I was working in the parts store back when Comp Cams first started so we sold a lot of old school cams. Before Comp, we sold a lot of Crane and TRW. Back in those days there wasn't a lot of affordable valve train components. Most of the cam companies screwed with duration to make power and didn't mess with much lift, especially for street cams. The manufacturers had the same mentality. They needed a combination that would run the numbers but last until the warranty was up. Design a cam with some duration to get the job done but not a ton of lift so it was easy on the valve train.
