Cam selection for 5.9 mag

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MileHighDart

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Ok, I know this has been beat to death, and I should have all the answers by now after reading all the other threads, but sometimes i'm a little dense and it takes a bit to sink in.

Looking to do a cam change, not right away but in the near future. I'd like opinions on a couple of specific Lunati Voodoo cams, cause I found a smoking deal online for these two cams.

My current setup:
'99 5.9 Magnum - carbed. in a '68 Dart
stock bottom end
stock replacement 5.2 cam (184/193 @.050, lift is .412 - .428 with 1.6 rockers) 112 lsa.
Edelbrock airgap, with 1406 carb.
Stock magnum heads with mild home porting job.
904 auto stock converter
3:23 gears and 25.5" rear tires.
I am at 5300' elevation.
Usage is cruising, occasional drive to work, and maybe twice a year to the strip.

Soon switching to 3:55 gears and doing a A500 tranny swap, which will give me a factory high stall converter. Hard to find an exact number on what that stall is, but a replacement from advance auto says 1900-2400 stall.

Interested in going with either one of these two Lunati Voodoo hydraulic rollers, basically cause I found a smokin' deal on them. Great deal on the smaller one, and good deal on the bigger. I tend to be conservative on my choices, but want the car to pull hard at more than just the bottom end. These are the two i'm looking at:

Lunati Voodoo 20200714 (207/213 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1000 - 5000 rpm.

Lunati Voodoo 20200715 (213/219 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1200 - 5500 rpm.

Just wondering which is the better choice, keep in mind my 5300' elevation, so compression is no doubt lower than at sea level. probably in the 8.5 to 1 range. So wondering if the bigger cam will hurt more than help because of my high altitude. Also wondering if the small er cam is enough of a change from the stock 5.2 cam to make it worth doing.
I realize either choice will require springs - retainers.
 
I sent my cam to Oregon Cam Grinders to get it reground. I went with a 722 grind in my 360 magnum with EQ heads built 904 and 3.23 in my 63 Valiant. It’s a rocket and pulls nice to around 5800. Give Ken a call with all your info, he’ll point you in the right direction.

Jake

MileHighDart said:
Ok, I know this has been beat to death, and I should have all the answers by now after reading all the other threads, but sometimes i'm a little dense and it takes a bit to sink in.

Looking to do a cam change, not right away but in the near future. I'd like opinions on a couple of specific Lunati Voodoo cams, cause I found a smoking deal online for these two cams.

My current setup:
'99 5.9 Magnum - carbed. in a '68 Dart
stock bottom end
stock replacement 5.2 cam (184/193 @.050, lift is .412 - .428 with 1.6 rockers) 112 lsa.
Edelbrock airgap, with 1406 carb.
Stock magnum heads with mild home porting job.
904 auto stock converter
3:23 gears and 25.5" rear tires.
I am at 5300' elevation.
Usage is cruising, occasional drive to work, and maybe twice a year to the strip.

Soon switching to 3:55 gears and doing a A500 tranny swap, which will give me a factory high stall converter. Hard to find an exact number on what that stall is, but a replacement from advance auto says 1900-2400 stall.

Interested in going with either one of these two Lunati Voodoo hydraulic rollers, basically cause I found a smokin' deal on them. Great deal on the smaller one, and good deal on the bigger. I tend to be conservative on my choices, but want the car to pull hard at more than just the bottom end. These are the two i'm looking at:

Lunati Voodoo 20200714 (207/213 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1000 - 5000 rpm.

Lunati Voodoo 20200715 (213/219 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1200 - 5500 rpm.

Just wondering which is the better choice, keep in mind my 5300' elevation, so compression is no doubt lower than at sea level. probably in the 8.5 to 1 range. So wondering if the bigger cam will hurt more than help because of my high altitude. Also wondering if the small er cam is enough of a change from the stock 5.2 cam to make it worth doing.
I realize either choice will require springs - retainers.
Click to expand...
 
In for more information. Hopefully all this reading/research will push me to install a Cam before I drop the motor in the car.
 
I would use the larger cam if a off the shelf cam is the route. It will work with the factory stall converter.

The nice thing about a custom cut is that it’s there job to know a few things above and beyond the rabid home enthusiast.

Just give him all the information he asks for. It should e that hard to do. Except, exact car weight, which would really be good to have.
 
MileHighDart said:
Ok, I know this has been beat to death, and I should have all the answers by now after reading all the other threads, but sometimes i'm a little dense and it takes a bit to sink in.

Looking to do a cam change, not right away but in the near future. I'd like opinions on a couple of specific Lunati Voodoo cams, cause I found a smoking deal online for these two cams.

My current setup:
'99 5.9 Magnum - carbed. in a '68 Dart
stock bottom end
stock replacement 5.2 cam (184/193 @.050, lift is .412 - .428 with 1.6 rockers) 112 lsa.
Edelbrock airgap, with 1406 carb.
Stock magnum heads with mild home porting job.
904 auto stock converter
3:23 gears and 25.5" rear tires.
I am at 5300' elevation.
Usage is cruising, occasional drive to work, and maybe twice a year to the strip.

Soon switching to 3:55 gears and doing a A500 tranny swap, which will give me a factory high stall converter. Hard to find an exact number on what that stall is, but a replacement from advance auto says 1900-2400 stall.

Interested in going with either one of these two Lunati Voodoo hydraulic rollers, basically cause I found a smokin' deal on them. Great deal on the smaller one, and good deal on the bigger. I tend to be conservative on my choices, but want the car to pull hard at more than just the bottom end. These are the two i'm looking at:

Lunati Voodoo 20200714 (207/213 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1000 - 5000 rpm.

Lunati Voodoo 20200715 (213/219 at .050 .513 - .513 lift with 1.6 rockers, 112 lsa) operating range 1200 - 5500 rpm.

Just wondering which is the better choice, keep in mind my 5300' elevation, so compression is no doubt lower than at sea level. probably in the 8.5 to 1 range. So wondering if the bigger cam will hurt more than help because of my high altitude. Also wondering if the small er cam is enough of a change from the stock 5.2 cam to make it worth doing.
I realize either choice will require springs - retainers.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Rumblefish on this, and I'll tell you why.
Oregon Cams 214/224 and .512 with 1.6 rockers and 110 lsa.
I can barely tell it's anything other than stock, but it was a case of being careful not to go too far and trash fuel economy.
Tuning real lean on the idle gives it a light lope at stoplights.
The 213/219 on a 112 I'd bet it'd be milder, because I have almost that exact motor, carb and all.

It runs great and with the A500 will do 100 all day long without even breathing and get in the mid 20's mpg, but you almost can't tell it's anything more than stock at 15:1 AFR idle.
If you want some cam sound to it go higher in the duration's and shorter lsa.

Just my two cents from experience with the same combo. (and elevation actually)
When I drive down to Phoenix it picks up a little meaner in sound and power both, because it's a couple of thousand feet lower.
Down there it also raises my idle and running AFR both 1 full point or so leaner.
 
Trailbeast, I was hoping you'd chime in, cause I know we have similar setups, and that your at nearly the same elevation as me.
I know some guys pic cams on how they sound, but I dont really care about the sound.
Just want it to have a little more pep that it has now, and like you I dont want to ruin the gas milage and I do travel on the highway a lot.
 
Speaking of experiance with the like cam specs....

In a low compression late '79 - 318 w/a 904/3.23 stock tire combo in my '74 Duster, I used a slightly larger Crane cam on a 112 lsa.
Here it is FWIW; Crane Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshafts 693941
A Cold November day video;


It did work with the stock converter but some extra stall wold have been nice, (just not cost effective for the goal of cheap thrills.)
The throttle response had a ever so slightly flat spot just off idle. Now that I see the choices above, the larger cam above has a few less degrees of duration and would not have that ever so slightly flat spot off idle. I was able to get 18 on the Hwy. with this set up. An overdrive trans surly would add a couple of extra MPG's I think.

Another benefit of the OP's engine is it is a 42 CID increase advantage, better breathing heads & intake that will make more torque,LOL, a few buckets full in that 9.0-1, 5.9 engine over my 7.8-1 - 318 engine. IMO, he will never feel a off idle flat spoot but just rocket off or pull away like grand ma with zero problems. With his intended switch in the future to 3.55's, this is going to be a really nice driver with good pep for sure.

A few other things would have been nice as well starting with wider tires and better heads & 3.55's! That would have made that 318 get up and go well! LOL!
Nether here or there right now. The car is long gone.
 
Last edited:
Lelo Dart said:
I vote for the larger of the two. I have this one 20-604-9 - Computer Controlled Hydraulic Roller Camshafts (For 1992-02 Magnum Engines WITH 1.6 ROCKER ARM RATIO) and it's a real pussycat. Wish I had gone bigger. Went from your first option cam to the one I have now. I think the 714 cam is better suited to a truck than a muscle car. IMO.
edit: actually this one 20-614-9 - Computer Controlled Hydraulic Roller Camshafts 1986-1991 with long snout and 1.5:1 rockers but same thing
Click to expand...

For a truck because of the torque, which is what I wanted.
I knew I wasn't going to be doing much in the upper R's but I was going to be making long higher mph drives.
Not that Oregon is the last word on cams, but when I told him what I was going to be doing with the car 90% of the time he agreed on the cam I asked for.
He certainly knows more about cams than I do.:D
 
Not sure if you plugged your drivetrain info into the lunati web site cam selection info sheet but I’d do that and see exactly what they recommend based on your info and go from there. That’ll give you more food for thought or a good confirmation.
 
67dartgtgo said:
Not sure if you plugged your drivetrain info into the lunati web site cam selection info sheet but I’d do that and see exactly what they recommend based on your info and go from there. That’ll give you more food for thought or a good confirmation.
Click to expand...
That there is a good idea as well as filling out there cam card sheet with the car and engine specs.
 
Only difference is duration?

You're going from a .42x to a .51x lift and that wont be noticeable?

I've got the one that ends up at .517 lift at 1.6 (but had to calculate it)

Not installed in anything yet but target is an LA roller 318 with 5.9 Magnum heads and a 999 trans with a small stall lockup.
 
run stall and compression tests with current combo and let's see where you are at
contact slantsix64
he just did the Oregon cams regrind in his late LA rocker shaft motor
his thread is budget318build
post all the details in your thread slant
he can fill you in on finding tdc, pushrod length (base circle is reduced) changes etc
you must degree in regrinds- all new grinds
I run the stock cam as I tow and any change hurts low end grunt
so I'd go the shorter one- but that's just me
does depend on gears and weight and how you want it to drive
 
couple of more things
ask this forum about keepers hitting the valve stem seals
some shorten the keepers
but with larger cams the guides have to be shortened
I'm in WA for a couple of weeks and do not have access to my notes- so double check
and what about valve springs?
you can change in the car
and timing chain and gaskets
do your whole budget ahead of time
hit- if this is your first go around put motor at tdc and check position of rotor before tearing the cam out- you want it to go back together the same way
remember there are TWO tdcs Overlap and Ignition
 
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