Waid:

guessing yours is dish piston L48 ... and ... you're on a budget ... if both true ...

use summit K1103 camlifter kit

use thin shim head gaskets

replace valve springs, stem seals and pushrods ... but NOT w/ racing stuff.

 

Here again is a prime example of "over thinking" in a thread.
All the poor guy wants is a cam to put in the engine, not the encyclopedia of static compression verses quench of the cylinder verses the DCR calculator.
If you can't put in a cam with at least 470 lift in a 350 and it pick up horses and feel good to drive to the driver then the engine is ready for a rebuild and not a professor's course in compression ratio in book theory.
The engine is not going to live on a dyno to ever to know the day compression drops from a stretched timing chain anyway!
But why expect anything less than a jumbled up mess that leaves the builder wondering if the lawn needs mowed instead?

 

well said ... and so true ... happens here again & again ... almost makes a body wonder if the usual diatribe is more about showing off some tech stuff they may've (or not) mastered ... than helping

 

Thanks for all of the feedback. I am going to get the smaller cam.

The Lunati 10001K is identical to Summit K1103. Does it make any difference which one I get?

Should I upgrade stock springs with Summit set 174001 ($64) ?

Should I upgrade stock converter with G2699 (1,700-2,100 Stall) for $90 ?

I am on a budget for my 1977 because rest of the money is going for my 1963 Nova which is getting an LS 5.3 which came out of 2011 Truck!

Thanks

 

That converter is not much more than stock.

 

ok. Which converter should I get?

 

With mass produced type cams, the companies selling them tend to play with the advertised numbers so that you dont know if they are exactly the same or not.
It probably doesnt make a lot of difference which one you pick though.
The performance will be pretty similar, if not identical.


Matching springs would be a very good idea.

Since your on a budget, look here - http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performan...60402/10002/-1

 

Lunait comes with a cool sticker for the tool box!
Here is a write up on the cam from another forum.
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/luna...on-196960.html

 

If you're going to do something, you're usually a little better off if you know a little bit about what it is you're doing. People like you have gained a certain amount of knowledge about what works and what doesn't the hard way, thru trial and error. (Back in the day, we didn't have the benefit of the internet, we had to hang out with greybeards and pick it up a little bit here, a little bit there) These guys coming into the hobby don't have the benefit of that experience yet, and the "overthinking" is an attempt to overcome that lack of experience, by explaining why certain choices are good in certain situations, and bad in others.
There is no "magic" to an engine, it obeys the laws of physics just like anything else, and a little knowledge about those laws can go a long way toward making smart choices in combining different engine components. In a nutshell, you can work harder, or you can work smarter. Another way of putting it might be like this: If you want a suit that fits nice, you can go to a suit store and try on suits all day, till you find one that fits nice, or you can have a guy take your measurements and bring you a suit that will fit, and get out of there and enjoy the rest of the day. If that's "overthinking", then I guess I'm an overthinker.
My advice to Waid is the more you know about what makes a car go fast, the easier it is to make it go faster, for less money, and, in the long run, spend less time doing it. Even if all you want is for the car to go "rumpety-rumpety" at the stoplight, knowing a little something about what makes a car go "rumpety-rumpety" will make it easier to do. Tim does have a point, though, it ain't rocket surgery, it's just an engine. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow, right? On the other hand, ya gotta have the right amount of suck, with the right amount of squeeze, with the right amount of blow, to get the most bang.



Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

My observation remains that there are many variables to consider, and there's an overly strong focus on one aspect that fails to take into account all the other variables involved. DCR is a useful check, but I still don't see it as a design driver.

 

I'm not specifying a spring UPGRADE ... but 30+ year old springs are weakened and should be replaced with new OE stock type ... or a possible upgrade (small step up) to what's commonly known as "Z28 spring" ... you should be able to get either for under $30/set of 16. Summit has z28 type spring from sealed power SLP-VS-739R for under $40/set. Midwest Motorsports has stock spring ( elgin RV880X ) for .99 each ... the z28 version ( elgin RV943X ) for $1.16 each. either will work AOK w/ K1103 but I'd choose z28 spring.

Similar for pushrods ... with lotsa use they tend to begin fracturing around oil holes. jegs has nice set/16 pushrods from sealed power ( RP5000RK ) for under $25. Stock flat tappet sbc pushrods are 5/16" OD x about 7.8" long +/- 0.020"

stock converter AOK w/ K1103 cam in a 350.

g'luck

 

I get Sealed Power SLP-VS-739R Z28 type spring from summit, what seals & retainers do I need? Can I use my old retainers?

What is the difference between Sealed Power SLP-VS-739R & Summit Racing SUM-174001 ?

Thanks

 

The springs look about the same, but the Summit kit comes with keepers, retainers, & valve seals.

 

waid:
fill in approximate geographic location on your profile

stock OE retainers AOK with any spring I suggested ... you may need to ditch the oil splash cup but reuse OE retainer.

use both these valve stem seals:
seal replacement O-Ring: Sealed Power p/n MV-1233C (box of 16).
seal addition slip-on Umbrella: Sealed Power p/n MV-1598C (box of 16).

use an oring and an umbrella

 

...fwiw

 

Except he has a Nova, not a Vette. The stock Nova converter will be much tighter. I'd go with a ~2000 stall converter. Should cost you less than $100.

 

Question asked, question answered with a factual explanation of why. There are thousands of different combinations, some good some not good. A little knowledge helps. I anwered his original question in my first post. I thought I could help him make an educated decision with results he would be happy with. I have been building engines and cars for 40 years and have made my share of mistakes that cost a lot of money and time to fix. Overcammed and overcarburated are the two most common issues in most engine builds. Not every engine build needs a lumpy cam and a manual secondery holley double pumper though some think that is the only way to go.

 

See post # 24.
If we don't agree on the above I guess we don't agree.

 

Im going to say it one more time,i know it cost more but if your going to do a cam change ,go with a hydraulic roller.Ive said this before and other people said go a head and run a flat tappet cam and they did and guess what,they wiped the cam .PLEASE put a HR cam in and you will never have to worry about wiping lobes on the cam due to the oil situation out there. Even the guys with older cams in them are wiping them out.sooner or later it will get you.

 

100%. It is a budget stretcher though.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HRS-CL113215-10/