Hi all! Witch isky cam should i choose for my blown flathead on alcohol, 433 or the 404? Thanks. Br Kjell
Isky 404A Lift = .400" Dur = 262* Isky 433 Lift = .410" Dur = 280 Might as well go for the bigger one...433.
Hi! Jonny o; The current Flathead is a 276 cid, with standard 3 5/16 4 ring pistons on a Merc crank. Have put straps on the center and main caps!? Hope this engine will last this summer!? I am planning to start building a new engine, based on a french flathead that i bought a couple of month ago, with all the good parts, sutch as a forged or billet crank and forged pistons and rods. The current engine had offy .325 heads, but have changed those for a set of massaged .400. Flat Ernie: Thanks, i have currently mounted the 433, but have read alot about the 404, and i have one, so i am courious about it!? Looks like an early roller!? Thanks again. Br Kjell
If you are going for pure performance, obviously the 433 sounds like a big enough cam to support it. If the 404 turns out to be a roller setup, you might be able to benefit from the reduced friction and overcome the relatively smaller cam on the, again, relatively small displacement. I could see it working as long as the blower is forcing enough air through. Only one way to find out though!
Yes, i have the lifters, but as Bored & stroked pointed out, mine is a set of hollow adjustible, grinded radiused!? I forgot to tell ya that i am using a 4-71 blower with an Hilborn 2 port injector. Thanks! Br Kjell
I have a 304 Cubic inch flatty sitting on a stand. It has an Isky 404-A camshaft which is indeed a radiusd Lifter set up. Read one of my old threads. The Lifter bores are drilled and pinned straight to the lifter to prevent walking. Can't wait to hear what this cam sounds like.
The 404 will definetly make more horsepower. If you have a set of adjustable lifters for it, they are NOT original. You will most likely have big problems with them because of weight. The 404 requires a very light valve train because of the high rate of lift.
I know that they are not ideal, but it came out of an race engine from the US. It had a 4 1/8 stroker crank with 3 3/8 pop up pistons. Why does the 433 have standard adjustable lifters, when the 433 have higher lift rating, and higher duration? Br Kjell
The type of lifters is determined by the design of the cam. The 433 is a flat lifter cam. The 404 is a radius lifter cam. Radius lifters are used to get a higher rate of lift. The rate of lift on a 404 is .010 per degree squared. The rate on the 433 is .006.
Pete is 100% correct -- as he usually is! He knows cams . . . he grinds many flathead patterns. He ground my experimental Isky 505-A . . . made the pattern off the unfinished original that Ed Isky gave me 25 years ago. I agree that you should look for a set of original 404-A radius lifters - which were reworked Ford originals. If you don't have a set, then you might be able to buy a set for Pete - sometimes he makes them. They're not going to be inexpensive . . . but when you need 'Hen's Teeth' . . . you pay for them if you're lucky enough to find them! Also, you should really think about very light valves -- if it was mine, I'd probably find some used SBC Titanium valves, turn them down and run them. If you need additional info, drop me a PM. Dale
Hi! Pete 1; Thanks for really a good info. As you understand, i am should learn more about cam data! Is it possible to order a set of lifters from you? Bored&Stroked; Thanks again for helping out here. I will take your recomandation and try to find light weight valves. In the Flathead where it was innstalled, it was mounted with a single valvespring, 185g style. Should i go for that type of spring or..? Thanks again for helping me out here. Br Kjell
One question. Do you run a filled block on / in something like that? I realize this isnt relevant, but my oh my god, that looks and sounds like a hell of a lot of fun. Good luck with that.
296 V8; No! not filled block, i cant vait to both here this one running, and to try to runn it! As i said before, the current engine is a 276 cid trial one! The next one should be a 296 or bigger!? Hope to Smoke those Hurst tires! I got my 276 cid with 400 jr cam finished last year, for my modell A. Sounded wild compared to my 276 cid 377 cam in my 49 Ford Cupe! Br Kjell
With a light lifter/valve setup, you can probably get away with the 185G spring and the 404-A. I'd probably run somewhere around 110 lbs on the seat. If Pete chimes back in, he will be able to tell you exactly what he'd run. It will really depend on how hard you plan to flog it. If you keep the RPMs a bit low, then you won't need as much spring pressure. If you're planning on spinning the thing over 6,000, then it becomes much more important as you do NOT want float the valves. Contrary to popular belief - . . . just because the valve won't hit a piston, doesn't mean that ugly things don't happen to the valve train (and the engine block) when you float them.
Pete, I hung out with Isky last month, and I had him autograph an original advertising pamphlet for the 404 cam. And Isky did offer both style lifters, adjustable and non adjustable. On the pamphlet it says the adjustables are good for 5K rpm but the hollow grind lifters are good for 7K rpm. If I go to my shop later, I'll scan it for you. So the adjustables were original, just not as light. I have a nos set of lifters, and an looking for a 404 cam. Anybody got one for sale?
Bored&stroked; I am gona aim for that 6000 rpm limit, but first i have to get the stronger bottom end!? Bobby Greene; that was new info on the lifters, please post the pics!? So i will have to try to find new lifters. I could try to buy from you? Or, i could talk to my local cam grinder, end ask if he could make a new 404, useing mine as referance?! I have not compared the 404 against a stock one. he might need to weld it? Is this possible? i Have several stock cams both 59 AB and 8BA style on the shelf. Thanks alot fellow HAMBers Br Kjell
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