70 454 cam upgrade
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 497
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70 454 cam upgrade
I have a 70 LS5 and with the "290" Heads which are closed chambered oval ports.
What would be a good cam to go with..maybe Hydraulic Roller, and what lift, duration etc... a good cam so that I can keep my 290 heads
* Also the heads I should have rebuilt and wondered what I should do to them? Port & Polish.. Bigger valves??
I want the car to look stock, and will keep the stock exhaust and intake and carb.
I'd like to run pump gas.. and have a good power gain
Is this possible? and what would you guys recommend?
Thanks
What would be a good cam to go with..maybe Hydraulic Roller, and what lift, duration etc... a good cam so that I can keep my 290 heads
* Also the heads I should have rebuilt and wondered what I should do to them? Port & Polish.. Bigger valves??
I want the car to look stock, and will keep the stock exhaust and intake and carb.
I'd like to run pump gas.. and have a good power gain
Is this possible? and what would you guys recommend?
Thanks
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 11,096
Likes: 990
From: Sierra Foothills CA
I would definitely recommend upgrading to the bigger valves and doing some pocket porting. What pistons are you running? Piston to valve clearance needs to be considered. The pistons in my 427 are TRW 2300s if I remember right but I had the domes milled to put me at 9.5 to 1 comp. ratio. My prior cam had enough valve to piston clearance and it was a Crower hydraulic FT piece w/ advertised duration around 280 and lift of .517/.529. It ran very well, peaking at almost 6000 RPMs. If you want the full specs let me know.
The cam now listed in my sig required relieving the valve pockets on the pistons to obtain sufficient valve/piston clearance. A roller cam like you're considering hangs the valves open longer than a FT and that extra duration is the biggest issue for valve/piston clearance. Just some things to keep in mind. Once you determine what will work I'm sure you'll be making some very nice power.
The cam now listed in my sig required relieving the valve pockets on the pistons to obtain sufficient valve/piston clearance. A roller cam like you're considering hangs the valves open longer than a FT and that extra duration is the biggest issue for valve/piston clearance. Just some things to keep in mind. Once you determine what will work I'm sure you'll be making some very nice power.
