For those of you who have done this and know something about V8 flatheads, I am asking for help with your experience & knowledge on this subject. I personally have never built a V8 engine - have only done 4 bangers for the past 55 years - so I need some guidance in my choice of cams. I have a 34 coupe, planning on using a great 8ba block as my starting point, running a crab distributor from Bubbas because of the engine compartment restraints and the modern style distributor just does not fit very well. I currently have a rebuilt 39 syncro trans and a 3:78 torque tube rear end, but do intend to modify things with a T-5 that should have a 2:90 to 3:15? first gear ratio. My driving habits are nothing more than around town on and occasional 45/50 mph stretch of divided highway between suburbs - I am not a tire spinner by any means. Engine will have dual carbs, aluminum heads, new crank and .060 over bore, Reds headers for exhaust, adjustable lifters, one of Reds valve train assemblies 1.6 & 1.6 stainless valves - hard seats, Zephur springs, and a few other up grades for longevity etc. What would any of you suggest I look at in terms of new cams that are currently available from the suppliers. Thanks for any help. Steve
You may want to re-think your build. From what I read, with your driving habits and the type of engine you are trying to build (a relatively small cube engine; less than 250 ci with a stock crank and around 260 with a 4 incher), you probably don't need the larger valves and much of a cam. A '34 coupe is a relatively heavy car as these things go (compared to a fenderless roadster or "T" bucket) and will benefit by having a bit of torque. The hotter the cam, the higher the torque curve is and driveability may suffer. A hot cam that might be worth a second in your quarter mile e.t. may be rather unpleasant to drive on the street. After much consideration, I decided to use a stock Merc 1CM cam in my '51 over an after market cam. A '51 is really a relatively heavy car and every bit of torque counts. Time and money spent on the larger valves would be better utilized massaging the heads for proper squish, flow, and compression. If you are going to be running a hood, you probably will be better off with a small 4-bbl rather than dual carbs. That and a good ignition will make for excellent driveability (if that is what you are really looking for). Because of my lack of experience with different aftermarket cams, I will leave it up to some of the guys who have been around to suggest "the latest and greatest". I will say that I have had two builds with Iskendarian MAX-1 cams, and they seemed to be quite satisfactory.
You might want to drop an email to Schnieder Cams and let them know your information to see what they suggest. Great folks and responsive too. I had them do a regrind of a stock cam for me. I am running a 4" crank on a 3 5/16" bored 8 BA with Offy heads, 1.5" valves. Running a Bubba distributor and a single 4 barrel in a 31 Ford roadster. Just fired it up today so I don't have any on road performance info to share yet.
There is a wealth of information on these two websites. The first one is probably has the best information for your application, the second one is just worth the time to read to see what worked for the full race applications. http://www.tildentechnologies.com/Cams/FlatheadPerformance.html http://www.midstateantiquestockcarclub.com/flat_heads4.html
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