Engine has Trick Flow 195's (as cast), Summit air gap highrise dual plane intake mani, 800 cfm double pumper, forged pistons and rods, 224/234 114lsa hyd flat tappet cam, .466/.487 lift, 10.5:1 static CR, TH350 with mild converter, and 3.42 posi rear end. I like the cam, but it could be a little bigger and I have to change it due to the Rhoades lifters getting too noisy. Not really a fan of the narrow LSA "****** whatever" cams. Don't need the roughness, low vacuum, etc that comes with that. Your thoughts appreciated.

 

You chose not to give this information to the top five cam companies because, why? They will ask you another 10-12 questions very specific of your engine and let their computer give you choices depending on your budget and driving intentions of the vehicle. Its a much wiser choice than what Joe Shmoe uses in a similar but not exactly the same engine. Take notes when you call them and compare their results.

 

I may contact some cam companies, but I really do appreciate the opinions of the Joe Shmoes….. Because I is one. I've contacted cam companies before and I've gotten some guys on the phone that had a clue and some that really didn't. More often the latter. I have a pretty good clue what will work based on past experience. Does it really hurt to solicit other's opinions?

 

True. Its just that no one has your exact engine with the exact some drivetrain and exact same internals. Rough idea, yes. Perfect cam, no.

 

I'm not up on trick flow heads anymore, but they used to be lift limited. I'm a wider LSA person. I have a 112 roller in my 383 and a 110 in my 434. If you are deciding to stay with a H-flat cam I would get one with the bigger lobe profiles. You can have custom grinds made with your choice of lsa. My cams are billet steel with a sleeved on dizzy gear. You just need a poly fuel pump rod.

Your compression ratio determines the max duration before the DCR makes the engine lazy. Since you know how it runs with a 224/234 You could jump up 4-6 degrees on the intake. How restrictive the exhaust is determines the exhaust split duration. Headers and true duals might only need a split of 4-8 degrees

 

I wasn't aware you could have a custom hydraulic flat tappet made. Who does that? I spec all of my own custom LS camshafts both blown and n/a. I do have long tube headers and true dual exhaust.

I was considering something like a 228/232 114 with lift in the .480 range, but couldn't find any shelf cam with those specs. Closest I came was a 230 squared cam with a 114lsa. Don't have a clue how to figure DCR in a Gen 1 engine with hyd flat tappet cam. I usually shoot for 8.0:1 in an LS3 with a blower and 8.2+ n/a. It's common to use ground in advance in addition to duration and LSA to fine tune DCR in cams for LS motors. Haven't seen advance even mentioned in the Gen 1 cams.

 

something like this is your next step up. You may want to think about going to a roller.IntakeExhaustAdvertised Duration292°302°Duration @ .050"234°244°Valve Lift w/ 1.5 Rocker Arms0.4880.510Valve Lift @ Cam0.3250.340Max Lift Angle109°119°Lobe Separation114°Cam Timing @ .050" - Opens8° ATDC61° BBDCCam Timing @ .050" - Closes46° ABDC3° BTDC

 

This isn't an apples to apples comparison by any stretch but...I'll just put it out there.

I had a 406" Pontiac, 10.0-1, Ported Ram Air III heads (flowed around 230 cfm at .500"), Torker II single plane.... I used an Ultradyne cam that was spec'd by UDHarold himself. It was a 288/296, 231/239*,.485/.507", 110 LSA. That setup was a budget build, but it in a 3650lb Trans Am ran 12.00s@109 mph...with a way too loose 2800 converter, 3.42 gears and a 26" slick. The engine ran great, had good vacuum, idled clean, never fouled plugs, it was just a great running combo.... It was actually my daily driver in high school at that time. I ran that cam for years, before I eventually went to a solid flat tappet that was much bigger and slowed the car down..

I understand we are talking about totally different engine platforms here but.... The basics are similar, and I think I'd be looking at something in that range, based off of my experience with it. To this day, I've yet to have a mild/budget style engine run THAT good again...I'm certain the cam was the key. I know they made ALMOST that exact same cam for SBCs back then, just different lift.

I know this is not the correct way to recommend a cam for a combo, but I'm just giving you some feedback on what I found with a cam in the size range that I think you'll end up.

 

Out of curiousity, I looked at Bullet's homepage, they took over for Ultradyne and still have the Ultradyne cam lobe information, seems like they are still available...

Hydraulic flat tappet profiles:
The intake lobe is the H5. 288*, 231*@.050", .485" w/1.5 rocker
The exhaust lobe is the H15, 296*, 239*@.050", .507" w/1.5 rocker

This is for SBC and Pontiac...and is the same for Bullet and Ultradyne. I guess Bullet just took over Ultradyne's catalog after Harold passed away.

Definitely worth looking into if you want to do something a little unique.
www.ultradyne.com

 

I have had issues with comp cams doing custom cams for me, but go online to there master lobe catalog pdf. I have had them make an array of custom cams over the years

I would look into the Extreme h flat lobe profiles. Just pick out the lobe with the duration that you want and tell them the valve event numbers. You just have to look up cam card valve event numbers of some of their existing off the shelf cams. Years ago I figured out that comp cams extreme series of cams was ground 4 degrees advanced compared to say Crane cams of equal duration. You need to read up on advancing or retarding cam timing. I have my custom cams ground 4 degrees retarded and install them straight up so I'm not playing with the timing set keyways unless the degree wheel said that I need to alter a slightly wrongly ground cam

I only have cams made from billet steel and sleeved on dizzy gear. Never have to worry about the cam going flat on break in even with the extreme pressures of roller springs

then I figured out how to buy springs from CC spring chart pdf catalog

that way I'm not at the mercy of some high school drop outs working for something not much above minimum wage who have been given the title of tech support and only know what is in the company manual canned answers

 

Thanks for that. Lots of options there. Also filled out their cam worksheet. We'll see what comes of that.

 

Not at all a fan of Comp Cams. Their 918 springs cost me an engine. They offered to give me another set of 918 springs for my troubles....Also had premature lobe failure on an LS cam. They offered nothing on that one. I've already had my last Comp product. I've called them for tech assistance probably 5 times over the years. I think I got a dunce on their end 4 of those 5 times.

 

Yes I've been screwed by CC, I used to be a Howards or crane cam person. Crane at one time supplied most all the cam core blanks to all the smaller cam companies. They were good guys to talk about project goals but with them gone I've had to deal with CC and the people who wore dunce caps.

 

This is great info. Harold was a master when it came to making cams that worked. In my '69 Vette I have one of the last cams he made before the IRS shut him down for some kind of tax issues- specs in sig. He probably gave me close to 1/2 hour of his time picking out that cam and educating me about ramps and valve train dynamics. He lost me after about the first 5 minutes but he picked me a winner. That car has beaten cars it has no business beating. When he passed he took an immense amount of knowledge with him, but if you can find anyone at Bullet who knows what he's doing you'll be in good shape.