Roller Cams

[BRMiller]

Even though it's only August I'm already planning winter projects. I've been considering swapping to a roller cam in my 1970 Duster 340. I'm running X heads that are ported and polished with an old Hemi Grind Purple 284-284-60 .471 intake and .474 exhaust. What kind of gain if any could I expect?

 

[moparlover]

it's goin to require machine work etc to get the roller installed properly...

also the cam will probably require different springs. etc.

just swapping the cam you can probably gain some HP maybe 50 if you are lucky
best bet, in my opinion if you are going to all that trouble that route is to do the heads as well as cam. full port job on the X heads or upgrade to big port heads W2's / etc but then you will need headers/intake too and possibly oiling system mods if you want to shift at 7500rpms etc

just a cam will be a slight difference. just a roller cam upgrade will require lots of parts and machining so that's too much for just a slight HP increase in my opinion if that makes sense

 

[crazy 340]

it's goin to require machine work etc to get the roller installed properly...

also the cam will probably require different springs. etc.

just swapping the cam you can probably gain some HP maybe 50 if you are lucky
best bet, in my opinion if you are going to all that trouble that route is to do the heads as well as cam. full port job on the X heads or upgrade to big port heads W2's / etc but then you will need headers/intake too and possibly oiling system mods if you want to shift at 7500rpms etc

just a cam will be a slight difference. just a roller cam upgrade will require lots of parts and machining so that's too much for just a slight HP increase in my opinion if that makes sense

I dont agree
not all the roller cam need the block to have machining done
but most of the machining will be in the cam valley and now
there is roller lifter that dont need machning at all
ask Mike at MRL i do sale lifter that dont need any
and like my lifter they dont need oiling modification
http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/cca-828-16
but do need some work on the cam valley
best bet ask Mike for his lifter

but sure will be costly to go with a roller cam
gain for sure you will have but more noise to!!!

 

[bOb shingler]

for a big roller cam your pistons will need valve reliefs if they don't already have them.

 

[nitrojunkee]

Wow. There are a lot of general misconceptions about roller cams on this forum.

Do yourself a favor and do a lot of research outside of discussion boards, before you come to any conclusions or make any decisions.

 

[This Bad Demon]

From my personal experience you will need to open the pushrod hole up to accommodate for the angle of the pushrods.....Cylinder head from the pre mag roller engines (308 I think) are already set up for this....I have x heads on my 360 and had to open up the holes a lot to make it work....As previously stated MRL has drop in roller lifters or you can check out Hughes....I got mine from Hughes...This was before MRL was making them....With these lifters you SHOULD NOT have to bush the lifter bores BUT it's best to mock things up and make sure before buttoning things up.....You may have to get shorter/longer pushrods also....You can get a retro fit roller cam for the LA engine so you can run the fuel pump if you're not doing an electric one....Magnum cams should work it jus won't have the fuel pump eccentric....Other than that it's not a problem....lol,...I don't think I miss out on anything....

 

[RustyRatRod]

Do you have flow numbers for the heads? If so, that's what you need to refer to when choosing a camshaft. If chosen properly, you can expect big gains with a roller. With a hydraulic roller, you need a steel distributor gear. With a solid billet you will need a bronze gear. Other than that, it's best to mock it all up first to see what else you might need to mod. Depending on how radical the cam, you may not need anything else at all. Of course you will want to check all the normal things like piston to valve clearance, valve guide to retainer clearance, correct pushrod length, and all that there jazz. It's really not complex at all.

 

[Mopar Miller]

Has anyone tried a cylinder swap cam on a small block? It makes a noticeable change on a big block.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Has anyone tried a cylinder swap cam on a small block? It makes a noticeable change on a big block.

Some people will say that's a Chevy thing. It works though with anything that has the same valve arrangement and firing order as the Chrysler engines. I know some guys that run that type cam and from what they say, the gains are more in the upper RPM range, not necessarily what a street motor would want. Of course, every engine responds differently.

 

[Mopar Miller]

Rusty Rat Rod is right the cylinder swap would not be worth the cost, for a daily driver.