Technical Your opinion on a camshaft

My block and heads are done. Waiting on the engine kit so the machine shop can put the pistons on the rods. This is a 1963 283 bored .030, stock heads that have been cut .010, flat top pistons. Running a single 4bbl tunnel ram, with a 4 speed, 4:10 gears. Been eyeballing that solid lift comp magnum cam in the classifieds, but does that make any sense with the 1.7? Intake valves in these heads? The car is gonna be street driven with the occasional trip down the 1/8th mile drag strip by my house. What cam profile would you guys be thinking? Springs are good to .500 lift. Going in my 60 El Camino.

 

Lloyd, back in the 60's, I had a almost identical setup in my '40 Chevy. Use the old Duntov 30/30 cam,
solid lifters, and it ran super. For today I would use the hydraulic L79 cam to produce the same results.
I'm assuming you're running headers? Bob

Now, get ready for all the replies / opinions....

 

Yeah I'm probably going with fenderwell headers, this is my gasser style project. I'll look up the profile on that L79 cam

 

Should be 290/447. I just picked up a 283 with one

 

That Comp cam has specs fairly close to the L79 cam, too! Good price, too! Bob

 

I have the 097 cam in my .040 over 283 in my 39 sedan. And I love it. Pulls its ass off, and winds up quick. I can hit 6500 to 7k quick with mine. I highly recommend it. If you use poly locks after the break in you rarely have to adjust the valves. Originals are pricey. Speed pro used to sell one with part number CS113-R but they don’t seem to be making them. Elgin made one years ago and there is a new one for sale out on the web. I will DM you a link. My buddy just put an Elgin one in his 32 and it sounds great.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Chevy-5-7L-Lift-Camshaft-3863151/dp/B07N47NG3J

 

I like the Comp cams XE268H-10
.477 and .480 lift with 1.5 rockers pulls to 5800 r.p.m.s in a 350, so maybe a little more in a 283

Got it in the 64 Chevelle with vortec heads and it pulls hard in a heavy car, best run so far was 13.29 at 103 m.p.h. in the 1/4

 

For the smaller cubes of a 283 I would use the ‘097 Duntov it has a lot less duration than the 30/30 cam that was introduced in the ‘64 365 horse 327. The ‘097 will have a better bottom end and rev to 7000 RPM.
What springs are on your heads? How many pounds on the seat? With the gentle ramps on the ‘097 you can get away with stock SBC springs which I think are only 90# seat pressure, but you might look into the old Chevy ‘142 spring that was used with the Z-28 off road ‘140 cam. The ‘142 springs are set for 100# on the seat, plenty if you use the ‘097.
‘142 springs are obsolete from GM, they are old history but many market a similar spring calling it the Z-28 valve spring even though the original Z’s used normal low perf springs set at 90#.

 

I have to check but i believe that's the cam in my 57 Chevy. I didn't build the engine, but i got the receipts with it when i bought it.

 

Have them 0 deck your block to the pistons.

 

I'm don't know the seat pressure, i just told him i was planning on a .480 lift in the beginning. He told me the springs are good to .500.

 

The block is already back at my shop.

 

Since this is gonna be a "weekend play purty-fun ride" I like the numbers on the XE-268 but.....ground with a 108*LSA. The 4 speed WITH 4.10:1 gears you could put just about anything in it and it would 'rock'!
Take those specs and have a custom cam ground for the same price or LESS.
Pretty sure my guys at Delta Cams could do it and beat Comp Cam prices! Great to work with and they stand behind their work. They been around a looong time too! (they handle a lot of the PNW racers work)
6sally6
PM me for more details.

 

You can still take it back if needed.

 

I got beaten to the punch, I like the 097 Duntov in the 283 as well. The power is better lower in the revs yet it still gets with it on the top end.
Should have just posted ×2 to Fordor

 

You don’t have to 0 your deck. Just use steel shim head gaskets. That’s what they came with. The only reason to 0 deck your block is to control quench area thickness with your head gasket. Most composite head gaskets compress at around .040 to .045. Small blocks like that height. But if you don’t zero it and then bolt your heads on with the head gaskets in a fel pro gasket set it will go way up. Instead of .040 now your probly closer to .060 to .070 depending on how far down in the hole your pistons are, and dropping compression. And on a 283 it will drop faster than a 350 because it has a smaller volumn to work with anyway. Some rebuilder pistons come with the thought that your deck is gonna get a slight clean up cut so the pin height is adjusted to compensate fir the clean up. Just check you deck height and see where it is.

 

Lol oh yeah, and I'm a cheap bastard, this ain't no blueprinted setup. Just an old hotrod.

 

The old hot rodder's did it back in the days.

 

097 or 098 what ever it takes ! 30/30 is a healthy one ! Not sure I’d run that one in a 283 , I’m not sure but shaving the heads does that require shaving the intake also ? It’s been too loooong for me

 

Yeah if you go very much the intake will hit the rails before it does the heads. But the .010 is fine. Been in conversation with Jason and it sounds like tmrw I'll order the 097. Thanks fellas

 

I had 1 283 with single 4 barrel tunnel ram and could never get to run right on the street an used the L-79 cam; gave up an bought a Edelbrock CB3.

 

We'll see what happens with this one. I'm nowhere near that point, but at least my engine will be ready when i get there

 

Lloyd, another idea for you. Use a two-piece timing chain cover, that way you won't have to
drop the pan to change out the cam if you want to try a different one. Makes the job a lot
easier. Let us know how it runs and what you decided when it hits the street. Bob

 

Oh you guys will be the first to know about it lol.

 

My 283 Fulie has the 097 cam, 1.94" intakes in the early heads, 9.5 forged pistons. Most happy on CHEAP 89 fuel. Trade the Torker for a CB-3 or -4, set a 500 Edelbrock on it - my set-up, while the injector is being restored... I LOVE IT! Pulls nice from 1200 up, awesome torque around town, freeway too with 3.08's!

 

Am eating this thread up! One of my bucket list items is to put together a little early chevy with an 097 cam. Any time somebody that runs one and posts about it they usually sing praises. The Genisus of smallblock factory performance cams.

 

Another vote for the 097 not the valve train noise of the 30-30. Personally I would rethink the tunnel ram on a small inch street car. This may help with your engine combohttps://www.chevyhardcore.com/tech-stories/engine/duntov-small-block-camshaft/

 

I ordered the speedpro lt-1 repro solid lifter cam kit for the 350 I'm building for my roadster. The cam was U.S. made but the lifters were Chinese... I bought a set of Melling lifters from local Auto Zone that were marked U.S. made. "Just say'n".

 

Comp also makes a hydraulic version of the 30/30 cam. I have that in a 327, that pretty much a factory motor and it rips on the top end. Probably a little big in a 283, as its pretty choppy in my 327.