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Hi there guys and gals. I currently have the engine out of my 76 l48 350. I am planning on doing some upgrades to the engine. I just finished the Borgeson steering upgrade. It was so simple to do with the engine out. Now I am looking into putting heads and a cam. I thought I had it all figured out but ended up starting over. I am thinking I will go with the Edelbrock E-street 64cc heads. I also want a cam that sounds pretty aggressive, not really concerned too much with power. One thing is that I want it to idle pretty smooth. I am hoping to get some good suggestions here. Oh and I have 3.08 gears. Thanks.
Sounds aggressive and idles smooth are at cross purposes. You need to decide which you want and pick a cam that will get you there. The factory LT1 cam is a good place to start for all around performance and a decent idle, although it's not station wagon smooth.
Sounds aggressive and idles smooth are at cross purposes. You need to decide which you want and pick a cam that will get you there. The factory LT1 cam is a good place to start for all around performance and a decent idle, although it's not station wagon smooth.
To clarify i just don't want something I have to shift into neutral at a red light. Or have to foot tune to keep from stalling.
To clarify i just don't want something I have to shift into neutral at a red light. Or have to foot tune to keep from stalling.
Normally those symptoms are from improper stall speed of the Torque Converter in an Automatic. If it’s a auto then the Torque Converter stall speed has to match the camshaft selected or you will have the symptoms you described
Normally those symptoms are from improper stall speed of the Torque Converter in an Automatic. If it’s a auto then the Torque Converter stall speed has to match the camshaft selected or you will have the symptoms you described
I didn't know that. I guess it is important to make sure i am in the proper rpm operating range. This is exactly the kind of info I was hoping someone would share with me. Thank you.
L48 with the factory dished pistons? 3:08-1 rear gear.
Automatic trans? Which one? Manual? Which one?
With the dished pistons even with the 64cc heads you'll still be below 9-1 compression with standard head gaskets and factory deck height.
All this would indicate a fairly mild cam.
L48 with the factory dished pistons? 3:08-1 rear gear.
Automatic trans? Which one? Manual? Which one?
With the dished pistons even with the 64cc heads you'll still be below 9-1 compression with standard head gaskets and factory deck height.
All this would indicate a fairly mild cam.
yes factory pistons and automatic. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
I did a similar upgrade last year. I went with the e street 64cc heads and a 0.015" head gasket to up the compression ratio. I went with a Comp Cams XE262 cam. I think it sounds good and happy with the performance. I have a 5speed and 3.55 rear end
Look for cams with a 106-108 LSA, for that nice idle sound. Longer durations are good for noise too.
but for your combo these will not be beneficial for making power/drivability.
I also have the estreet 64cc heads.
personal advice, I had edelbrock’s performer cam and it was a complete let down.
Much happier with edelbrock torker plus, part number 5002, but my setup is slightly different than yours(more compression, high stall converter)
Look for cams with a 106-108 LSA, for that nice idle sound. Longer durations are good for noise too.
but for your combo these will not be beneficial for making power/drivability.
I also have the estreet 64cc heads.
personal advice, I had edelbrock’s performer cam and it was a complete let down.
Much happier with edelbrock torker plus, part number 5002, but my setup is slightly different than yours(more compression, high stall converter)
what stall converter did you go with? I am thinking about it.
what stall converter did you go with? I am thinking about it.
it’s definitely worth calling a couple places, like boss hogs or FTI or Vigilante, they know a lot more than me. I called Boss hogs, told them all the details about my car and what I wanted, they recommended 2400-2800 stall and they were right on the money. It’ll flash to 3100 rpm, works great.
it’s definitely worth calling a couple places, like boss hogs or FTI or Vigilante, they know a lot more than me. I called Boss hogs, told them all the details about my car and what I wanted, they recommended 2400-2800 stall and they were right on the money. It’ll flash to 3100 rpm, works great.
I ran the comp HE 268 in my 77 for a bit with brodix 64cc heads, 3.08 gears, th350. It was soggy on the bottom end but ok mid and upper range. Adding some stall will help on the bottom end. You are not going to have enough compression to run much more cam.
I ran the comp HE 268 in my 77 for a bit with brodix 64cc heads, 3.08 gears, th350. It was soggy on the bottom end but ok mid and upper range. Adding some stall will help on the bottom end. You are not going to have enough compression to run much more cam.
One year later and which cam did you install, and are the results satisfactory ? Was a higher stall torque converter also installed ?
(Occasionally we like a recap to learn the results)
I've used the Comp HE260 several times and they're always satisfactory. Comp's own dyno tests show the HE260 outpacing the HE268 up to 4,000 rpm.
If you want it to sound nice with the 64 cc heads and idle smooth you need to get a cam with an LSA of 112 and higher. The 110LSA is already sounding a little more rumpity but you might have a slight fluctuation on your rpms and your vacuum because of your cams LSA angle. The lower the number the more erratic idle quality. I feel I have the midpoint cam with the same cylinder heads you speak off. I have the XR276 110LSA comp cam. Also, I believe these cams have to have a higher rpm at idle. My cam sounds pretty good at 900 rpms. At 650 rpms it sounds beautiful, but the vacuum drops even lower to about 10-11Hgs. Keep in mind the 224/230 duration has a big effect on your sound as well. I believe the lower these numbers the less erratic it sounds. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you. Most importantly keep in mind that you need to get a cam that produces enough vacuum to run you brakes and be able to pick your lights up. Some big camshaft companies have a Dyno sheet where you can see the amount of vacuum they produce.
I agree with the piston swap while the engine is out........a cheap four eyebrow flattop on a 64cc head will give you 10.2 to 1 with the piston .010 in the hole......then you can run a cam in the 220@.050 range with no ill effects.....only trick is making sure the piston/pin is close to the same weight. Bargain basement Sil-vo-Lite piston is probably pretty close.....use a pre gap moly ring pack and file fit it.....if the ridge shows little wear.....berry bush hone the **** out of it being mindful of your speed and feed of the drill.....45 degrees crosshatch is what you are looking for.......a machine shop will have to R&R the new pistons......
Now you have a lot of compression but I do not like the E-Street head........it has the old style combustion chamber in it and is less detestation resistant.....the newer fast burn chamber is much happier at 10.5 to 1 and requires 3 degrees less timing.....
Why try to get the compression up? Well....if you want a bad *** sound....baking in compression into your recipe will make any camshaft sound much more radical......not from lope....but actual force coming from the exhaust.....the pulses are stronger and sound better. Also, tuned correctly.....can knock down some relatively good MPG numbers.....
The only offshore heads I have personal experience with are the Speedmaster heads......I have used the SBC, Ford Windsor and Pontiac heads.......they are bang on machining wise but have terrible sharp edges and machine marks in the bowls of all three that need to be ground and blended out......which is not an issue for me....I did the SBC heads in four hours for the pair...the Pontiacs took eight......Windsor five hours......all three engines run like raped apes.....and the SBC head has the fast burn chamber.....
The Dart head is my choice but pricey........I clean those up too....but after I do, there is no stronger street head on the market nest to the Trick Flow DH175 head....which has a 60cc chamber......for 10.6 to 1- .010 in the hole- .040 thick gasket.....
The Trick Flow head is the best product out there right now IMHO.....they required very little work.....so little I didn't bother......
I think trick flow 58cc heads would be a better choice here over the 64cc heads... Id go with something like a comp xe 262, the xe 268 cam or the lunati voodoo 262/268 cam which I ran before the retro roller cam I have now. If your going to go with 4 relief flat top pistons than the 64cc heads would be better.
Either of those will give you nice torque which You really need with the 3.08 gears and th350 trans otherwise it will be underwhelming to drive and feel soggy. If your really wanting it to be more about sound than function they do make "poser" cams like the thumpr cams. They sounds great but be prepared to have to explain your choice at cruise nights and car shows over and over.. some of them work pretty well.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Jan 25, 2024 at 02:42 PM.
Trying to find the right cam
