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Old Sep 24, 2006 | 08:28 PM
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Default stock to replacement cam

does anyone know about what the duration is for a stock cam in the l-48 or any late 70s sbc? also i'm looking for a replacement. i want a very heavy cam, but the problem i have is that my car is an automatic. also i want low-end power and high-end as much as possible.

i guess i'm asking your opinion on the best overall cam for a sbc.
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Old Sep 24, 2006 | 09:12 PM
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What is the compression ratio of your engine?

BigBlockk

Later.....
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Old Sep 24, 2006 | 11:06 PM
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figure a '76 L-48 would be lucky to heeve out 8.5:1 when it was new, if your engine isn't rebuilt, you'd be way better off with a cam in the 262 to 268 range. that is, if your not rebuilding any more of the bottom end.
at this point, unless the engine has been rebuilt at some point in the recent past, you're really asking alot out of that tired old dog.
at the very least, pull the motor, put fresh bearings and rings in it, new oil pump and if you bumped your compression with a new set of heads with smaller chambers, you could probably go up into the 270s and make decent power. any more cam than that and you're talking about needing a different stall and affecting your vacuum accessories.
you should really consider a complete rebuild at this point.
or, for about $1900, your friendly local chevy dealer will supply you with a brand spanking new 290hp crate motor complete with warranty.
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by andylmusic76
does anyone know about what the duration is for a stock cam in the l-48 or any late 70s sbc? also i'm looking for a replacement. i want a very heavy cam, but the problem i have is that my car is an automatic. also i want low-end power and high-end as much as possible.

i guess i'm asking your opinion on the best overall cam for a sbc.
L48 cam is very small ... specs very close to .390"I/.410"E vlift & 0.050" dur 194*/204*. Also, L48 has relatively low CR ... cannot effectively use a large cam. Unless you first increase L48 CR substantially ... suggest do not exceed .450"I/.475"E 216*/226" hydraulic flat tappet profile. Summit has a nice cam & lifter kit SUM-K1103 at nice price ... about $70 ... .442"/.465" 214*/224*.
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 03:09 PM
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hey everyone,
thanks for all the info. sorry i forgot to mention that my engine was rebuilt about 8 years ago. so lucky for me it's not worn out- maybe 40,000 miles. i'm confident that it's putting out atleast 320 hp at the flywheel. i'm not exactly sure of the compression (prob ~9:1 i'm guessing), but i do know that it has the stock cam. i was looking at a voodoo cam with a 262 or 268 duration. what would a cam with this duration have to offer as far as power in general?

thanks
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by andylmusic76
hey everyone,
thanks for all the info. sorry i forgot to mention that my engine was rebuilt about 8 years ago. so lucky for me it's not worn out- maybe 40,000 miles. i'm confident that it's putting out atleast 320 hp at the flywheel. i'm not exactly sure of the compression (prob ~9:1 i'm guessing), but i do know that it has the stock cam. i was looking at a voodoo cam with a 262 or 268 duration. what would a cam with this duration have to offer as far as power in general?

thanks
Suggest anything close to 320fwhp is unlikely with L48 cam ... even at 10:1 CR. Suggest MAX ~275fwhp w/L48 cam @ 9:1 CR ... 355ci, everything tight & tuned & optimized.
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 08:50 PM
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if the engine was completely rebuilt, i.e. bored or honed and fresh pistons installed, you'd probably be pretty happy with a 268. although, 268 will probably not get you much more than what you think you have now. you should dyno it or at least estimate power with a g-tech to have a more accurate than "seat of the pants" feel. a$$es are notoriously inaccurate estimating tools.
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 09:18 PM
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yeah i can agree with that. hmm maybe it's 230 fwhp i'm thinking of. i probably got it mixed up then. i want a heavy cam with a rough idle- as much as i can go with an auto trans and original stall converter.
also, has anyone replaced theirs with a roller cam and lifter? advantages/disadvantages?
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 10:47 PM
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only disadvantage to roller is cost. everything else is a benefit. that's how they're building 400+ horsepower pushrod motors that pass smog and get ~26mpg.
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Old Sep 25, 2006 | 11:35 PM
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If your running a less than 10ish the CRane power max 272 is a good cam.
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Old Sep 28, 2006 | 09:15 PM
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i think i may have found a nice cam. i would like your opinions of this cam as well as the brand. it's a summit racing cam- duration .050 =224/234. the part number is SUM-K1105.
does anyone have any experience with summit cams?
thanks
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Old Sep 28, 2006 | 09:43 PM
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I've got the summit 1103 in my '81 right now. Seems like a good cam overall. Definitely woke the L81 up a bit.

The 1105 is probably good for compression of 9:1 or more.
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Old Sep 29, 2006 | 06:41 AM
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did you have your car dyno tested or do you know about how much more power it gave you? i'm just trying to get the feel for these cams compared to other brands.
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