I am having trouble picking out a cam/stall for my car, I was wondering if some of the guru's on here can lend me a hand.

WEIGHT:

1979 Camaro Z-28
-No AC or heat
-no juke pad
-no inner fenders
-manual steering
-no door beams
-fiberglass cowl hood
-no radio or speakers

Motor:
-355 10.8:1 (fresh bottom end)
-Trick Flow 23 degree heads (just have to order them)
-Edelbrock Performer RPM air gap manifold
-HEI
-750DP
-Dynomax blackjack headers
-true dual exhaust 2.5"

DRIVETRAIN:
-TH350
-4.10's in a 8.5" 10 bolt
-hoping to run a set of 28x12.5 drags

I am looking for a street/strip set up, mostly strip. Driveabilty isn't a really huge concern. I just want to take it to the local shows and trailer it to the track

I am in the process of replacing my horribly mismatched setup now...Eh I was young and stupid and listened to the wrong people..Doh!

First of all I'll say I recommend that you stay away from Comp Cams products. I know to many horror stories about them, usually related to a very poor quality controll department.

I went with an old school company, Crane Cams. I mean old school by my dad used them "back in the day". He liked them, so I tried them and like them very much.

Based on that setup, and what you plan on doing with it, I'd reccomend these cams.

http://www.cranecams.com/?show=browseParts&lvl=2&prt=5&Vehicle_Type=Auto&Cylinders=8&Engine_Make=CHEVROLET&Year=1972&Engine_Size=262-400%20C.I.&partNumber=114681&partType=camshaft

This is a little radical for your compression, but it should work.
http://www.cranecams.com/?show=browseParts&lvl=2&prt=5&Vehicle_Type=Auto&Cylinders=8&Engine_Make=CHEVROLET&Year=1972&Engine_Size=262-400%20C.I.&partNumber=113861&partType=camshaft

There are allot more cam companies out there though.
I'm sure you will get allot of peoples' recomendations.

Just some thing to think about.
If I would have built your motor for a more strip and very little street use. I would have built it with a comp ratio of somewhere in the 11.5-12:1 area.
So if you're interested, maybe look into a set of the heads you want with like a 57cc combustion chamber (depending an if you have flat top or domed pistons).
Hope I helped some.

Do a members search and email Lowend with all the details. He recommended and hooked me up with a nice Isky solid roller. He's done the same for alot of others on the board too.

10.8 isn't a bad compression ratio for what you wanna do. You could probably even run less octane depending on your dynamic CR. The aluminum heads help too. Also be sure to get the matching springs for whatever cam you decide on.

If this is a serious strip car I think you need more gear than 4.10's. At 7000 rpm you'll be running about 129 mph, an unlikely trap speed. Do you plan on running nitrous? Is a roller cam in your budget? What's a 'true dual' exhaust?
If a high stall speed converter is called a 'stall', why isn't a high lift cam called a 'lift'? Or a high rise manifold called a 'rise'?

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by onovakind67:
If this is a serious strip car I think you need more gear than 4.10's. At 7000 rpm you'll be running about 129 mph, an unlikely trap speed. Do you plan on running nitrous? Is a roller cam in your budget? What's a 'true dual' exhaust?
If a high stall speed converter is called a 'stall', why isn't a high lift cam called a 'lift'? Or a high rise manifold called a 'rise'? </font>

By "true dual exuast" he might mean two separate pipes from the headers all the way back to there exits?

Not split before the mufflers off a single pipe to look like a dual system. That's what I know it as anyway.

Pick whatever brand you want, but I would look for a cam with similar specs to mine, maybe a hair smaller. I run a 383 with 11.3:1 compression, ported Trick Flow 23* heads. The engine runs to 6800 no problem with fastest ET's shifting at about 6400. The car weighs 3580# race weight and I use 3.73 gears, short tires, and a Coan 10" converter.

Mine is a custom Comp street roller with 286/292 advertised duration, 248/254* @ 050, .576/.582" lift, 108* LSA, 104* ICL. (it is their XR286R cam ground on a 108* LSA)

If you don't run a roller cam, a solid FT with similar specs is available from a few different companies. Your RPM band would probably be about the same with a FT version of the same cam and a couple hundred higher with the roller version.

Good luck.

Wow, Thanks guys...kep it coming

I do have a set of 4.88's that I took out a few years ago when it was running mostly street duty. Think these would work better with this set up?

As far as the exhaust goes, I was refering to the fact that it isn't a crossflow setup much like it came with stock. I have the black jack headers which are 1 5/8ths primaries. that run to 2.5" pressbent pipes with Dynomax turbo mufflers.

As far as Nitrous goes....I plan on running on all motor most of the season, then at the tail end of the season I want to use a 100 plate shot and see how long these KB hypers hold on.

Roller cam is a definate posiblity, I am however a little unfarmiliar with the requirements for using one (I will be doing a search after I post this)

For a high stall speed converter , I was thinking somthing like a 3500-4000 (depending on the cam) would be needed to get this girl off the line.

Isnt 4.88 too much for the 1/4 ?
I woulda thougt 3.73 or 4.10 with tall tires?

Possibly.....

I remember reading somewhere that a 28" tall tire would be ok with 4.88's/TH350

Damned if I know the equation for caculating that stuff...

So what would I be giving up by running a Flat tappet cam this season, and then upgrading to a roller with the 383 I have planned for next winter?....I hate to spend money on a roller cam and then have to replace it once I up the cubes and compression.

[This message has been edited by CopperTop (edited January 02, 2005).]

OK, so I am going to bring this back form the dead,

Luckily we just got a unexpected bonus from work. So it looks like I am going to skip the trick flows and purchase a set of AFR 195's, And I also decided to go with a victor jr intake.

Now after spending way too much time looking thru cams I think I have set my mind on a Comp 292H. It has a little less duration then what I am currently running, but slightly more lift.

Which brings me to my next question, would I be better off going with a cam with less duration, but more lift (i.e. mid 500's)

I also plan on running 4.10's and 4000 RPM converter.

Anyone else care to Critique my set up????

Please, LOL

My 4.10's had me at 5,400 in the 1/8 with 26" tire, shifting at 5,600
I tried 4.56 in the quarter once and ran like a 12.70 at 98 mph patting the gas?

EA3.0 looks like this, roughly:

RPM···········3000····3500····4000····4500····5000····5500····6000····6500····7000····7500
Brake_Tq······318·····360·····395·····413·····415·····398·····366·····340·····298·····254
Brake_HP······182·····240·····301·····354·····395·····416·····418·····420·····397·····362
Exh_Pres······.2······.3······.5······.7······.9······1.0·····1.2·····1.3·····1.4·····1.5
Int_Vacuum····.2······.3······.5······.6······.8······1.0·····1.1·····1.3·····1.4·····1.6
Vol_Eff_%·····75.9····83.9····91.7····97.2····100.0···99.7····97.6····96.1····93.9····91.1
Actual_CFM····254·····326·····408·····486·····554·····606·····648·····691·····727·····756
Fuel_Flow·····92.8····119·····149·····178·····203·····222·····237·····252·····266·····276
A/F_Mix_Qal···96.7····99.1····100.0···100.0···100.0···100.0···100.0···100.0···100.0···100.0
BSFC··········.510····.497····.495····.502····.513····.532····.566····.600····.668····.763
BSAC··········6.401···6.235···6.205···6.297···6.430···6.676···7.095···7.530···8.381···9.568
Friction_HP···38······51······66······86······108·····133·····162·····195·····246·····304
Mach_#········.209····.244····.279····.314····.349····.384····.419····.454····.489····.524
Piston_Spd····1740····2030····2320····2610····2900····3190····3480····3770····4060····4350
Piston_Gs·····581·····790·····1032····1306····1613····1952····2323····2726····3161····3629
Overlap_%VE···3.6·····2.8·····3.0·····3.4·····2.7·····.8······-1.4····-1.5····-1.5····-1.6
Int_AvgVel····159·····186·····212·····239·····265·····292·····318·····345·····371·····398
In_InertiaPrs·.7······1.5·····2.3·····3.0·····3.4·····3.6·····3.5·····3.3·····3.0·····2.6
In_ResTunPrs··0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0·····0.0
Ex_AvgVel·····201·····235·····268·····302·····335·····369·····402·····436·····469·····503
ExTun_Prs·····-.5·····-.6·····-1.0····-1.5····-1.6····-1.5····-1.2····-1.2····-1.3····-1.2
Lifter_Pump_UpNone····None····None····None····None····None····None····None····None····None
Spark_Adv·····27······27······26······27······30······36······37······38······39······40

With 4.10's and 3600#
1.54 60', 7.21 @ 93.9, 11.49 @ 114.4
With 4.56's
1.49 60', 7.13 @ 94.2, 11.40 @ 114.8
With 4.88's
1.47 60', 7.09 @ 94.2, 11.35 @ 114.7

With 4.10's and 3600#
1.54 60', 7.21 @ 93.9, 11.49 @ 114.4
With 4.56's
1.49 60', 7.13 @ 94.2, 11.40 @ 114.8
With 4.88's
1.47 60', 7.09 @ 94.2, 11.35 @ 114.7


Whats he shifting at and crossing the line at?

This is with set of 28 x 12.5" slicks as specified and a moderately built transmission.

4.10
1-2 = 7330 rpm
2-3 = 7190 rpm
Finish line = 6070 rpm

4.56
1-2 = 7280 rpm
2-3 = 7160 rpm
Finish line = 6640 rpm

4.88
1-2 = 7230 rpm
2-3 = 7150 rpm
Finish line = 7020 rpm

Going to a 4500 stall converter, 5.13 gears and race tranny we're in the 11.20's.

So it looks like the 4.10's are my best bet, My goals were low 12's....but hell if she wants to do better so be it. and I would still be able to drive it locally if I wanted to.

Thanks for your time, and info guys....this is what makes this board so great

A little exhaust work, no accessories, no mufflers, an 850DP carb, and a Comp 292S ground on 106 centers installed at 102 results in a 1.38 60', 6.70 @ 99, 10.75 @ 121.3.
The 4.88's get you 10.68 @ 121

what 106? I thought no one here liked 106 but me!

OK, so I am litle confused here, can someone explain the affects a tighter LSA has on the output of a motor?

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/171261/fullsize/Scan025,%20January%2018,%202005.jpg

------------------
1972 camaro street car
smallblock, fun to drive

Hmmm... Vizard???

John Baechtel