Stock magnum heads cam roll call!

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LXguy

LXguy

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Hey All:

What cam are you running in a stock headed Magnum? Do you like it? Did you check stuff like retainer to guide clearance or did you just jam it in there?

Curious to see what develops....
 
On my 97 dakota 5.2l I'm running the original r/t cam 204/208 @ .050". With 1.7 rr's lift works out to .487 in and .496 ex IIRC. Had zero issues and have run that cam for 40000 miles.
 
acpat said:
HIPOTEK 507/507
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Well, I went there and couldn’t find anything because there information on cam listing are about nil and void which otherwise mean there site is basically useless. Tits on a bull are much better.
Absolutely no help there.

That site was only reselling Comp Cams camshafts.
 
I’m in the process of installing a Hughes 1418 also using recommended Upgraded spring and lifter kit. It’s a bit higher lift but Hughes says no problem with clearances. Stock 5.9 Magnum head and pushrods. Lash preload on new lifters looks right on with non adjustable stock rockers.
Can’t wait to get it back together.
 
598E1992-2EA4-4037-804D-7539DFA599BA.jpeg
 
I've read from several sources that .520 is the max before machine work is necessary.

IIRC there's cam available at .513 with 1.6 rockers, and another at .517.

I've got the Lunati at .517 but am years away from installing it in an LA roller 318 with 2000 5.9 Magnum heads.
 
Retainer to guide clearance is the issue before valve to piston clearance on a stock piston, stock head and valve magnum setup. I have that Hughes cam with their retainers, locks, and springs. I had to shorten the guides to get adequate retainer to guide clearance. With the guides down .100", you have clearance for a more aggressive came. Details from my measurements are in another thread.
How fast can you go with a Magnum? Who has the quickest setup?
 
Tim at Hughes assured me it would be ok on my stock magnum heads with their spring kit.
This is from “MagnumSwap.com”
There is a persistent rumor that the Magnum engine will not tolerate camshafts with higher than .520 lift due to retainer/lock to valve guide clearance issues. This is not true. While max lift is related to cam duration and other factors, we are using a .550+ lift cam in our shop car, did not need to flycut the pistons, and have more than the minimum clearance.

However it does go on to say clearances should always be checked.
 
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That is poorly worded and should be changed. The shop car didn't have stock magnum heads.

The heads I just measured are .575 total on exhaust. You won't have their recommended .060 clearance with your cam. I think that spec is waaaaaay safe personally, and you should be fine, but its your motor....
 
On mine, I found right at .550" test lift the intake retainers contact the factory style valve stem seals. The exhaust retainer contacted the seal at .540" test lift. Always check them.
 
Thanks guys. I def don’t want to damage my engine.
Will take a closer look at clearances before I’m satisfied.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Well, I went there and couldn’t find anything because there information on cam listing are about nil and void which otherwise mean there site is basically useless. Tits on a bull are much better.
Absolutely no help there.

That site was only reselling Comp Cams camshafts.
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If you call him Richard will go through all your specs and help you pick a cam that will do what you want and actually work. They are ground on comps blanks by comps. I received awesome A+ service from them and they went above and beyond to make me happy. I received a cam that was ground on a short snout blank. not what I ordered. Richard got it fixed in 10 minutes and comps sent me a replacement in 3 days. Very good company and I had zero complaints. 507/507 cam is a 4x4 cam that you can not order from comps. I spent around 1000.00 one afternoon with them and when it went wrong no excuses they fixed it. was no fault of richards but he fixed it with no bitching, no B.S, no nothing just fixed. made me loyal customer. Try that with hughes Indy etc
 
I am running the Hughes 222/226 It is .549/.555. I also used their 1.660 spring and retainers. Slammed it in there without checking a thing because we were in a hurry. So far, so good. I'ts more lumpy than I expected.
 
Checked my clearances and assembled. All good. Break in went great. Started on first crank. Now dialing in the timing and fuel.
 
It sounds great. Has a bit of a rumble lump. You def know it’s not stock.
The Hughes lifters make some noise...sounds like a flat tappet...just like they said it would.
Pretty cool all in all.
 
I got the 380 hp create with 727 and 2800 stall and 2.94 rear gears cam is around 288/296 .500 ish lift. Its pretty soft under 2000 rpm, have to drive in 2nd in town, and have to get her up to 40 mph in 1st before gasing it to feel its real power. Obviously a set of 4.10-4.30 would cure that. Even 3.55 would go a long way. My plans are to swap the single plane M1 intake for an airgap apparently worth 30 ish lbs-ft across the torque band. And add a set of Rhoads lifters then probably a set of 3.55 depending how much the intake and lifters help.
 
The stock lifters they used in the crate engines are fine. Instead of changing the lifters, get a custom ground cam to maximize your package, along with your planned intake swap. The crate cam is just lazy because it was made to clear stock head retainer to guide clearance and work with higher stall converters and taller rear gears.
 
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Bobzilla said:
The stock lifters they used in the crate engines are fine. Instead of changing the lifters, get a custom ground cam to maximize your package, along with your planned intake swap. The crate cam is just lazy because it was made to clear stock head retainer to guide clearance and work with higher stall converters and taller rear gears.
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Agreed.. My Howard's grind ,was 229/233 @ 050' advertised was 282/286 ... Slower ramp cams ,work... it takes experience, to learn the difference(s)...
Idles at 11 " of vacuum ,@ 900-950 in gear... If you want more street able, pull the intake duration back , ( torque on the street ) ,or widen the lobe centers ,110-114 .... and some head porting, would be good.
Personal experience, you have done....
 
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