Help picking a cam

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bahamasair

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May 11, 2008
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Ive decided to change my cam while the engine is out. Im leaning towards a hyd roller but would like to know what you guys think. The engine is a 496 with forged crank, trw pistons, Chevy 14011077 rec port aluminum heads, Weiand team G single plane intake, Its been decked and should be in the 10.5:1 range
Id love to hear specs you think will give me the best bang for the buck too.
The car is a street car I don't care about vacuum but would like to idle at a reasonable rpm. Its also a 5 speed so dont have to worry about converters.
Thanks for any advice.
 
What cam do you have now, flat tappet or roller?
It's easy to over-cam an engine, especially with a 5spd and OD you want to still be able to cruise in 5th gear at 1800-2000 rpm. If a cam is advertised at 236-242 dur and the advertised powerband is 2800-6500 that cam is not very likely to perform well at 70mph in overdrive....
 
The cam in there now is a flat tappet. I see you like the LS6 cam Brutal. What cam manufacturers do you guys like. I guess I need to call one and see what they recommend.
 
bahamasair said:
The cam in there now is a flat tappet. I see you like the LS6 cam Brutal. What cam manufacturers do you guys like. I guess I need to call one and see what they recommend.
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Just to add; Cam manufactures recommendations are usually conservative. In fact, in ALL the years I've been building engines I have NEVER used what they recommended. I'll talk to them and listen. Then take what they say and figure out a BETTER cam.
 
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I dont see a blueprint cam on cranes site. I figured they would be on the conservative side when recommending a cam just to cover their ass. Im looking at a bunch of peoples combos to see what they are using that makes good hp and is still streetable then will try pick the one that will best match my combo.
 
bahamasair said:
I dont see a blueprint cam on cranes site. I figured they would be on the conservative side when recommending a cam just to cover their ass. Im looking at a bunch of peoples combos to see what they are using that makes good hp and is still streetable then will try pick the one that will best match my combo.
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crn969961 is Summit's number.
 
BRUTAL64 said:
crn969961 is Summit's number.
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advertized operating rpm at 3200-6500..... wow.... you're sure this is a pleasure to cruise on the highway at 70-75rpm in 5th gear ???

It's a flat tappet cam, why not go roller and eliminate all that second guessing about proper break in and such ??

Since this is supposed to be a street driven car I'd step down in duration and make it a hydr. roller - with 496 cubes you can sure take more duration than a stock BB but I guess it all comes down to how YOU drive your car. How important is max RPM HP and how often do you actually go to 6500rpm ?
Strip/race car or fun toy for the weekend ?? Driveability or max performance at high rpm - what do you want ??
 
Its a weekend toy. Im not too worried about max rpm. I'm looking at getting a solid roller at this point. Someone else said the heads I have are ok on intake but the exhaust sux and recommended a 15 split on the duration eg. 250 265 @ 050. Most cams for my setup will be 3000-7000rpm. The square port heads and single plane dont help with lower rpm either. I can live with less power at lower rpm but will be running a/c and would like it to idle with it running.
 
If you're not worried about max rpm and want the engine to idle good then a solid roller is not the best choice IMO. Solid rollers with high duration are designed to operate at high rpm where a hydr. lifter won't work (above 6500rpm).
What are the specs on the cam that you have now ?
 
Recommended RPM range with matching components
Minimum RPM 3000
Maximum RPM 6400
Valve Float 6800

Ive used the cam in several 496 BBC and a 540BBC engines ,in the past,the 3000rpm-6400rpm band is where the cam performs and is designed to run correctly, Id never suggest spinning a 496-540 BBC with any hydrolic roller cam,over 6400rpm anyway, CRANE has a habit of posting confusing info like that
 
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grumpyvette said:
Recommended RPM range with matching components
Minimum RPM 3000
Maximum RPM 6400
Valve Float 6800

Ive used the cam in several 496 BBC and a 540BBC engines ,in the past,the 3000rpm-6400rpm band is where the cam performs and is designed to run correctly, Id never suggest spinning a 496-540 BBC with any hydrolic roller cam,over 6400rpm anyway, CRANE has a habit of posting confusing info like that
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Just my .02. For a street driven 496 engine, I like to keep the lift just below or at .600 and the duration at .050 intake around 245. This cam is right there.:cool:
 
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