Thread: cam help/ideas/advice

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hey guys. well i just picked up a 454. it was rebuilt about 4k miles ago. it was rebuilt stock other than being bored .030 over. the heads are #346236. I am trying to figure out what cam i should go with. i dont want something too boring, but also nothing too radical. i dont care about gas mileage or anything like that. i just want to make some power since i know my heads suck. so any part #s or anything like that would be great. i also am in need of an intake and carb, so advice there would be great too. thanks.

and the gear i believe is 3.73. this is a weekend only kinda car. take it to the track every once in a while. if you guys need any other info, just let me know.

You might want to try this...
120021 Howards, Camshaft, Chev BB, Hydraulic, F/T,
Howards, Camshaft, Chev BB, Hydraulic, F/T,
Lift: .476"/.502" Duration @ .050": 204/214 Lobe Center: 112 Exceptional low end torque. Good in PUs, 4X4s and RVs

Nice, simple hydraulic. Or this one...
120031 Howards, Camshaft, Chev BB, Hydraulic, F/T,
Howards, Camshaft, Chev BB, Hydraulic, F/T,
Lift: .505"/.525" Duration @ .050": 215/225 Lobe Center: 112 Great low and mid-range torque. OK in heavy vehicle

Dont make the mistake of over-camming the engine, you'll end up with a dog. The problem with a stock 454 is the low compression ratio, which limits cam choice. But even with those heads, you can still have a torque monster, and that's good on the street...it just wont be very good at the track, runs out of steam before you get the rpms up. But that's OK, you can build for that later if you want to. Give John or Scott a call at Howard's Cams, 920-233-5228, tell them what you want, and what you have to work with. For a carb and intake, you cant beat an Edelbrock Performer, and a Holley 750 vacuum secondary carb. (or Edelbrock if you prefer) Set up with lots of initial timing, (18) and limit the total timing to 38 or so. I think you'll be very happy. Might be a stock engine, but they have mega torque. John

Originally Posted by al5570

and the gear i believe is 3.73. this is a weekend only kinda car. take it to the track every once in a while. if you guys need any other info, just let me know.

What is your stall speed?

well i will jump in the cams that is john.s pick will work good but you need to make this breath so a good set of headers 2 1/2 EX with one X cross this will help good Kn air fillter

adding a 256-268dur. cam/dual plane intake and small tube headers will really wake up that 454 up!, if you wanted make even more power in the future,you can buy a cheap set of 781's or 049's on ebay for $100-$200 and just use your old valves from your 236's. my two cents

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adding a 256-268dur. cam/dual plane intake and small tube headers will really wake up that 454 up!, if you wanted make even more power in the future,you can buy a cheap set of 781's or 049's on ebay for $100-$200 and just use your old valves from your 236's. my two cents

A couple problems.....if you're talking duration at .050, way too big for a stock engine. This will kill the performance. And the large chamber 781's or 049's wont do any good without a c/r increase. A set of closed chamber heads would be a better choice, try and get the cc's down to 100 or maybe 98cc....this will give a little boost in the c/r. Large chambers and flat top pistons are not a performance build. Dual plane intake and headers were mentioned, but dont go too big on the headers, 1 3/4" are perfect.

yes johny o. i think so 268 if he is taking .050 ?? i do not talk adv. if he is then this would be a smaller cam then the picks.if not @050 this to much bettter with the cams you picked. i like the last one you picked and with out any cr i you not go any bigger or the 781 -049 heads but if you are will to go thru this then yes more cr more cam better heads

when we people around here talk cams, we mean advertised duration, and by the way you can make more power using open chamber heads (less valve shrouding) just have the heads milled to the desired compression ratio.

Originally Posted by steelsixpack101

when we people around here talk cams, we mean advertised duration, and by the way you can make more power using open chamber heads (less valve shrouding) just have the heads milled to the desired compression ratio.

no i do not who is WE? mill the heads down to what a small chamber then were will you be ? in take valves hanging down past the deck?? been there and done that . if this is a dish piston 454 it will have no CR .the heads he has will work ok with small valve the big block heads are canted so they move from the chamber walls when open yes you could run the 781/049 mill the heads . put the piston.010 in the hole to the deck run a steel shim head gasket run a bigger cam ??? you will have no pistons to valve why?? you just cut it all off the deck AND heads now the in take valves are haning down in the hole ??the bore size will help any head work better and if he works on the ex headers / X cross .and intake and cam with the heads he has with a re cam it should be it 370 hp +? so at this point i still do not know what he wants to do?? not do any thing to it is what i get. just a recam? if so. not rework the engine. then i would run the marine/ Rv cam in it call it good .or buy a 598/638 pump gas engine from me

when we people around here talk cams, we mean advertised duration, and by the way you can make more power using open chamber heads (less valve shrouding) just have the heads milled to the desired compression ratio.

We people?? HHmmm.. Thats the first I have heard that. And that's not true about open chambers, you can make tons of power with closed chamber heads, it depends on what else you do with the chamber as far as porting, unshrouding, etc...Milling the heads can only be done so much, then, as Pat said, you get into p/v clearance issues, intake not fitting, etc...a whole host of problems. Open chamber heads only came around because they supposedly run 'cleaner' on the smog engines of the early 70's...it was done for smog reasons, not power reasons.

Originally Posted by 1JohnnyO

We people?? HHmmm.. Thats the first I have heard that. And that's not true about open chambers, you can make tons of power with closed chamber heads, it depends on what else you do with the chamber as far as porting, unshrouding, etc...Milling the heads can only be done so much, then, as Pat said, you get into p/v clearance issues, intake not fitting, etc...a whole host of problems. Open chamber heads only came around because they supposedly run 'cleaner' on the smog engines of the early 70's...it was done for smog reasons, not power reasons.

oh yes i made good power with close chamber head s

you know when i meant "we people" i actually meant it as people from around where i live. i could care less how you guys go about figuring cam specs. as far as the heads go, depending on what year the 454 it is, it probably already has open chamber heads. there weren't too many 454's that had the closed chamber heads, but i sure you guys already knew that,right? as far open chamber versus closed chamber, i never said you couldn't make good power with closed chamber heads- you can. i just said the open chamber heads are better for making power than closed chambers heads. just look at every big block chevy aftermarket head-brodix-edelbrock-dart-AFR-canfield- world products. everyone of them has a open chamber design,i wonder why? also when it comes to milling, I have milled 781 cylinder heads .080 off the deck and ran a cam with close to .600in valve lift. I never had any problems. i'm sure this guy with his 454 can get way with milled cylinder heads, thin gaskets and a smaller duration cam! wow! as smart has you guys are about the chevy big block i thought you would of know more about the history and developement of this family engine. johhny0, your right on that,one reason why chevrolet went with open chamber heads is better emmisions, theres also another reason why, less valve shrouding. and actually chevrolet did dyno testing on the 454 , they used closed chamber head in one test and open chamber head in another test and despite the compression loss, the 454 with the open chambers made more horsepower. even if he did put a cam in he would probably would want to increase compression in the first place, just my thoughts on your little s***pile. and also when i did reply to the fellow with the 454, meant to reply to him, not you.
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well my dart big chief heads have 89 or so cc heads and 2.400 intake and 1.900 ex .you could care less????? then why did you post ???if you post on a cam you should say av or @050?? or should we find out were you came from so we know???? i have had big blocks with 520 lift cams hit with no pv so do not piss on me and tell me it rain

Steelsixpack, it's obvious from your reply's here in this string, and other posts throughout this forum, that you dont really have a handle on making the right parts work together. Less experienced guys come here and ask for help, and sometimes they take what they read here as the whole truth. They might end up building an engine based on bad info. I am responding to what you said because it's not right, and I will continue to do that whenever I see bad info, whether it's from you or anyone else. I would hope anyone else that frequents this board would do the same thing.