Cam shootout mild engine, on 350 still useful.

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273

273

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Show's why a midrange cams 210-220 are good choice for the street, and why a 350 Chev is a turd of an engine :)

Engine Camshaft - Test, Comparison Review - Hot Rod Magazine

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nice to see they threw the solid cam in there, low rpm power was very similar to the 219*@.050 cam. lash makes it act smaller huh?
 
cookietruck said:
nice to see they threw the solid cam in there, low rpm power was very similar to the 219*@.050 cam. lash makes it act smaller huh?
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solid and the 275 have very similar dyno results, the 265 seem the best choice especially if you never or rarely go to the track the the 275 or solid would a better choice street strip with gears and stall but it’s only slight advantage, the 255 gives you really nothing over the 265 cam.
 
anybody have flow numbers for the heads they used? are they comparable to stock magnum heads or something?
 
cookietruck said:
anybody have flow numbers for the heads they used? are they comparable to stock magnum heads or something?
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They said slightly better than stock 350, by the power number I'd say that's between 318 and 1.88 340/360 heads, I feel with 1.88 360 there would be more temptation to go with the bigger cam's :), why I added the 350 is a turd comment.
 
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I felt this article would help those picking 200-220 cams and I feel shows under 210 for most cases too cautious, but like in the case with my 400 bronco I've could of easily went with 265 or 275 with little effect down low but I went with 255 just cause I wouldn't even chance a trade of 1/2 of a mpg for even 30-50 hp on top since it's a truck and never see it. In a car I'd rather the extra power.
 
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AJ always applauded the .220 duration number for excellent all round performance!
 
ir3333 said:
AJ always applauded the .220 duration number for excellent all round performance!
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220 is probably the biggest you want to go before you start really trade bottom end for top, mid gonna be about the same. It's a good choice for 1 hp per Cid with decent heads like mildly prepped 1.88 340/360 heads 9:1 Cr air gap headers.
Could make more with better heads LS and modern hemi's go well into the mid 400 hp with 220 ish cams.
 
Here's what a 4" stroke does with a stockish magnum stock cam 4bbl headers, it's not exactly a apple to apple they increased Cr by almost 2 points. 305 hp vs 334 hp and 414 lbs-ft vs 490 lbs-ft most of the hp and part of the torque would be Cr.

 
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273 said:
220 is probably the biggest you want to go before you start really trade bottom end for top, mid gonna be about the same. It's a good choice for 1 hp per Cid with decent heads like mildly prepped 1.88 340/360 heads 9:1 Cr air gap headers.
Could make more with better heads LS and modern hemi's go well into the mid 400 hp with 220 ish cams.
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I'm guessing you're talking about lowish compression engines?
 
Long have I preached the benefits of those Comp deh grinds only to be argued with and ignored.
 
Imo, there must be some fairly substantial limitation in the induction/exhaust system(and possibly combined with lowish CR) for none of those cams to get the motor to make 1hp/ci.
 
PRH said:
Imo, there must be some fairly substantial limitation in the induction/exhaust system(and possibly combined with lowish CR) for none of those cams to get the motor to make 1hp/ci.
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Agree. I have had quite a bit of experience with these mild SBC's back in the day and besides being 8.8 comp and the 1.94's, the biggest cork on that engine with the larger cams is the Performer. It's no better then a iron Q-jet intake.

I once swapped a Torker i had on the shelf on a similar engine with a 235@.050 cam and the car picked up 3 1/2mph in the quarter.
 
Posting the dyno results of the cams tested with no other real information backing up the results is stupid.
Calling the Chevy 350 a turd under this is also stupid.

This should really help no one out very much at all and even more so since some will make a direct comparison to there engine. Since the engine can be described as an air pump, the only difference the dyno knows is how much power is being put into it.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Posting the dyno results of the cams tested with no other real information backing up the results is stupid.
Calling the Chevy 350 a turd under this is also stupid.

This should really help no one out very much at all and even more so since some will make a direct comparison to there engine. Since the engine can be described as an air pump, the only difference the dyno knows is how much power is being put into it.
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There was a link for the article with in the post, I just copy the pic's for the lazy ones.

The best the 350 made was 338hp with a 236 cam to me that's a turd.

It don't have to be a dodge to learn anything from it, is it gonna be the same results if same cams in a 360, No, but since we don't have the luxury of ton's mopar info we need to use what's available.

Engines act very similar when built similar across brands.

I really don't get you sometimes, but glad your part of the crew though.
 
All I learned from that article was it makes no difference what cam is in the engine when the intake and heads choke it.
It has to be a misprint but I read in the article the header primary tubes were 1”.
 
PRH said:
Imo, there must be some fairly substantial limitation in the induction/exhaust system(and possibly combined with lowish CR) for none of those cams to get the motor to make 1hp/ci.
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My guess the head but it's a Dart stock replacement head that flows slightly above stock, that's why I think people don't believe dodge power numbers cause they compared they to old 350 pre major aftermarket head support of the 350, I doubt many old school 350 made over 400 hp.
 
TT5.9mag said:
All I learned from that article was it makes no difference what cam is in the engine when the intake and heads choke it.
It has to be a misprint but I read in the article the header primary tubes were 1”.
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Like 90% of the guy's out there, there's probably more people running a stockish 318 than anything else besides a /6 :)
 
PRH said:
Imo, there must be some fairly substantial limitation in the induction/exhaust system(and possibly combined with lowish CR) for none of those cams to get the motor to make 1hp/ci.
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When the local stock car tracks around here went with create engines for 350's they dyno'd a bunch of stockish mopar combo's and had a hard time getting the hp down equal to the Chev's they end up added 150 pounds to the dodgers plus lesser mod's and my cousin could still pull on them out of the turn even when he had to run a smokey stock 318 short block for a few races.
 
273 said:
Nope
Never see results the other way
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My 340 was 11.4-1, ported Edelbrocks and a Weiand X-Cellerator with a 236/242 @ .050°, .590ish lift hydraulic and it wasn't soft on the bottom even with 3.55's. I'd say that cam in a low compression 318 and it would be pretty doggy down low.
 
justinp61 said:
My 340 was 11.4-1, ported Edelbrocks and a Weiand X-Cellerator with a 236/242 @ .050°, .590ish lift hydraulic and it wasn't soft on the bottom even with 3.55's. I'd say that cam in a low compression 318 and it would be pretty doggy down low.
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Sure but do you know for sure, that a 226 would make more below 3000 rpm's
 
273 said:
Sure but do you know for sure, that a 226 would make more below 3000 rpm's
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What makes you think it needed more below 3000? It wasn't in a dump truck.

I'm proud we don't all live in a little box ruled by theory. We'd all be driving stock cammed, two barrel 318's with iron manifolds talking about how they are the perfect hot rod engine.
 
justinp61 said:
What makes you think it needed more below 3000? It wasn't in a dump truck.

I'm proud we don't all live in a little box ruled by theory. We'd all be driving stock cammed, two barrel 318's with iron manifolds talking about how they are the perfect hot rod engine.
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True but the engines in this thread are 250-350 hp idle to 5500 rpm, So yes for you under 3000 rpm don't matter but for 99.98% it does and for most above 4000 rpm don't matter.
 
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