Need help picking a cam for my 318

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Greenmachine225

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Hey guys, so I finally started working on rebuilding my 318. So first off the setup I plan to run is a 71 318 with kb167 pistons, 76 360 heads with stock valves and ports but shaved down to 66 cc’s which I figured would give me about 10:1 comp, I might be wrong so please let me know, and just a basic Edelbrock intake and holly double pumper carb. But when it comes to picking a cam I just don’t know what I need, I’m looking for something that is gonna be streetable but give me really good performance. I’m gonna be running a 2.94 sure grip gear for a little while but I plan to switch to a 3.55 gear. I’d appreciate all the advice I can get.
Thanks, Carson
 
Hold on.....here we go! :popcorn:
Seven hours. Hmmmm, they must be tired of beatin the horse?

To the OP, seriously use the search function in the upper right. Lot's of good advice out there. Your limits will be the factory 360 head valve train. Keep it close to stockish 340 grinds unless you want pushrods poking through your stamped rockers. Guess how I know. That's all from this rookie.
 
Wait until the final combustion chamber volume has been established.
To make a 10/1 Scr with a 20over 318,the chamber has to be 73.6cc.
With an open chamber head, you might run into Q problems. So get that bugged out first. Oh I see you'll be baggy so that should be allright.
I see you are down at around 200ft elevation so you got that going for you.

But I see more likely is 9.0/9.15 Scr, unless you decked the block to zero, then maybe 9.55 with the .028 gasket. (That would be; zero+5cc crowns+6.5cc gasket+66cc heads=77.5cc and (662.3 plus 77.5) divided by 77.5=9.55 Scr.
But if the pistons are .012 down in the holes, that will add 2.4cc for a total of 79.9 and a new Scr of 9.15.)
You see how much difference 2.4cc can make?
To get to 73.6cc for a 10/1 Scr,with pistons down .012, will require different heads of 59.7cc, or a lot more cutting and shaving.
In any case, to keep some semblance of low-rpm performance with 2.94s and a stock TC, you are gonna need to play it cool on the cam.
If you make it to 9.55, Ima thinking an ICA of 62* will max you out on 89/91 gas.
That 62* ICA could come on a lotta different cams.
If you like the 2.94s then you can choose a 1-gear to 60mph, tight-LSA cam of say 108 to 106, and make a pretty good powerhouse out of it.
If you really are gonna install 3.55s then this is gonna be a 1.5 gears to 60 car,requiring a shift,so your engine probably wouldn't like less than a 110 cam.
For a real powerhouse you could make it a solid flat tappet cam and pick up some more power,or more low-rpm torque.
But you didn't mention anything about your exhaust system, so I assume log manifolds and hopefully a free flowing dual exhaust. That puts a bit of a damper on the whole business too.
Stanley Blake mentions the 284/484 cam.
I'm sure he's kidding, but you could run that badboy like YR says; in at 102 ; I highly recommend you not try this.
Here's are some theoretical FTHcams, all could be installed with a 62* ICA:
262/270/112/42 overlap, 265/271/110/47, 268/276/108/56, 272/272/104/64
You might find these with.050s of 40 to 56 degrees less,so be careful. The bigger you find, the more power it will make, with a possible sacrifice in noise or longevity.
The red ones will not do well after the shift into second because the rpm will fall too far on the power curve, and the engine will struggle to get back up on it, they will also do best with headers.
The purple one would be a good all-purpose cam, use with any rear gear, but the lower you go, the higher the stall will want to be.
The blue one will be a little stronger with headers, but not a bunch.
All will make about the same hiway mileage if you run them at a high enough rpm to get out of reversion; but the more overlap, the less city mileage they will get.

Remember these are all theoretical, and this is just a study in what if.... what if you get her up to 9.55Scr.

With a 318,in a late-A, IMO, you don't really have the luxury of choosing a cam for the sound, so try not to go down that road..Only the red ones will idle with any attitude, and it won't be much after you get the timing bugged out.
Now we wait for the computed Scr to come in
Happy HotRodding.
 
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I'd look for something around .455 lift and around 216 - 224 duration @ 050. Centerline of either 110 - 112.
 
One of the smaller VooDoo grinds would be nice.
 
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