I am looking for some guidance on a cam for my 8BA. Here's what I have; '32 full fendered pickup S-10 T-5 3:78 Banjo 29" rear tire Edelbrock heads Trip 97's (I know they are not easy for street , but gotta have the look) What should I use for bore and stroke and what cam if I want to have a little bump at idle , but good all around street driving?
I have an 8BA in my ‘28 Pickup. I have a 286” stroker kit, 1.6” valves, street porting (mostly bowl work) and decided on an Isky 1007B cam. I wish it had a lumpier idle, but couldn’t be happier with performance. Tons of torque right off idle. I’m also running 3.78 gears, 29” tire and have a .73 overdrive in my RTS trans. Cruises at 75mph at about 2200rpm and I don’t have to down shift to pull hills. The truck feels fast, but I’ve never had it at a track or on a dyno. I ponied up for some of the new larger 250 cfm 97s and it was well worth the coin!! They really woke the motor up.
There's a guy named John W. Lawson ("JWL" on "The Ford Barn") who did some extensive dynomometer testing with these engines. He started with a stock rebuilt 8BA which, if I remember correctly, made 87 HP on his dyno. He then tried several other things, meticulously recording the results. It's all in his book and makes some very interesting reading. I know that after I read his results, I left the stock cam in the '51 Merc engine I put in my '51 Ford, rather than the Isky MAX-1 I was planning on using. Unless you have a very light car or a really large engine, the factory 8CM, 1CM, EAC, and EAB cams are had to beat for the street.
.040 over. Merc 4” crank, and a SU1A can Small lift , bug duration. Sounds killer. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I sent an email over to Tilden and have not heard back yet. They look to have done some very extensive research as well. I will also check out John Larson. Thanks for the other suggestions. 55Styleliner, Have you ever tried three 97's on yours or just the two?
I have built many flatheads over the years, from dead stock to all out racing. When I was young and knew everything, I would call Schneider Cams and tell Jerry Cantrell what I wanted. His usual response was "that won't work best". I finally got real world smart and would tell him what I had and what I wanted to achieve. That was over 40 years ago and Jerry ground cams that always did the job, and at a reasonable price. Call him at 619 297-0227. You will be pleased with the results. He will ask you lots of questions to make sure the custom grind he does will fit your application. No BS, just good results!
I had a 'glass T bucket years ago (The Peter Beater) with a 286" Merc, dual 94's on an Offy intake, Offy 400 heads cleaned up, slight relief, 5 spd and a banjo. Don't know what the cam was but when someone asked I'd tell them it's the Super Awesome cam because it sounded and ran super awesome. With some tuning on a dyno it made 141 hp at the wheels. 1500 lb car it was FUN!
Have KiWi-L100 cams in stock ready to ship that will sound great & run even better in your "Great 8BA" powered pickup. You will love it.
I’ve only ever tried the 2 carbs. 3 original 97s = 2 of the big CFM 97s so I assume the results with 3 would be about the same.
my 27T cpe has stock 8ba cam, edbrk hds, slngshot int, runs great, my rdst pu 53 merc w/stock cam cyclone hds, 3x2 int,[only run center carb] runs and drives great ,had a hot cam in it ,i took it out, runs just as good or better.building a 34 rdst w/331 cad eng w/STOCK cam,3x2's, 180 hp, in a 2000 lb car is a lot when that eng was used to pull a 4000 lb car 100 mph. ROUGH IDLE, in 1959 i had a stock 50 ford , no money for a cam so when i wanted a rough idle , i would pull off the vacuum wiper motor hose and it sounded like a hot cam. leave it stock
I spoke to Jerry at Schneider and he was great. Dialed me right in to what best suits my needs. Thanks for the help. When it is built next year I will post with video.
The Jalopy Journal
