High torque 360 LA build camshaft recommendations

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Forget all the Voodoo with cams and such.

Stop effing about.

4" stroke. Period.

You'll spend less money per ft lb.with this route.
 
A friend wants me to build a 360 La for his Ram truck. It is a work truck always loaded and pulling a loaded trailer. He is interested in as much torque as possible.
Years ago I put together a 350 SBC with the early small valve " power pack' (triangle on the front of the head) heads. With a small Sig Erson cam. It pulled very strongly but was all done at 5000 rpm.
I have a set of 67 273 heads and was thinking of putting them on the 360.
Cams have changed over years, what would you recommend for a cam ?
Mid 70's 360 la probably around 8:1 compression
Stock tranny and converter
3.54 axle
About 28 tires
Stock single exhaust with catalytic conv
Thermoquad on factory iron intake
The 273 heads would need a flow bench so you could Port them and make sure they flow in that 220 CFM range basically get them worked up to a stock 360 head but higher velocity.
It will shut off at 5,ooo rpm with most cams for the app...because of the heads small port volume to stroke.
It will do what you want....make big low end and not rev high.

Engle has a fast rate 204/216 .479 lift 112 or 114
 
Chrysler did plenty of dyno testing on their engines. There was a reason they installed heads on 413 industrial engines with 1.88/1.50 valves. It all depends on the purpose for the engine.
Industrial engines are purposely de rated and detuned so they can be safely run at wot all the time. Has **** to do with torque production. I used to design applications with industrial engines. Example Ford 2.3's with 2500 rpm max engine speed. Wot all the time. 49 HP. Woohoo
 
It's hard to increase low rpm power say idle-3000 rpm, best way is displacement cause rpm is fixed, good exhaust cr freeing restriction on intake side and right cam can help but gains will be minimal, don't forget we're looking for part throttle gains.

As for cam recommendation I'd go custom, if not tightest lsa with the mildest duration and highest lift
 
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It's hard to increase low rpm power say idle-3000 rpm, best way is displacement cause rpm is fix,
Please explain this. What is “RPM is fixed?”

good exhaust & freeing restriction on intake side and right cam can help but gains will be minimal, don't forget we're looking for part throttle gains.
Fix d it with the and symbol (&)
But, YEP!

As for cam recommendation I'd go custom, if not tightest lsa with the mildest duration and highest lift
Now you sound like me.
 
The 273 heads would need a flow bench so you could Port them and make sure they flow in that 220 CFM range basically get them worked up to a stock 360 head but higher velocity.
It will shut off at 5,ooo rpm with most cams for the app...because of the heads small port volume to stroke.
It will do what you want....make big low end and not rev high.

Engle has a fast rate 204/216 .479 lift 112 or 114
or a set of reman 302s...just say'in
 
I like the title of this post wanted:

High Torque Engine.

What you actually want is a Low End Torque Engine .
 
It's hard to increase low rpm power say idle-3000 rpm, best way is displacement cause rpm is fixed, good exhaust cr freeing restriction on intake side and right cam can help but gains will be minimal, don't forget we're looking for part throttle gains.

As for cam recommendation I'd go custom, if not tightest lsa with the mildest duration and highest lift
The biggest gains are in part throttle.
 
Industrial engines are purposely de rated and detuned so they can be safely run at wot all the time. Has **** to do with torque production. I used to design applications with industrial engines. Example Ford 2.3's with 2500 rpm max engine speed. Wot all the time. 49 HP. Woohoo

Well the 413 I referenced with a smaller cam, smaller valves and runners in the heads, a dinky 450 holley, and less cubes made more torque than any 440 in factory trim. And it made peak torque at 2400 rpm.

As you point out, engines are designed for a particular purpose, and sometimes HP numbers just really do not matter.
 
I like the title of this post wanted:

High Torque Engine.

What you actually want is a Low End Torque Engine .

Higher torque at lower rpms. Give me a nice flat healthy torque curve from 2000 to 4000 rpm for a gas motor in a truck that actually works as one hauling heavy loads, towing, etc.
 
Looking for more low end power. This isn't rocket science. You can achieve this really only a few ways.

Biggest factor is gonna be displacement. Another is compression. You need both of these. Without these two things all the cam heads exhaust etc isn't getting you there.

If it were me, I'd go stroker, small (but not too small) cam, decent heads like magnum heads. Small ports aren't the solution here. You still need good head flow. I'd get a nice dual plane like a performer rpm, decent carb like a 750.

And, headers BOOST low end power over manifolds. Long tubes will increase low end torque.

TBH if you want low speed torque you're in the wrong forum here. Jump over to the big block forum :D
 
Well the 413 I referenced with a smaller cam, smaller valves and runners in the heads, a dinky 450 holley, and less cubes made more torque than any 440 in factory trim. And it made peak torque at 2400 rpm.

As you point out, engines are designed for a particular purpose, and sometimes HP numbers just really do not matter.
I'd be very interested to see the torque curve and compare side by side to a factory 440.
 
I'd be very interested to see the torque curve and compare side by side to a factory 440.

I went back through my saved stuff and turns out I was wrong about the 440 part. The chrysler dyno sheet I had was for a long ram 413 that made 495 lb feet, not the industrial motor. Sorry about that.

The 413 industrial motor does make 445 lb feet at only 2400 rpms though. I have searched high and low for a dyno graph for the industrial motors but have not found one yet.
 
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