Help please..head hurts from cam choices..

[HeavyD]

Trying to order a cam and my head hurts from literally months of forum reading and YT videos.

Mild 355, th350, 3.07 geared 2wd truck..prob 5K max rpm..of these choices what do you like for a cruiser?? All these are hyd rollers with around .500 lift except Elgin

A) Lunati has two voodoos, 270/278 219/227@50, and 262/270 211/219@50

Someone please answer if Voodoos are detrimental to valvetrain life..I have read yes and no. If it is an issue I will just order one of the older styles..

B) 3 Howards choices: 276/286 218/228@50/ 217/225@50/213/217@50.
What LS? 110? 108? 112?


C) Elgin 462/470 lift, 288/284, 210/215@50.

D) GMPP Hotcam or ZZ4? Hotcam used to be cheaper, now its $600 CAD at Summit??

[geezer#99]

It’s a crap shoot isn’t it!
Your mild truck specs and wanting a cruiser says leave the stock cam in there.
The Elgin is the only one there I’d use but it’s still a bit big.
Things to look for.
1. Wider lsa’s like 112 and up give smoother idle.
2. Difference between advertised and .050 duration keep near 50.

Is this a roller block you’re using or doing a roller conversion?

[HeavyD]

Roller block..vortec as it was easy to find and have too many bonuses to ignore.

[kwmech]

I'd go with the 262/270 if those were my only choices, the other may be too lumpy for my taste

[mattfranklin]

Google Hot Rod Engine Masters or Richard Holdener. They have done dyno tests so you can see what you're getting.

If you have a Vortec block, do you also have Vortec heads? Those are capable of higher hp right out of the box, or almost out of the box. You need to shorten the tops of the valve guides with a cheap tool to accommodate a cam with a lift higher that .450 (if I remember right).

Of course with a 3.07 rear gear you might not be able to put a hotter motor into its sweet stop soon enough.

Lots to think about. I went "stock" with mine and let the Chevy Corvette engineers of 1970 tell me what was hot and reliable and coverable by warranty. ;-)

[biketopia]

Go with an LT1 hot cam, or call up summit and get their recommendation. They are super helpful and knowledgeable and cam design has changed and improved a lot in the past years. I ran a hot cam in my vortec headed roller motor and just used the springs, retainers, and seals mentioned in this thread https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ortec-lt4.html Worked great, stock push rods, and no coil bind or valve seal issues and no extra machining.

[Tom]

Voodoo's don't hurt anything. I'd go with the smaller voodoo out of those choices. The elgin has very slow ramps compared to the lunati, making it less efficiant and more of an old school design.

[toolboxchev]

Yes your head will hurt. Everything matters, lifter springs, heads, transmission also go together to make the engine perform efficiently and with the performance expected.

Even your Air Fuel ratio in your final tune with the dizzy. Thats the fun of it. What kind of gas do you expect to be running daily?

[HeavyD]

91 is the most common out here, on occasion see 93, but never bank on it. I live in a tiny town.

[SidsChopShop]

Ive been running the 262/268 Voodoo for the last 4 years in my daily driver '66 with 355 small block and 4:11 gears. No valvetrain issues, its a great performing street cam.

[kaycee]

I had a comp 268 XE in my 350 and it was freeking awesome all around cam, I run a Engine pro #1991 in my 327 with 202 heads and it is a sweet cam

[vince1]

http://www.northernautoparts.com/part/ml-mtc1

[Mike C]

We put the Elgin 204/214 cam in my kids Jimmy project. Very happy with that choice. The next size up cam you mention there would be OK as well IMO.

The other choices you have listed are too big IMO. Stay at or under 210 on the intake at .050 and should be good to go.