Thread: cam

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what's the biggest cam you can run in a 350 that's stock?

That depends . . .

WHICH 350?

What do you want to achieve?

Stock 79 Chevy 350. Just good throttle response. I don't have a stall converter or anything installed, what just kind of curious what the maximum lift was that could be used with stock pistons. I didn't know how tight of clearance there is between the valves and pistons.

You can run a 230@.050 cam with .500 lift and not hit pistons. But, who in their right mind would want to? Stick with a short duration cam with .445-.465 lift and save a few headaches...

Originally posted by BOBCRMAN@aol.
You can run a 230@.050 cam with .500 lift and not hit pistons. But, who in their right mind would want to? Stick with a short duration cam with .445-.465 lift and save a few headaches... R

Right on!! A 268 comp. should be the max for that application and something a little smaller would not hurt.

Henry is right also. You never answered , What 79----350???
None of the 79s had much horsepower, 165-170-175-195 and a whopping 225H.P. Compression ranged from 8.2 to 8.9.

I never was very good at cams, canyou tellme how radical this one is?

I didn't realize that it was so pricey. From what Isky's site says I could run that with a stock stall converter. By the way, I've had that cam since the early '60's. The idle was pretty lopey when it was in the 265 and a lot smoother in the 400. I guess by today's standards it wouldn't be very popular for the street.

A good cam is allways a good cam, it just depends what your using it for! Cams have come a long way in the last 20 years.
And it's got alot to do with rollers rockers and roller lifters the quick rise and fall of the cam lobes, where they could'nt do that with a flat hydraulic lifter. Nascar,from what I understand are not allowed to use roller lifters so they use a mushroom lifter. This is wear the bottom of the lifter is a wider rounded end so you can run a much more aggresive cam,with out tearing up the cam or lifters. Now with all the computer simulators, it's alot easier for a cam maker to see just how a cam will act, before he builds it. They can now figure out how high to lift a valve or how long to keep it open before closing it for the best horse power. Alot of cams now run smoother and you don't even know your in trouble, till you see the guy pulling away from you. But I like the older lumpy cams,
they run good and the best part they make every one turn thier
heads to see what just pulled in. HE! HE! HE!

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/43418/index3.html


~ Vegas ~

It looks like this may be Isky's version of the 327, 360-375H.P.
what we all refered to as the 30--30 cam. I used it in a 60 over 265 and a 283 in my 56 Chevy. That price they show is for the whole kit,but it still seams pricey. The cam would be much tamer in a 400 than a 265 thru 327.Since You've had it since the 60s you may want to use it for nostalgic reasons.

It ran real well in the 400 until I missed a shift and broke a valve spring, really made a believer out of a guy in a 455 Bonneville. When I rebuild the 400 I think I'll use it again, but with better springs.