396 build

right now i need assistance for picking out a camshaft for my 396 that will be going into 89 camaro. my block is a 325HP two bolt main block. i have a 427 forged crank and truck rods with 3/8 arp bolts. the heads a bit different, they are open chambered but they are factory cut back by the exhaust valve seat they are casting 824. I just got done port and polishing my heads and i'm using stock valves because of my limited budget. I want to make my engine powerful enough to put my car into the 11's. So i want around 450hp and 450tq, my engine will have around 10:1 compression, should i go hydraulic flat, mechanical, roller? what duration will i need and how much lift?

I would go with a lunati voodoo cams with a about 280 adv. duration and about
.550-.600 lift. this should give you a power range of 2000-6500 rpm and make the power your asking, just make sure you have enough compression.
I'm sure Pat Mccarthy could help you out.

When I went through the 396 in my '67 Chevelle SS a couple years ago I went with the Competition Cams 270H (Hydraulic) and it was a perfect match. The lift as I recall was .530 and I beleive the intake/exhaust duration was .234/.234. I went with the 270H since the Chevelle was a T-400 even though it had a stall, shift kit and headers. I really liked the 280H I put in the 396 in my '67 El Camino but it had a 4-speed so I wasn't worried about the vaccuum. In both cases I used the Comps cam and lifter kits and couldn't have been happier with the performance out of either 396.

Greg

I can't see (11's) with out doing more to the heads.. but i could be wrong! that camaro is a lot less in weight then my elcamino & i have got it in the upper 11's I dropped about 800bucks in my heads & 1,500 for the rest running a 4500 converter with 411's & it hooks up for a nice and smooth straight run every time....I let my best bud drive it down the track and he thought he was driving a caddy :);)

Yeah a 396 running in the 11's will take a good set of aluminum heads and a roller cam. I have a 427 11.25-1, a set of 049 heads big valves port and bowl work. A comp 294-S solid cam , the car is 3600 lbs. i ran a 12.26 @ 108 mph with 4.56 gears and a 29" tall tire.

interesting, i know personal friend who build a camaro with 396 with stock but ported heads that flowed 300CFM and 225CFM and use a mech cam with 320 duration, .550 lift and ran 10.7 at 127mph! with no blower or nitrous! the 60ft times 1.59 and the 1/8 mile was 6.7 seconds. this was all done on the stock 10 bolt rear end! if you go to car craft.com and look for a article called mouse verus rat, they built a 460HP 396 and put it in 2nd gen camaro with T400 and 4:10's it ran 11.97, and 3rd gen camaro is a lot lighter than 2nd gen camaro

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Originally Posted by steelsixpack101

interesting, i know personal friend who build a camaro with 396 with stock but ported heads that flowed 300CFM and 225CFM and use a mech cam with 320 duration, .550 lift and ran 10.7 at 127mph! with no blower or nitrous! the 60ft times 1.59 and the 1/8 mile was 6.7 seconds. this was all done on the stock 10 bolt rear end! if you go to car craft.com and look for a article called mouse verus rat, they built a 460HP 396 and put it in 2nd gen camaro with T400 and 4:10's it ran 11.97, and 3rd gen camaro is a lot lighter than 2nd gen camaro

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That is very interesting.
Don't believe everything you read in those comic books.
Stock 10 bolt rear end you say.