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Z28_302

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm having to rebuild my 383 Stroker... Looking for guidance on best cam, rocker & lifter combo. Here's my set up:

- Scat forged rotating assembly, internally balanced, forged pistons
- Edelbrock RPM Performer Heads
- Edelbrock RPM Performer Manifold
- Holley 750 Carb

Anyone passionate about one combo versus another?
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Fair point... This is a street car but I'd like to have as much power as possible with decent vacuum. For starters, I'm debating hydraulic roller versus flat tappet. Is the roller cam worth it after looking at extra block work and increased cost?
 
Fair point... This is a street car but I'd like to have as much power as possible with decent vacuum. For starters, I'm debating hydraulic roller versus flat tappet. Is the roller cam worth it after looking at extra block work and increased cost?
No extra block work is needed. If you can afford it, go with a retro roller cam kit that has the roller cam and roller lifters that will work with a non-roller block. Contact Chris Straub and he will hook you up with the cam you need. Many people including me and used his parts and his advice. Scott Foxwell is his right hand man in tech and won't steer you wrong either.
Chris Straub
Straub Technologies
423 391 7774
cstraub@straubtechnologies.com
www.straubtechnologies.com
www.distributorgears.com
 
The biggest mistake is picking a cam based on peak #s. I see it all the time and then being spanked by cars with 75-100 hp less.

Car with the best power across the band win races. Not peak power.

You want the best power across the rpm band that you intend to operate in.

And yes I would definitely go roller nowadays
 
Like John said stay off the bottom of the page.

If you want to feel the power of your engine then build for torque, not peak power (at the highest RPM obtainable for your engine; that is strictly for racing, not the street). Look at RV cams or even marine cams that build torque by offering higher lift to duration numbers. As to lifters flat tappets are dead. Do not even consider a flat tappet cam. You obtain better cam profiles with a roller cam, and a roller won't destroy your engine the way a flat tappet cam does when you wipe a cam lobe do to the lack of ZDDP in modern motor oils.

That said all the cam information you see on the page is for a 350. If you had a shorter stroke 307 you would subtract duration, with a longer stroke 383 you have to add duration because the air needs more time to flow into the cylinder with a larger displacement engine. You are still looking for a cam with highest lift offered with the least duration.

Duration is a measure of how soon, and how late, the valve closes. You can not build compression or make any power with the valve hanging open. Longer duration cams are used in race cars because they rarely fall below 5,600 RPM: which is near the upper limit of a lot of hydraulic cams. LSA is also important. The larger the cam's LSA the smoother your idle will be. Additionally the longer the LSA the more the cam will be building up your torque curve flattening it out. The shorter the LSA the peakier your torque curve will be and the motor will only make power at the top of the RPM band.

You are striving to increase the area under the torque curve on a killer street engine. To accomplish this you want a longer stroke, higher compression and increased Volumetric Efficiency (VE) also know as cylinder filling (that is the job of the heads thought not the cam). So consider increasing you rocker arm's ratio to increase the lift at the valve without adding a lot of duration.

Big Dave
 
Also when looking at cam profiles don't concentrate on max lift. Keep in mind that the valve is only open at peak one time whereas it's open at both sides of the lobe twice. Once up and once down.

The higher lifts are great for full on race engines but are very hard on valve trains in street cars.
 
How high will it be spun?...Big difference in what you would need for cams ....Whats your budget?? Roller cams are expensive compared to flat tappet.... I wouldn't having a problem putting in a flat tappet cam in if I needed to do a budget engine...I put one in my 355 for my truck, has over 50,000 miles, never had a problem... I had a solid lifter flat cam in my 383 for years, until I wanted to spin it higher, then I put a soild roller in it..all depends on your goals....Whether its worth the extra cash is up to your wallet.
 
Image


Flat tappet running Mobile1.

After finding that in my engine I did a whole lot more reading on cams and oils. Since I change my oil twice a year (don't drive much) I went with flat tappet. The problem is that I can only buy the correct oil for it at one place locally and they're only open until 1 on Saturdays and not open on Sundays (but they are an excellent machine shop!). Oil level low on a Sunday? Don't drive it.

Keep all that in mind when you decide.


(for the record: I wish I had gone for more torque in my cam even though I went for a higher-than-stock torque cam. More low end grunt on a street car is far more fun than all top end!)
 
Still thinking a flat tappet cam is good for your budget? Consider one last factor: They haven't been used in OEM applications for about 30 years. There's a reason for that.
 
A few years ago over the winter break up here in the northeast, I decided to replace my top end. The hydraulic flat tappet camshaft and lifters only had about 6k miles on them since the last freshen up, but the heads and camshaft were a mis-match and not a great choice for a street cruiser. I looked at all the options out there and decide to go with a retro-roller setup from Chris Straub and both he and Scott Foxwell were a pleasure to work with. While costing a bit more up front to go roller, you save over time and get a lot more in the performance department. I'm very pleased with the end result so I'd second this option for you.
 
Crane 119841 HR cam is wicked yet has a decent idle. Use the entire Crane recommended parts, lifters, pushrods, rockers, and if you can use 1.44" springs ask them for the spring and retainers. You may already have them, check.
 
If you are going roller, do yourself a favor and contact Chris Straub. See post 4.

You are running aftermarket heads, and that makes a difference on what cam you should run. Chris has lots of experience with aftermarket heads.

If you were running old school factory heads, I would tell you to contact Eric at Vintage Muscle Cars. Eric is a great guy.
 
If we can help let us know. Just a few things, with Morel hyd roller lifters the "internet" lore that hyd rollers are rpm limited is a thing of the past. Morels with the correct valve train can make power in the 7000 rpm range if you choose.

I have a cam designed for the Eddy head set up. You looking at near 500HP and 500#/ft of torque.
 
Chris I have almost the same set up as this thread and want to change from my solid flat came to the cam set up you are suggesting. Do you sell a kit with everything needed to change to the roller set up?
 
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