Cam Change Question For #40???

[woody9512]

  I currently have a Competition Cam Hyd Magnum cam in my 71 Cuda....4-speed with 355 Gears (Power brakes)....the rest is stock.
This Comp cam has: Advertised Duration 270/270
                           Duration@ .050       224/224
                           Valve Lift               470/470
                           Lobe center            110
                     

I was looking at maybe an Engle Hyd Cam as follows: Advertised Duration 276/276
                                                                        Duration @.050      230/230
                                                                        Valve Lift              520/520
                                                                        Lobe center           110

Both these cams are in the 1500-6000 RPM range or so.
My question is how more noticable, if any, will the new Engle cam be in my idle....the Comp cam I have now sounds nice with the Lumpy idle and would be quite happy if this new cam made it even a bit more noticable as to the lumpy sound?? Have any of you used this cam before and what do you think....I am also going to probably add a set of ported 308 or "J" heads and a newer intake (stealth or RPM Air Gap) as well to try and get a bit more HP
Thanks Tim"

[woody9512]

Sorry I screwed up in the title post.........it's for a 340 engine!!!

Thanks  "Tim"

[MEK-Dangerfield]

I know Chryco loves the Engle cams, so that's enough for me.  Yes, I would think the sound would be a touch better, but this isn't a radical cam or anything. You will still have a smooth idle, or somewhat so.

  Mike

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Tim,
   I forgot something.  Besides the cam and intake, the carb. comes into play here. What do you have on there now? What size?

  Mike

[woody9512]

I have the original Thermoquad on there now with the original intake!!!

"Tim"

[Chryco Psycho]

there are a # of issues , the valve springs may need to be changed & you could be tight for clearance for the extra lift & the duration is very similar so I would suggest that it would not be worth changing , BUT I have seen 20+ hp gains in similar swaps so it could be worth doing the difference in sound would be minor , you would have to decide if it is worth the cost &* measure the clearances before taking things apart

[woody9512]

  Chryco / and or....anyone.....do you have a particular cam / size in mind for my purposes!!!..The purpose being that I really want my power from a stop light to burn up those tires and have that throw you back in the seat feeling?? Most of my time will be cruising and maybe a trip or two via the strip so I would really like it to run also!!  Guess I want the best of both world's. I plan to use ported 308 or J heads with 2.02's.....springs changed depending on cam?? Even would consider a solid cam fully knowing that I would have to update valvetrain if a could find a suitable one??? I will probably use a stealth or RPM Air Gap intake and no idea yet on a carb to go with.
....Or after all that being said would I be better off to just stick with my current Comp Hydraulic cam with it's 470 lift and use my ported heads and update intake / carb?? I realize there are probably several questions left unanswered..As always your feedback and helf is much appreciated!!   "Tim"

[Chryco Psycho]

if you use ported 308 heads they do not seem to respond to higher lifts so I would stay with the cam you have , smaller cams are better for off the line & cruising I doubt you will see enough gain to be worth the cost to swap the cam
 the stock intake [port matched] & a good working TQ is a good combo as well again you could spend some money & not gain a lot , a Performer Rpm intake would help some

[woody9512]

Chryco: 
   Very interesting info...I didn't realize that the ported 308 heads didn't respond well to the higher lift cams.   That being said I also have a set of "J" heads along with a set of 308's (both are unported now)....In your opinion would I be better off getting my 308's (with 2.02's added) ported or have my J heads ported as to performance???
   Obviously now based on this info if I use the 308's I will probably stick with my current cam or a similiar one as to amount of lift..
Thanks  "Tim"

[crcarch]

The purpose being that I really want my power from a stop light to burn up those tires and have that throw you back in the seat feeling.........

I had a similar cam in my 340 and it was a blast on low end with headers, dual-plane Edelbrock intake and the original T-Quad.  Pulled hard through 6000.  Also worked great with a Holley 600 double pumper.  I'd work on induction & heads and keep the cam.  If you go for the high-lift cam alone, you'll probably have a mismatch resulting in no gains or a loss of low-end power.  The factory induction system won't let it breathe to its full potential, so upper power gains aren't fully realized either.

[Chryco Psycho]

My results on the dyno show a 40 hp gain with 308 over X or J heads so I would port the 308s & keep the cam lift close to .500

[woody9512]

Thanks for all the replies.....certainly gives me a much better idea of which way to proceed!!!

"Tim"