augiedoggy

I recently bought a project 74 with the l48 /th400 and After confirming the compression is good (155psi on all 8 cylinders)? I started looking for upgrades.. I picked up a set of dart iron eagle 180 heads (65cc I believe) and crane gold roller rockers for 300 bucks on Craigslist. I intend on purchasing the obx side pipes and baffles for those. The car has a new edelbrock performer intake and Carb (600) and hei style distributor.

My question is what would be a good choice for a came for low and mid range torque ? (street use only) I'm just looking to wake it up a bit... I do like the choppy idle of the more extreme cams but realize this may not be the possible with a mild cam which would be a better choice for me? .. also any ideas what head gaskets to go with to raise my compression a bit ...say to 9:5 again I'm looking for street ability and more torque?
I've been doing a lot of reading and there are so many choices and options... I don't want to make a mismatched purchase?

garygnu

look at a comp cam 268 extreme cam or smaller.

63mako

Felpro 1094 head gasket.
This cam & lifter kit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HRS-CL111145-10/
It will give you the sound you want and the operating range is perfect for your TH400 (it has a 2000 stall convertor stock) and 9.5 to 1 with iron heads. It will likely get you 25-30 HP over a comparable flat tappet with your heads.

augiedoggy

Thanks for the replies... That cam is a bit on the high side as far as price compared to other ive seen. Not sure if I will be able to justify it to myself... I had to spend a lot on interior restoration and still have to tackle the body work.... two terrible paint job layers to strip away before repainting the original corvette gray.

63mako

It is a roller cam that is why it is higher but you won't be wiping a lobe with it and the extra $250-300 will get you an extra 25-30 hp. $10 per hp is the cheapest power you will buy.

augiedoggy

Yes good point.... I noticed it was a roller cam. Is there anything else required for a roller over a flat tappet?.. The heads have the dual springs but I don't have the specifics on them.

jjflash65

i'm doing the same type of rebuild on my L48 except with 64cc chev 186 heads, for the very stock look, roller tip rockers and a eddy performer manifold.
i entered my info into the comp cams web site, and they recomended the xe262h cam with the stock 2000 stall and 3.08 rear.
but othere have suggested i go one bigger to the xe268h. ??

i too am only looking to wake up the old girl and keep it drivable

George Ries

im running the xe268h in my 355 with dart iron eagle 200cc runners and 64 cc and flat top pistons with tci 22 to2400 stall and 3.08 rear im also using 1.6 true roller rockers that gives you a little more lift intake 511 exhaust 519 runs nice good street cam

cv67

A wiped lobe can take out every machined part on teh motor.
Youll need lifters springs etc. Yeah hard parting wiht the money but totally well worth it in the long run. More torque hp vacuum smoother idle than comparable cam specs in flat tappet.
They are the way to go.

63mako

Just like when you change to any flat tappet cam you need the correct length pushrods and correct springs. The only other thing needed is a <$10 cam button.
The valves on those are quite likely +.100 over stock so your probably buying new pushrods anyway. Check the seat and open pressure on the springs and installed height - coil bind height - .060 is max lift. If you don't have the tools or know how it is cheap at a good machine shop.

SuperBuickGuy

I really like my thumpr cam. It sounds good, and gives a good performance upgrade (I have the 2nd from the bottom of the list) - I also have a higher stall converter.
I will warn, though, power comes on like a light switch at 3500 rpm.
I have holley sidepipes, and the quietest muffler they have - and it still sounds really good.

augiedoggy

I have a flat tappet air cooled VW kit car so I've been aware of the need for ZDDP in the newer oils to help prevent prevent wiping out the cam.... honestly I believe there is a bad lobe on the stock cam in this vette now one of the rockers was very loose and I have noise coming from the what seems like lifter area on that side of the engine there an exhaust leak as well that I have to fix before I can tell for sure. I'm still learning but the previous owner was a kid who knew nothing.... The horn stopped working for example and he used lamp cord to run a doorbell switch to end electric siren.... All the horn needed was a tap to knock the element loose and the horn button was assembled wrong.

SuperBuickGuy

ick

In my case, I can't believe how brutally easy it was to take the slug of an L48 and make it run hard.

I also run roller rockers - and they will back off a bit if you didn't invoke the right roller rocker saint when you tightened it down (St. Thomas - the saint of lost causes in case you need to know )

iokepakai

Is that Howard's cam a billet core with iron dist gear? Leaning towards a Crane roller cam,cost a little more but it's billet and is equipped with an iron dist gear.My solid cam is all good but would like to go roller in the near future.25-30 hp more! For real?

63mako

Billet core needs melonized dist gear I believe. Stock GM part. With the op's parts and head I would put the roller @ 25-30 HP over a comp XE268. Those heads flow well past .500 and the area under the curve is noticably bigger for better cylinder filling. Compare the lobe design on a ft cam vs roller.

augiedoggy

Ok so a bit has changed since I started this thread and I could use more advice.
I ended up deciding to pull and store the original block mainly because I found a great deal on a 75 high nickel 4 bolt that was just bored 30 over and has 4 relief flat tops...with the 1094 felpros and dart iron eagles i estimate about 10:4 compression...I have also purchased an rpm style intake and am getting a holley750 carb...this should work with my obx stainless header/sidepipes....
My Struggle is still with the cam choice.... I dont have the funds to go roller.
I am considering the voodoo 60103 cam but am concerned about it being a dog with 3:08 gears and the auto..... I dont mind replacing the converter before the engine goes in the car but id like to get this engine together and the cam is holding me up....
I have a 268h cam and a small 12-600-4 thumpr but after researching them they are both not ideal for my 355 for efficiency from what I've read..
Any suggestions for a hyd tappet cam choice.... I like a somewhat rough idle but not if it comes at a cost in my application

augiedoggy

Again this is a street driven cruiser and I dont see myself using it for anything else but I want it to have plenty of torque to make it fun on the street.

Matt Gruber

you have a NEW 268h?
218/218/110?
since u are on a budget, there is your cam.
750 holley is too big for efficiency.

Taijutsu

I had the luxury of driving my car 50K before I decided what changes I wanted to make.
Then I did my research on other forum members and how happy they were w/cam and gear choice. Only you know how you drive and where you want power and what rpm you will cruise or race at.
Best advice I've heard from a pro:
Do all your research, make your best choice, then go one size smaller!

I added 1.6 RRs, cooler and quieter!

JMHO

R

tracdogg2

Augie, what are you planning to use for fuel? Your current combination has too much dynamic compression for pump gas and iron heads.
Mike