
you can PM Dart19666 at Crower- he gives good guy prices but BVVC that you are getting a MOPAR grind as some of their short catalog grinds are chevies
bit then so are the short catalog Engles and most other camgrinders.
Lunati Voodoos are all MOPAR- they call their budget chevy lobe line something else- which I like
Bullet has full line but YOU have to ask for a Mopar special
Racer Brown needs no introduction
figure out how you want to drive it
daily driver, gas mileage important, or cruiz to the drive in, or open road, etc
what did you figure your compression was? *** is *** will be
 
Wyrmrider said:
solid or hyd great lit YR (and look who's missing- there is a reason)
There are more modern grinds than the purple shafts
I do not think Jones has any non racy solids but fill out his form anyway you get best suggestion
he has the best 256-260 hyd but maybe too short for your compression
AJ what do you think?
Street Performance | Jones Cams find approx flows for your heads, there is another thread on this currently, and exhaust???
Engle has both solid and Hyd as does Bullet good range of Mopar grinds including a line of street lobes (and race lobes)
Lunati if you want a catalog grind but as opposed to jones it's luck of the draw with tech support (same with some of the others)
you can PM Dart19666 at Crower- he gives good guy prices but BVVC that you are getting a MOPAR grind as some of their short catalog grinds are chevies
bit then so are the short catalog Engles and most other camgrinders.
Lunati Voodoos are all MOPAR- they call their budget chevy lobe line something else- which I like
Bullet has full line but YOU have to ask for a Mopar special
Racer Brown needs no introduction
figure out how you want to drive it
daily driver, gas mileage important, or cruiz to the drive in, or open road, etc
what did you figure your compression was? *** is *** will be
Click to expand...

Yeah, I forgot Lunati and Crower.
 
Purple cam 286/474 in my younger brothers 70' 340 stock otherwise and was awesome. Eddy dual plane and it liked my 750DP more than the 650DP I gave him. He would swap them when I was not around and guarding! It was quicker than my 383 seemingly. Always had to detune him a bit cause he kept hurting it with cheap fuel in the late 80's.
 
I have a Comp Cams Extreme Energy 268 in my 340. About 12 years ago, Mopar Muscle magazine took a stock 340, threw a bunch of parts at it, and if hit 392 HP. I followed that exact recipe, but went one notch smaller (750 vs 800 CFM) on the carb. Edelbrock Air Gap, headers, Comp Cams Extreme Energy 268 cam kit (springs and all). I a SO happy with that cam. It runs great and has a very nice lope at idle.
 
If you are looking at something near stock, the 4 speed cam (68-69?) is a little but more than the automatic cam. My 340 likes it.
 
what mopar official said
but that engle is not one of their mopar lobes afik
those stock cams are not a good deal unless stock heads and manifolds, even then you can do better
 
harrisonm said:
I have a Comp Cams Extreme Energy 268 in my 340. About 12 years ago, Mopar Muscle magazine took a stock 340, threw a bunch of parts at it, and if hit 392 HP. I followed that exact recipe, but went one notch smaller (750 vs 800 CFM) on the carb. Edelbrock Air Gap, headers, Comp Cams Extreme Energy 268 cam kit (springs and all). I a SO happy with that cam. It runs great and has a very nice lope at idle.
Click to expand...
Mopar purple shaft .528 solid made 392hp with my 9.5 .030 340
 
3K stall is what they were with the original auto cam from the factory. Anything bigger and you will need a 4k to get it to be a fun car to drive. Many people over cam their motors for the sound.
 
I never got anywhere near 3000 with a stock 440 with the small converter much less a lower torque 340
 
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Oldmanmopar said:
3K stall is what they were with the original auto cam from the factory. Anything bigger and you will need a 4k to get it to be a fun car to drive. Many people over cam their motors for the sound.
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I had always heard that the 340 Autos had a 2400 stall.
 
Many recommend "extreme" rate of lift cams, with dual valve spring (not drop-in) required to handle the lift (above .500"), when all the owner wants is a healthy sound and more rpm/power than stock. Recently we did a revamp of an old low compression '72 340 build that had a generic 280/.480" hydraulic and we used a Crane Energizer 272/.454" (also Summit has it cheaper in their white box grind) and got a ton more bottom end. The customer never races it and wanted better manners. On a high-comp '69 you could use a Crower "Hot Street Beast" or Eglin "ProStock" 232/242*@.050" .450/.476" cam, similar to this Lunati "Factory Performance" 340 cam (bigger than stock):
This won't be noisy or fussy and will rev to a true 6500+ with fresh stock 340 red valve springs or Comp #901-16 etc. single springs (drop-in). Stock rockers everything. You'll need that 3000 stall converter (NOT what a stock 340 had, 2400) and hopefully 3.55+ gears. Enjoy!!
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
Mopar purple shaft .528 solid made 392hp with my 9.5 .030 340
Click to expand...

That cam is truly a sweet grind for the street. Had one in my first SB street/strip car, a '71 Demon with a KB107 pistoned .030" 360. With cast iron Crane rockers and a TorkerII intake/ 750 AED carb and small Hedman headers it ran high 7s/mid 12s at the drags and street drove it everywhere. At the 3400 weight (I weigh 300lb) I figured 400hp. Pulled 15" vacuum at idle, I couldn't believe it, and would rev to 7k!
 
Hi there. On these type of builds I've used the stock 340 cams and nobody ever complained. Back in the day I could get 68 stick cams but the stock 340 cam will easily rev to over 6200 with good or new springs and it works great with a 3000 convertor and 3.23 or 3.55 gears and will even give you good gas millage. If you use 1.6 rockers with it that's a plus.
 
str12-340 said:
If you are looking at something near stock, the 4 speed cam (68-69?) is a little but more than the automatic cam. My 340 likes it.
Click to expand...
FWIW, in 68 the 4 speed cam was a bit hotter than the auto cam. in 69 they were both the same. They switched to the 68 auto cam and dropped the hotter 4 speed cam.
 
sealed power L2316 pistons. what is the compression height compared to the stock early 340 piston? link says the same
are you above deck or how far ?
more important whats the usage and how do you want it to drive?
is power more important than sound?
what's your exhaust
if headers the 50 year old 340 grinds have way too much exhaust duration which works with the wide LCA and stock exhaust manifolds
how much lift can your heads, valve stem seals, springs take
are you going to cut the guides for Viton stem seals
you say port work so you are doing a modern multi angle valve job?

did you read the links posted above
like
What is my compression with L2316 pistons
most of these builds come out around 9.5:1 with no quench (pity)
 
Bighead440 said:
Crane Energizer 272/.454" (also Summit has it cheaper in their white box grind) and got a ton more bottom end. The customer never races it and wanted better manners.
Click to expand...


this is a very nice cam , i used one in a 68 318 i couldent believe how nice this cam ran . i would like to get one the same in a solid .
 
jimjimjimmy said:
this is a very nice cam , i used one in a 68 318 i couldent believe how nice this cam ran . i would like to get one the same in a solid .
Click to expand...

JimJim get a "Comp Cams 270s", it's 224*@.050" and .468" lift before lash. I have run them both with 4-eyebrow 318 pistons, the hydraulic .454 Energizer in a .030" over and the 270s with 273 rockers/pushrods in a .060" over, both with "302" casting swirl heads with 360 valves (1.88x1.60) added. I have tried the 270s with lash as tight as .016/.018" and as loose as .024/.026", it just lopes a tad more on the tight setting. Yes they are "Chevy cams" but these are in high mileage truck applications, where 5 extra HP at 6000rpm really aren't missed. Quiet consistent performance is what 318s were made for, 340 street/strip use might appreciate more.
 
Why did chevy guys go to Ford and Now Mopar 904 lifters.?
One reason is to straighten out their lifter bores without using sleeves
The other is to get better cam profiles
CamCraft and others have developed special cam series for the smaller chevy base circle
good news for MOPAR (and BBC and Ford) is that these profiles give a big long wearing nose on a Mopar size core

here's a quote
'
Custom Mike Jones cam, 202 max area intake lobe Jones designed for Chrysler 440s.

More area under the curve than a longer-duration cam like a Comp 268, extremely fat at 250-275 lift, about 50% more than a Mopar Performance 260 cam.

Fast acting, but the nose is big and reduces wear."

And while the valve is fact acting the Mopar lobes from Lunati have exactly the same paramaters as the Chevy Voodoo lobes, just get to work over the larger area.
The High Rate thought is a myth - don't drink the kool aid

Jones cam was designed for high mileage motorhome applictions whereas the comp XE series has a much more pointy nose
 
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