Richard/Tech1,

Thank you VERY MUCH! You read my mind regarding lock washers. All the stuff from TCI has NyLok nuts and I wondered about them. Actually on the four-bar bolts I would rather have cotter pins, but clearly lock washers on anything that rotates will not work very long. Back to my cam obsession. I take it that your recommendation of the VERY short duration cam with 184/194 @0.050" ASSUMES the small squish/quench volume we have been discussing. I checked the Melling catalog again and they have the same cam as well as a replica of the 327 300 HP cam. I don't know the C.R. of the 300 HP 327 but I assume it was pretty high, maybe 10.5:1; I know the 327 350 HP SBC had 11:1 C.R. Since I am mainly flirting with the Automotive Warehouse people in Charlotte and they sell only Melling cams, I now can specify several of the cams we have discussed. Getting back to "what am I trying to do?", I want a little more performance than the stock cam (260/268 @0.006", 194/202 @0.050", 0.383/0.401 w 1.5 rockers), so what about trying to recreate the 327 300HP with the 350 block? If I can't see potential for more performance than stock, I will probably go with the 327 300 HP cam. If I use the 184/194 cam will I get better mpg AND more low rpm torque? The description of "poor" performance above 4000 rpm does not sit well with me and I guess if I have to wimp out and take the well worn path to performance at 16 mpg I may do that. Are you saying that the very short cam improves torque up to 4000 rpm? Thanks again, it is great to be able to chat with experts on this Forum.

Best Wishes,
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder