Unknown RV Camshaft Identification

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Garrett Ellison

Garrett Ellison

Amateur driver on public roadway, do not imitate..
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I recently pulled an aftermarket camshaft from a 360 truck engine. On the back it was stamped 360 D with no other numbers. Lift at the the lobe measures .420 Intake and Exhaust. Anyone know who made this grind? I'm guessing it's a lot like an Erson or Edelbrock 206 @ .050 grind.
 
Garrett, I think we're gonna need "a little more" on this. lol However, if I HAD to guess, I'd say it is a generic version of the Edelbrock Performer. .420 and 206 and 216 @ .050 maybe. Probably on a 112.
 
A lot of those RV grinds were in the 250°-255° seat and 203°-206° @ .050 range with only .420 lift. Many were even smaller ! like 246° seat.
Isky made a lot of those along with Crane. Crane especially was stuck in the .420 range back then, and used a lot of blanks in that lobe range. Lobe centers were about what RRR stated
They gave them catchy names like 'mile-a-more' cams and so on.. As far as the RV stuff AND my memory goes.. that was 40 yrs ago.
IF that's what it is. someone my prove me wrong later. it happens. :)
 
Kind of my thoughts on the overall lobe profile, too. Edelbrock, Erson, and until recently Sealed Power produces or produced a similar profile cam. It’s been designated as plan B on a stock bottom end 360 truck engine if we can’t make 9:1 compression with the parts available on hand. I‘ll still check the .050 duration with the degree wheel of we do install it, just to confirm it isn’t some weird “stock lift rule” cam.
 
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If it’s .420 on both lobes, there is/was a white box special with those specs.
It’s like 204@.050.
 
Thanks everyone! I suspected it was a below budget white box special. Probably has slower ramp rates than a stock Chevy lobe, but it will serve the purpose if needed. Now just waiting on the burette to come in to see if all these volumes are as hopelessly large as my math is telling me they are, Lol! Let's just say that 8:1 is a stretch with 308 heads and the thin MP head gaskets.
 
PRH said:
I always thought the real question was...... who took it out of the white box and put it into their own fancy box?
Click to expand...

lol ok, so it could be a Melling 'red headed step child' passed around in a white box ? :)
 
I thought Melling just kept the white box, and just put their sticker on one end of the box.
You save on boxes that way.

Edit- apparently I haven’t had a Melling cam here in a while.
Looks like they stepped up to a fancier box for the “performance” line.
 
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Well, a quick update in case anyone else encounters one of these cams. After coming up with an accurate measuring instrument, I have determined this to be a mileage regrind of an early stock 318 2 barrel cam. Intake valve lift is .375, exhaust valve lift is .398. I’m sure the other numbers are equally or probably even less impressive... anyone need a cam and lifters?
 
The ubiquitous 318 cam.......
264/275 sae advertised duration
181/192@.050
.373/.400 lift
109lsa, installed at 110

The lo-po 360 cam can be used as a drop in performance upgrade for a 318 after doing something like a swap to a 4bbl and dual exhaust.

278/278 sae advertised duration
203/203 @.050
.410/.410
109.5lsa in at 108
 
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PRH said:
The ubiquitous 318 cam.......
264/275 sae advertised duration
181/192@.050
.373/.400 lift
109lsa, installed at 110

The lo-po 360 cam can be used as a drop in performance upgrade for a 318 after doing something like a swap to a 4bbl and dual exhaust.

278/278 sae advertised duration
203/203 @.050
.410/.410
109.5lsa in at 108
Click to expand...
Just measured out one of those out of the junkyard pile today, too. This one was in a 1982 casting date 318-3 block re-man engine that had been modified with headers and four barrel intake. It measured out at a whopping .398/.405. It had some noticeable lope in the eighteen.
 
WE used to suggest the 360 cam for 318
now rarely
the 278 SAE= .004 so like a 270 comp or lunati or howards
way too much duration for the .410 lift
which kills the dynamic compression in a low compression 318 (or 340/ 360)
you can easily get .460 lift from a 264 SAE 256 .006 cam 14 degrees is a bunch and let's say 8 on the close side so even advancing 4 degrees does not make you whold
and earlier exhaust when stock or advanced kills mileage and heats the exhaust
the 109 lca gives lots of overlap aka mikey mouse EGR effect, dilutes the incoming charge till you get it reved up- smog cam
 
PRH said:
I always thought the real question was...... who took it out of the white box and put it into their own fancy box?
Click to expand...
Was never in another box... they are shipped in steel shipping boxes or layered on cardboard/composit sheets in a wire basket. Anyone who has worked in a factory knows what I'm talking about.

Likely 90% of all shelf cams come from the same place (CMC)... regardless of brand. The big guys only grind their own custom cams the rest are farmed out.
 
That's startig to change With the CNC Landis grinders
you see grind lists in 2 degree increments?
no one is making steel masters in 2 degree inrements
they just generate a list table to many more deciml places and feed it into the grinder
so it comes down to the lobe generating software
It's come a long way since UDHarold who constantly upgraded his.
but still it's garbage in- garbage out
many programmers try to generate perfect curves to make a perfect lobe
but ignore the valve train and geometry
you still have to pick the right lobes
 
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