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Best street cam for a 390 FE?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jeff Norwell, Mar 22, 2011.

  1. MERRELL
    Joined: Nov 17, 2007
    Posts: 381

    MERRELL
    Member

    check out elgin cams..
     
  2. ironpile
    Joined: Jul 3, 2005
    Posts: 915

    ironpile
    Member

    A broken one,LOL from "Not a FE fan" I had to do too many valve jobs without removing the engine and lifting the intake by hand. If you want TQ go with a 460.:D "The town idiot"
     
  3. pie pie
    Joined: Jun 29, 2008
    Posts: 673

    pie pie
    Member
    from missouri

  4. fiveohnick2932
    Joined: Mar 29, 2006
    Posts: 918

    fiveohnick2932
    Member
    from Napa, Ca.

    I would have not even bothered reccomending anything If noticed he was going to use one of those early small carb tri powers. Sounds like a good way to choke a 390. In this case "guys" I bet that 268H cam might be the better cam.......?
     
  5. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 14,809

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member


    ???????WTF?
    trying to be funny?
    I am asking for input...... I am very unfamiliar with the FE family and just trying to learn about what I need for a good street engine.

    Please don't add any sarcastic drama or muddy up this thread.
     
  6. fiveohnick2932
    Joined: Mar 29, 2006
    Posts: 918

    fiveohnick2932
    Member
    from Napa, Ca.

    Sorry Jeff, I hadnt had my coffee yet and was worked up from everyone telling me I was a retard for reccomending the 268H. But I really think you would like that cam with the set up you are planning on using. My father has a cam very similar to that in a 428 and it runs great and has a good performance "street rod" sound and since the 390 is a smaller than the 428 I figured it would sound a little "hotter" and may be a perfect match.
     
  7. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 14,809

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    No Problem...I did not mean to jump on yea either.
    I apologize.
    FE's seem to so many combinations...and it gets very confusing.
    I want to thank ALL for there input and suggestions.

    Again,...fiveohnick2932... no hard feelings
     
  8. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC


    Its hard to say by listening to a clip on the internet, but assuming its in reasonable tune, I would say bigger than the 390Gt cam.
     
  9. TexasHardcore
    Joined: May 30, 2003
    Posts: 5,030

    TexasHardcore
    Member
    from Austin-ish

    Comp Cams "Cam Quest" software is free to download and can really help you see the differences in the cams they offer based on your engines specs. Once you find a cam or two that works for you, you can call the cam grinders and talk with them using those specs as a reference point. When I was piecing together my Y-Block, I did alot of research on the popular aftermarket cams out there. I found specs for a good baseline cam, and had Herbert Cams 'tweak' it a little for a broader power range where I wanted it. Then they made the cam specifically designed for my engine combination, for the same price as an off the shelf cam. Recommendations from others are always good, but not everybody is running the exact combination you are.
     
  10. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Ha, ha. You think your confused now, wait till you start buying pushrods and rocker shaft stands...:rolleyes:;)
     
  11. pie pie
    Joined: Jun 29, 2008
    Posts: 673

    pie pie
    Member
    from missouri

    whats the story on that?
     
  12. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    I see guys recommending the Comp Cams cam Quest software on here all the time, and I keep wanting to say something. Honestly, I consider it next to useless. I keep harping on LDA, but it really is critical to how the cam is going to behave in the motor. You can take the same pair of lobes, and changing the lda over a range from 106-114 will have a HUGE effect on idle vacuum, dynamic compression, peak torque, and the overall shape of the power curve. It will move the intake closing point as much as an eight degree change in duration, and have an even bigger effect on overlap. Cam Quest is essentially an advertising tool for Comps line of street cams, and Comp grinds virtually all their street cams on a 110 LDA, so the software is designed around that parameter.
     
  13. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    Wiseass- you didn't need to go there :p
    Relax, kids, with leetle juice street cams you're fine- if you get "serious" a few extra parts might be in order, just like any other engine, just a little different, and it ain't that big of a deal- I'm not bored enough to go off on an unnecessary tangent
     
  14. George is right here. Some fellas call LDA lobe centers so that we are all speaking about the same thing. For a carbonated engine the LDA effects nearly everything from your signal at the carb to your exhaust note.

    The FE has pretty long runners on the intake as a rule (that would be the length of the passage way measured from the plenum to the valve) you can get away with a wider lobe center. But on an engine with short runners (say a small block with a u-weld log manifold) they will respond better to a shorter lobe center for comparison for instance 106 verses 112. 112 being wider.

    One thing that should be taken into consideration is that when you use software on a manufacturer's site, it is meant to sell you the cam that they want to sell you. It helps so don't get me wrong but it can't compair to getting your information from someone who knows what they are talking about and has no interest in what cam manufacturer or cam that you buy they are just interested in giving you the information that you need to make an informed decision.
     
  15. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska

    I'm not real good on technical knowledge when it comes to cams, but I was REALLY happy with the one I put in the 390 in my old Galaxie.

    Specs:
    Comp Cams
    Advertised Duration - Int: 256 Exh: 268
    Duration @ .050 - Int: 212 Exh: 219
    Valve Lift - Int: .487 Exh: .493
    Lobe Separation: 110.0





    A couple video samples...
    (2-1/2" exhaust with 40 series Flowmasters, Edelbrock Performer Intake, Edelbrock 600 carb, FMX auto that shifted surprisingly well, stock '64 heads, pistons, etc.)


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]




    Can't wait to see your '57 come together, Jeff...
    (see ya in Austin!)


    Malcolm
     
  16. TexasHardcore
    Joined: May 30, 2003
    Posts: 5,030

    TexasHardcore
    Member
    from Austin-ish

    Obviously I was suggesting Cam Quest software to give some real world hp/tq/power band numbers to go with the various cam grinds. Of course it's a tool to get you to buy their cams, but with the software, a guy who doesn't know all the ins & outs of cam profiles can get a good ballpark figure and focus on that, and choose his cam from a much more specific range thats better suited to his application.

    On an O/T 351W I used CQ software to find the best cam for my engine combination. I researched several other cam manufacturers comparable cams and found the Comp Cam to be the best deal. I don't know a lot about cams, but this atleast gave me numbers to look at and it helped me figure out what grind was the best for me.
     
  17. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Without going off on too much of a tangent, Performance Trends Engine Analyzer is a much more useful tool. Maybe I will run a couple syms on an FE using the same cam and varying the lda to illustrate what effect it has, and also what can be learned about valve timing by using a good software. The best way to really learn about cams and valve timing is to look at the circle thingy on a cam carb, and try to relate it to the 4 strokes. Once you get to the point where you can clearly visualize what will happen to the valve timing in relation to the motion of the piston when you advance or retard the cam, or tighten or widen the lda, then you are well on your way to really having an understanding of what you are doing when you pick one cam over another.

    A few years ago, Car Craft published an article on a dyno test conducted by Joe Sherman, where he tested the same profile in a SBC, one on 106, one on 108, and one on 110. That article is like the rossetta stone if you are trying to get a grasp on valve timing, not so much for what it says, but the implications of what is said.
     
  18. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Yea, I'm stirring the pot a little...:D
     
  19. BigChief
    Joined: Jan 14, 2003
    Posts: 2,084

    BigChief
    Member


    Other than a set of slapper bars, the cam and Hooker SuperComps my Mach I was dead stock. I could have used 4:30's or maybe 4.57's as I was only pulling about 5200 through the traps. The car would have been quicker with optimized gears or a little less cam. I love potato cams.....the 297HDP was a potato cam. ....not as bad-ass as the C8AX-D cam in my buddies 427 (nobody ever forgets what one of those cams sound like once they've heard it).

    I agree that the 324/.500 cam is a dog unless you've got lots of compression and then it still didn't have enough lift to keep the heads flowing enough air....kinda makes you wonder what they were thinking. The 306/.500 cam works wonders for mid range grunt, especially in the larger cars. Good for an old cam. The new stuff, however, is much better than even the now antiquated Crower I used in my Mustang.

    Kids in Camaros? Heh! I love it when the kids in the rice burners read the 428CobraJet off the side of the shaker and then look at me in wonder after they've asked me "How many liters is that?" and I tell them 7 liters.

    I sold the car to a friend a few years ago...I sure do miss it. Threads like this make me miss the old girl. Time for a conjugal visit......
     
  20. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Ok, well it took me a while to get around to it. '66-'68 390GT cam, C6OZ-6250-B,270/290 adv., 224/[email protected] 117 lda .481/.490. id blue paint #3 journal, this is the one I have here
    69 390GT cam,C6AZ-6250-A single pattern 256 adv. , (do not have .050 duration #'s,).438 116 lda. id cast in VU between dist. gear and first journal. I will dig over the weekend, see if I can dredge up .050 #'s for this cam. According to my info, this cam was also the standard cam in 4bbl '67 390/428's
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2011
  21. fiveohnick2932
    Joined: Mar 29, 2006
    Posts: 918

    fiveohnick2932
    Member
    from Napa, Ca.

    Excellent video clips!
     
  22. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    Where you're confused, is the '69 Mach1/Ranchero etc. 390 was not the same as the earlier "GT" engine, it was a 390IP (Improved Performance) and was detuned a bit- hence the smaller cam, and it also lost the Holley for an Autolite 4V. The "GT" engine was the same basic engine as a regular 390-4V, except for the cam & springs, 600 Holley, different distributor timing, and the extra bolt holes in the heads for the sideways bolt pattern, but the '69IP was a little milder- so that cam is not a "GT" cam, it came in the "IP" in '69. Most everybody still calls it a "GT" engine, but actually it's not- and my '69 Ranchero GT has one- with air conditioning LOL
     
  23. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Well, yes, essentially that is correct, the '69IP is commonly referred to as a 390GT, but it does not use the staggered bolt pattern head either, so you can make the case that it is not a true 390GT. I referred to it as a GT because thats what it is commonly called, and so many think it has the earlier GT cam in it.
     
  24. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    The one in my '69 Ranchero GT does, never seen one that didn't, as they went in the shock-tower cars.
    Main thing was to avoid confusing the folks, as this is a cam thread- there is only one 390GT/428CJ cam
     
  25. Magnus
    Joined: Apr 30, 2006
    Posts: 904

    Magnus
    Member
    from Sweden

    Whatever Nick says, I bought it from him and it runs like a charm.
    Nick, buddy. I will have out in the streets in a few weeks.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2011
  26. pie pie
    Joined: Jun 29, 2008
    Posts: 673

    pie pie
    Member
    from missouri

    Has anyone used a thumper cam in an fe? How do they sound and run?
     
  27. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    They make an engine sound like it makes power, without making any power- do you want to be a poser?
     
    slickhale likes this.
  28. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Seems like 90% of the guys on the HAMB could give a shit about making power, the purpose of buying a cam is to sound cool. :( No surprise more guys that actually build motors and race are steering away from Comp in general. I am so glad to see Crane up and running again under new management. Hope they have new cam grinders. The old machinery was getting pretty worn out to the end, and the carpet-bagging bastards at Micronite technology ran the place into the ground, and pretty much destroyed its reputation.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2011
  29. Gene I thought that only George and I believed that.

    Even if you read the ad it comes across as the ultimate poser cam.
     
  30. MeanGene427
    Joined: Dec 15, 2010
    Posts: 2,307

    MeanGene427
    Member
    from Napa

    The Thumper cams are the car equivalent of a dead-stock new Harley with open pipes, all blat, no scat- it'll impress the strokes with their hats on backwards and pants halfway down their butts, but anybody who actually knows about engines can tell one that makes power from one that makes noise- even by the noise alone
     

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