Camshaft identification??

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mullinax95

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I've pulled the cam out of my 273 and I am trying to find out what the specs are. I talked to the guy that built the motor and he said it was a Crane cam. He can't remmember the specs. So I went to the Crane site and in both part number and grind number I am not showing any cam by Crane. The number on the cam is not the best in the world to make out but I think it is: E937P

Where should I go from here you guess?
 
Check it with a degree wheel. Or check the lobe lift with dial indicator. Should be able to itentify it with that. Terry.
 
Sorry, it was a link to check it out for yourself and browse the cam section as well as read up on selecting a cam in there tech write up pages.
You can also e-mail them or call them up.
 
OK I went NAPA and tried the Non-Napa part number search and this is what it showed:




Click on image to see enlarged view


Item#: CEP2291735

Price: $139.00
tax and shipping not included

Disclaimer: The stated price may vary from the in store price and may change at anytime.


Attributes:
Advertised Duration (Exhaust):280 Deg
Advertised Duration (Intake):270 Deg
Cam Lift (Exhaust):.295"
Cam Lift (Intake):.280"
Cam Timing at .050" Lobe Lift (Exhaust Close):10 Deg BTC
Cam Timing at .050" Lobe Lift (Exhaust Open):44 Deg BBC
Cam Timing at .050" Lobe Lift (Intake Close):29 Deg ABC
Cam Timing at .050" Lobe Lift (Intake Open):5 Deg ATC
Degrees Overlap:51 Deg
Duration at .050" Lobe Lift (Exhaust):214 Deg
Duration at .050" Lobe Lift (Intake):204 Deg
Lobe Centerline (Exhaust):117 Deg
Lobe Centerline (Intake):107 Deg
Valve Lash (Exhaust):Hyd.
Valve Lash (Intake):Hyd.
Valve Lift (Exhaust):.443"
Valve Lift (Intake):.420"

It didn't state the brand name of the cam but the specs are close don't you agree. The XE268 (COMP CAM) that I like has a duration @ .50 of 224 and the lift is .477 lift intake and .480 exhaust.
 
oldkimmer said:
Im pretty sure that is an Elgin# as my cam # is E983P=260-270.....194-204 ....398I-420E......105-115cl


OK I will see if I can find it in the Elgin thanks
 
Duration at .050" Lobe Lift (Exhaust):214 Deg
Duration at .050" Lobe Lift (Intake):204 Deg
Are you sure these are correct? Most cases, the exhaust duration is longer until you get to some serious race cams.
 
Psst, Thats what it says, Exhaust is 214 and intake is 204. Your just use to seeing Intake listed first.
 
ok we may be on to something. the number may be old or hard to read but this is pretty close to the number. i do belive it is an elgin cam

E938P Elgin, Camshaft Only, Chrysler SB, Hydraulic, FT, 204/420,
Lift: .420"/.420" Duration @ .050": 204/204 Lobe Center: 110 Improved torque, economy
 
rumblefish360 said:
Are you sure these are correct? Most cases, the exhaust duration is longer until you get to some serious race cams.

I don't know. All I did was copied and pasted it. The only fear I have with going with the XE268 is valve guide clearance. Hughes racing says that anything over .450 lift might need to have the valve guide shortened. So the cam that I have now is under that far as the specs show. I will have to measure it to find out if I need to take the heads off. Outrageously Vintage is working with me on this. They told me to measure it but I have never done that.
 
7demon2 said:
ok we may be on to something the number may be old or hard to read but this is pretty close to the number. i do belive it is an elgin cam

E938P Elgin, Camshaft Only, Chrysler SB, Hydraulic, FT, 204/420,
Lift: .420"/.420" Duration @ .050": 204/204 Lobe Center: 110 Improved torque, economy

I could not find that on the Elgin site were did you find that? I think that is it because the sounds stock to me! I would go with those specs before I went with the ones I found just because the way the car sounds at idle.
 
I seam to remember when I rebuilt my 273, that I put in a .470 lift Hughes cam and the machinest did shorten my valve guides. I don't know if they hit or were just to close. Bob
 
7demon2 said:
well what do you guys think.....is this mystery cam solved?

Yeah I will go with that. The intake duration @ .50 and the intake lift are the same as the cam that found. Pretty mild cam isn't it? Does everyone agree that I should go with the XE268 or more or go one step down less than the XE268 which would be the XE262? I need to look that one up now and compare specs. Comp Cams said go with the XE268.
 
Since the engine rebuilder could'nt remember which cam you had, are you sure you have those 10 to 1 pistons he said were installed. That xe 268 needs compression. Make sure before you buy the cam. Comp Cams went off your numbers you supplied. Bob
 
i think with with your engine the 262 will be all you need. it will be a big step in the right direction. anyone else have any thoughts?
 
bobscuda67 said:
Since the engine rebuilder could'nt remember which cam you had, are you sure you have those 10 to 1 pistons he said were installed. That xe 268 needs compression. Make sure before you buy the cam. Comp Cams went off your numbers you supplied. Bob
knowing what he has had to deal with and the findings so far from what was "supposed" to be in the engine. i would be willing to bet it is not a 10-1 motor. seems the builder is alittle vage on his memory of the engine. i think by pulling it down you will have peace of mind and then you will know exactly what you have and don't have.
 
bobscuda67 said:
Since the engine rebuilder could'nt remember which cam you had, are you sure you have those 10 to 1 pistons he said were installed. That xe 268 needs compression. Make sure before you buy the cam. Comp Cams went off your numbers you supplied. Bob

You know Bob I was thinking the same thing. I think that the engine builder told the fellow that I bought the car from that the motor it had a Crane cam, 9:8 - 10:1 compression just to make a little profit or something. I will now hovever have to make sure what it is on my on in order to make good decsion. But I talked the engine builder myself and he told me the same thing. The fellow that owned the car told me that the motor was making about 340 HP. I didn't believe him but just wanted the car in general. I was big block! I just however wanted to get a little cammed up sound going that's all out of this motor. Can I get the sound I want by using a cam that is close to what I have now but have a lopey idle? That way I will not go to big. 360 is not a bad idea. Parts are all over the place and it is smaller motor and would be easier to install with the stuff I have now. Would the headers, transmission(4-speed) mate right up you guess without many changes?
 
When I rebuilt my 273, there were no 10 to 1 pistons for a 273, only customs that cost $500.00 plus 1999 dollars. So I went the head milling route and got it to 8.5 to 1. I liked the 273, you don't see a lot of them. Bob
 
I have built a lot of small blocks and comp is by far my cam of choice. 9 times out of 10 the best cam for the little 273 is the factory 340 replacement muscle car cam, it has the slight rumble that everyone loves. I would be more inclined to go with the xe256 if this is an auto car, with a stick u could get away with the 262, but the 268 will lose that all important torque that we all desire....ofcourse it will sound pretty mean+idle choppy, just like the chevys....all show and no go........kim
 
oldkimmer said:
I have built a lot of small blocks and comp is by far my cam of choice. 9 times out of 10 the best cam for the little 273 is the factory 340 replacement muscle car cam, it has the slight rumble that everyone loves. I would be more inclined to go with the xe256 if this is an auto car, with a stick u could get away with the 262, but the 268 will lose that all important torque that we all desire....ofcourse it will sound pretty mean+idle choppy, just like the chevys....all show and no go........kim

OK thanks for the info. I hope you will answer some questions for me since you have built a lot of small blocks. I feel confident with your knowledge since you have done this before.Where I am at is that I'm not sure what compression I am running. You might have read some of the posts I have placed and can tell that I'm confused on what to do at this point. You might have seen the other thread also: http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=14094

Engine and other info. Headers, Flowmaster 40 mufflers,Accel 300+ ignition(multi-strike) with spark plugs gapped at .40,performer intake,eldebrock 500 cfm carb.
Ok the first question is since I don't know what compression raito I've got will the XE262 be ok to run? I have the 4-speed trans. I would like a choppy idle rather than a rumble. I feel like I had a rumble and that is why I am changing cams. It was to stock for me. The specs on the cam that I have removed are Duration @ .50 is 204 and the intake lift is .420. The whole spec sheet is above in one of my posts. If I go with the xe262 I will have 014 more duration @.50 and 042 more lift. This is just on the intake side. So with not knowing what compression I have do you think that this will be ok? I was dead set on the xe268 but now since I've read your post I've backed out. lol Will the xe262 have a choppy/radical idle you guess? I was going to pull the heads and have them shaved a little to get the compression up but I don't want to have problems with the push rods (non-adjustable rocker arms)and the intake not matching correctly. Which ever cam I go with I am going to get the whole kit cam,lifters,springs,retainers,valve keepers,seals, timing chain (I had a single not a double).

Ok the second question I have is that Hughes Cams says that anything over .450 lift that I would have to shorten the valve guide hieght because the valve retainer will hit the valve seal. I was wondering if you had to ever do this or know for sure that I will have to have them shortened? One fellow has posted that max .490 and not to worry about that. I will measure that when I get a chance just to make sure. Outrageously Vintage says that what I need to do is take the spring off one of the valves re-install the retainer and valve keepers and measure it. The rule of thumb is .040 extra clearance than cam lift. But I'm not exactly sure of the cam I want. If you think that the xe262 is the cam I need to run then the lift is going to be more forgiving and then I can go from there. I just hope that the idle is what I like.

I'm ready to get her back together but want everything to match, perform, and sound good. I would hate to overlook something while I've got it apart and wished I had done something different later. I would hate it also to have the same idle sound as I did before but it would probably would be up on horsepower/torque some because of the added duration and lift.
 
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