Stock height will be fine. Except for it being a flat tappet cam (making an assumption here) that's a dead ringer for the HO roller cam. I would run it with 1.7 rockers to increase the lift by another .030
Would that be a bad idea if I already told them I was going to run 1.6? Or would it not matter too much?
Also, groberts, is that offer still available? Can I buy a set of valves from you? And what else do I need to get? Retainers? Locks? And what else?
I'd have to agree. Since your cam is extremely mild and the springs you are getting look to be stout enough, going with 1.7 would be fine. Just remember when the motor goes together you should check piston to valve clearance and also look for coil bind.............although at such low lifts I doubt you will have any issues. Also, whenever you change rocker ratio it's always wise to talk with the cam manufacturer just to make sure he will give you his blessing..........IMHO
wow.. is that actually what you asked for? HO.. RV or whatever you want to call it.. that is one VERY mild cam. You could damned near get away with running stock 95lb springs on that little thing. Without much duration to really turn rpm that motor.. and as mentioned above.. some extra lift can only help matters in such a limited rpm range. With the right tune on that motor.. and if not for the added compression you'll be running.. you'll barely be able to tell it isn't stock. I will be off work all day tomorrow for dentist appointments for myself and 2 boys.. so I'll go pull boxes out of the shops rafters and search for valves that you may be able to use in your project.
How come the cam they sent me is so mild then? I told them everything I'm doing and they just said they'll make a cam that's got more torque. But... If its such a mild cam, how come they chose that one? And thank you! I'll see if I can find a set of cheaper 1.7 rockers.
This is what happens when you let someone else pick your cam for you, trusting that they'll give you something special. What you want and what they think is best are two different things.
IMO.. there's absolutely nothing wrong with letting a cam designer choose the spec's based on their experience. That's how 80% or better of custom cams are designed anyways since not all customers are proficient in suppliying their own spec's.. or are going to be dyno testing the motor extensively to sneak up on the optimum spec. In the case of a custom cam.. you MUST CONVEY AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE about engine/drivetrain spec's and expected usage while ultimately putting your faith in their experience to trust they will make the most of your dollar spent. TBH here.. that sounds like more of a communication issue.. insufficient amount of supplied info.. or they flat out ripped you off and sold you an off-shelf misgrind or something. Personally.. I'd be pretty pissed off and start complaining about their choice based on the info that was supplied.. and the amount of time and thought you've put into that build. Becuase if you specifically said you wanted a little lump at idle?.. that cam will barely do that for you. And jesus.. don't even get me started about their spring rec's. 100lbs at 1.85 installed height for a 440 lift cam? Did they forget what stock SBF installed heights on these older heads are to begin with or something?(which BTW, was answered several times in this thread already to be around 1.7 inches) Some cheap 30$ STOCK z-28 springs(of which I have 2 sets of in bags) would have been more than sufficient for a little cam like that. the fact of which would just add insult to injury and piss me off that much more in a situation like this. And make no mistake.. that motor will certainly make torque. Unfortunately.. most of it'll be tractor-like and right at idle to mid-range.. all but gone by around 4,500 or less.. and start running out of steam on the top-end at about 5,200-5,400 rpm. Higher compression will help widen/extend the range a bit.. but I'm sorry to say there's just not enough duration ground in to carry the heads much further than that. I'd call them on Monday and start hashing out what info was supplied.. what was expected.. and what you were sent. You need to be VERY polite and professional about it though so they don't just slam the phone down on you. It would also help to go through a few cam catalogs to find another off-shelf grind very similar to that one(of which there will be many) and pose the question.. "why would I spend the extra bit of cash to buy your custom grind when I coulds have just chosen.. this manufacturers cheaper grind and received it a week sooner than yours?". Hopefully I wound you up enough to actually take some measures to do something about it. It almost even makes me want to call them and ask why I would even refer customers to them in the first place.. if they just plan on making assumptions(which is also a two way street).. and grinding cookie cutter patterns anyways? On a positive note.. I've found 16 1.94 and 1.60 valves so far in 4.91 lengths. Some are very slightly worn(more like polished).. some were used for seat protection/dummy valves during port work and have light face abrasions I can quickly polish out if need be. I have many others too.. but the lengths and stem diameters are wrong(smaller stemmed LS1 style) or they'll need heavier cutting to get them down to size for your combo. The weather sucks here and my boys ball game has been canceled.. so I'll keep digging around as I clean things up this weekend.
When you put trust in someone you don't know..............well............you end up with what you get. When I was trying to select a cam for race car I talked with 5 companies and only got a good answer from one............that's a pretty sad percentage.....and the other 4 companies are VERY well known............you know, the ones doing all the advertising you see on the internet and magazines......................go figure!
while I can agree and see your point.. who out there really "knows" a cam grinder in the first place? That's where you must use references and experience from others to put your mind at ease to trust the grinders experience. Otherwise.. not many at all would ever order a custom cam in the first place. All I can tell you is this. My expectations are MUCH higher than most and Cam Research has given me 3 rather spectacular grinds so far. Some of which have been compared back to back with cookie cutter off-shelf stuff.. and they just flat out work to make them money well spent. And I even have 4th one sitting in my long block right now which was spec'd for my heavily cut 289 hi-po heads. Needless to say.. it's very heavily biased towards exhaust scavenging for increased high-rpm power production. I've also rec'd them to at least 10 others through the years(last one was for a 351 with DO heads) and they have all been extremely happy with the results as well.. some of them also coming directly from off-shelf grinds too. Now.. maybe.. just maybe.. there was a communication breakdown.. too much assumption being made..the guy on the other end of the phone doesn't know his ass from a Blue Oval in the ground.. just flat out doesn't really care.. or maybe they've even changed ownership in the past several years. Whatever the issue was that caused this mess.. it should be straightened out, IMHO.
Ill call them money because I've been looking at a stock cam's specs and... The cam they have me has hardly any differences that I could find. So ill call them but I'm not entirely sure what to say to them. I originally I told them "I want as much lope as the car can handle on the street. With an rpm range of 1500-5500 and a good combination of low end torque and upper end horsepower with slightly more torque because it will be on the street" I told them everything about the car from the size tires to the ratio to the stall speed and the transmission gears. Told them slightly ported 289 closed chamber heads with oversized valves at 1.90 and 1.60 and then I also told him I'd be using street headers with a 2-1/2" collector. Does that all add up to the cam I got? Cuz it seems I could've gotten one off a shelf (the original one) that would've been better. So what do I ask them? To make me another cam and that ill send mine back? And... Do you think that the springs they sent me will work? Or will I have to return them too?
I don't know if this adds to the suspicion, but I told him it was for a 302. He wrote 351 winsor on the card. I know they're essentially the same cam design with minor differences but is that a little suspicious to you guys?
