road car cam for my 318

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And when you have tested 19,000 + cams, I will take your advice. Until then......
 
RRR didn't ya hear? they driving dynos now!

so we gotta respect those testing numbers, handed down stone tablets they are.
 
The OP needs to fix his tune up. There ain’t a damn thing wrong with that cam and it’s hardly too big. Not even close.

I read the whole thread and I still don’t know how much initial timing it has, what the curve looks like, what it has for total timing and vacuum advance if any.

Swapping a cam is a knee jerk reaction. Fix the tune up first.

And let’s not forget, he has the carb that is bolt on and go, but it’s not. It needs work too.

But let’s all blame the cam.
 
For the OP, the Summit K-6900 RustyRatRodr recommended is what I've been running in my 318 for several years now. I've also got a 600 Eddy on a Performer intake, duals off stock '74 manifolds, stock 904, and 2.76 gears with 27" tall tires for the time being. I've also got a decent ignition curve thanks to help from the gurus on here, with the initial set at 12 degrees. I would say that low-end is no worse than stock with a much stronger mid-range. I consistently get 17 mpg with a mix of 2-lane 60 mph driving and city driving. I don't run the car super hard but generally accelerate fairly briskly. I feel pretty confident it would knock down at least 20 on a highway trip. As a side note, initial start of the engine when I installed the cam took way longer than it should have due to not having the ignition timed properly and the cam still survived. I just thought some real-world info might be helpful.
 
The OP needs to fix his tune up. There ain’t a damn thing wrong with that cam and it’s hardly too big. Not even close.

I read the whole thread and I still don’t know how much initial timing it has, what the curve looks like, what it has for total timing and vacuum advance if any.

Swapping a cam is a knee jerk reaction. Fix the tune up first.

And let’s not forget, he has the carb that is bolt on and go, but it’s not. It needs work too.

But let’s all blame the cam.
I agree but he didn't ask for help with his tuneup. He asked about another cam. That's what I'm doin now. Answering what's asked. I'm tired of giving good, solid correct advice and it gettin buried or ignored. So feck it.
 
I agree but he didn't ask for help with his tuneup. He asked about another cam. That's what I'm doin now. Answering what's asked. I'm tired of giving good, solid correct advice and it gettin buried or ignored. So feck it.
I tried asking the OP if he tried tuning what he's got, got zero reply too :)
 
I have been working on various tuning approaches and have met with marginal improvements but nothing that solved the issue to my satisfaction, but THAT'S NOT WHY I STARTED THIS THREAD. I started the thread to ask about the best cam to suit a particular use for a specific engine in a specific car. If you want to change the subject - START ANOTHER THREAD. Why would you think that this thread is the only thing that I am using to solve the problem. I think it is much more productive to talk about dealing with tuning issues with knowledgeable folks that can actually see and hear the engine run and drive around with me. SHEESH!
 
I have been working on various tuning approaches and have met with marginal improvements but nothing that solved the issue to my satisfaction, but THAT'S NOT WHY I STARTED THIS THREAD. I started the thread to ask about the best cam to suit a particular use for a specific engine in a specific car. If you want to change the subject - START ANOTHER THREAD. Why would you think that this thread is the only thing that I am using to solve the problem. I think it is much more productive to talk about dealing with tuning issues with knowledgeable folks that can actually see and hear the engine run and drive around with me. SHEESH!
Easy boy. We're just pokin a little fun at you. That's all.
 
Rob - At least at the beginning of this you suggested a cam that looks like a good choice, I might just give it a try - turns out a buddy has one collecting dust on a shelf for a project that took a different turn. I looked through a bunch of threads on here but they mostly seemed centered on making more horse power and lowering quarter mile times, so I threw this out there. I've also sent e-mails to 3 cam grinders (that I had heard of but got good info on here) with the engine details and intended use. If they make suggestions I'll let folks know.
 
Rob - At least at the beginning of this you suggested a cam that looks like a good choice, I might just give it a try - turns out a buddy has one collecting dust on a shelf for a project that took a different turn. I looked through a bunch of threads on here but they mostly seemed centered on making more horse power and lowering quarter mile times, so I threw this out there. I've also sent e-mails to 3 cam grinders (that I had heard of but got good info on here) with the engine details and intended use. If they make suggestions I'll let folks know.
What's your static compression ratio?
 
I have been working on various tuning approaches and have met with marginal improvements but nothing that solved the issue to my satisfaction, but THAT'S NOT WHY I STARTED THIS THREAD. I started the thread to ask about the best cam to suit a particular use for a specific engine in a specific car. If you want to change the subject - START ANOTHER THREAD. Why would you think that this thread is the only thing that I am using to solve the problem. I think it is much more productive to talk about dealing with tuning issues with knowledgeable folks that can actually see and hear the engine run and drive around with me. SHEESH!
People are not trying to railroad your thread, some just feel you should be getting a lot better results out of what you already got, if you don't care fair enough but a cam swap probably ain't gonna help much if problem is mostly down to the tune etc...
 
I have been working on various tuning approaches and have met with marginal improvements but nothing that solved the issue to my satisfaction, but THAT'S NOT WHY I STARTED THIS THREAD. I started the thread to ask about the best cam to suit a particular use for a specific engine in a specific car. If you want to change the subject - START ANOTHER THREAD. Why would you think that this thread is the only thing that I am using to solve the problem. I think it is much more productive to talk about dealing with tuning issues with knowledgeable folks that can actually see and hear the engine run and drive around with me. SHEESH!
well there's your problem! you expected us to be reasonable!

all kidding aside, i think it's an interesting endeavor. most people swing wildly into a direction of mile-misering it with something like an sp2p and [insert tiny carb of choice] or going whacadoo and wiring 2ndaries shut or 4bbl to 2bbl conversions or other such nonsense.

i fully get wanting to have something that's decent on power but returns fair gas mileage. i think it's a matter of selecting an appropriate cam and then massaging the tune to where you want it to be.
 
Actually calculated from measurements (what a concept) : 8.537:1

I wanted something that would burn crap gas from 50 miles from nowhere gas stations
IF you choose the camshaft I recommended, I'd install it a few degrees advanced from the card. So if it's a 112 and they want it at 4 advanced at 108 ICL, I'd go probably 104. It'll never spark knock and it'll have some good balls down low.
 
There is a LOT to learn from the chart below. These are some of the cams listed in DVs SBC book. As the engine cubes increase, the LSA gets tighter [ down to 104 for a 434 cu in ].

The most important aspect to take from below is that no matter if the engine is mild [ street/tow ] or wild, the LSA does NOT change for that engine size. What changes to alter the rpm range is the DURATION.

img288.jpg
 
A stock grind cam will have good low end torque. Good for pulling those overdrive gears at 1,500 rpm cruising 70 mph.

Screenshot_20210707-195309_Messages.jpg



☆☆☆☆☆
 
There is a LOT to learn from the chart below. These are some of the cams listed in DVs SBC book. As the engine cubes increase, the LSA gets tighter [ down to 104 for a 434 cu in ].

The most important aspect to take from below is that no matter if the engine is mild [ street/tow ] or wild, the LSA does NOT change for that engine size. What changes to alter the rpm range is the DURATION.

View attachment 1716319134
AJ's not gonna like the minimum recommended CR :)

Couldn't find much about these cams and how they worked.
 
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