350 Performance Cam

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Old December 1st, 2009, 07:14 PM
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350 Performance Cam

Let's try this again...I'm sure this question has been asked time and again, but I couldn't find any answers on the search tool...what is the best performance cam to use on a stock 350 without having to replace lifters, pushrods and rockers? 350 has dual crossover exhaust and quadrajet.
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Old December 1st, 2009, 07:38 PM
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Always.............ALWAYS use new lifters with a new cam, or even a used one for that matter if you don't have the originals marked as to which lobe they came off of. Otherwise you WILL wipe out the cam.
Also you should check the length of the pushrods needed with a pushrod length checking tool to be on the safe side to make sure you have the correct length pushrods.
As far as the stock rockers go they say not to go over .500 lift at the valve with them. I ran a .504/.504 cam for 5 years with no issues.
Also when you replace the cam you should get new valve springs and all the hardware that goes with them.
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Old December 2nd, 2009, 12:28 AM
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Originally Posted by boondocker
Let's try this again...I'm sure this question has been asked time and again, but I couldn't find any answers on the search tool...what is the best performance cam to use on a stock 350 without having to replace lifters, pushrods and rockers? 350 has dual crossover exhaust and quadrajet.
http://www.rocketracingperformance.c...oducts_id=1688

John
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Old December 2nd, 2009, 05:25 AM
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Virtually any cam with less than .500 lift and intake duration of no more than 215 or so can be used. I don't endorse Edelbrock Performer cams, too lazy. There are better ones out there imo.

By the same token, don't get anything too aggressive, that will require a better spring.

Lunati, and some of the smaller Comp stuff is fine. Erson makes a few that are very streetable as well.

Good luck.
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Old December 2nd, 2009, 09:25 AM
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Thanks for the great feedback...I read in a SBC rebuild manual that you could reuse the pushrods...and suggested flipping them over. I've "baggied" all my parts based on cylinder number, and wasn't planning on reusing the lifters (slightly concave)...I see a little wear in the cam along the outside edges of some lobes. I also notice a very slight ridge at the top of the cylinders, which will need to be reamed, before I pull the pistons.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Eightupman
does this cam sound good? lopey muscle car sound?
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Old March 7th, 2010, 09:56 AM
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I would rather it ran hard and sounded smooth, than sounded mean and ran like crap, wouldn't you?
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Old March 7th, 2010, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by STAYBG
does this cam sound good? lopey muscle car sound?
Nope, that is a mild cam and will idle smoothly, along with having good throttle response and low-mid rpm torque.
I agree with oldss72, better to be fast than sound fast.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 05:53 PM
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I'm a Lunati fan too but you have to watch how aggressive you get with the stock valve train, especially those stock rock solid rocker bridges! Maybe a Lunati VooDoo isn't the best choice.

If you have stock heads with a stock valve train I'd go with some thing around .500 lift as mentioned but also something a bit less aggessive.

Erson, Lunati and others make cams more suited to this application. Check em out.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 06:15 PM
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I have the Voodoo 60803 in my "new" 355 .510/.522 227/233 on a 110. The valve train is noisy. I run the Comp roller rip rockers.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by captjim
Nope, that is a mild cam and will idle smoothly, along with having good throttle response and low-mid rpm torque.
I agree with oldss72, better to be fast than sound fast.
oh dont get me wrong.. i want the car to be fast, but i also like the lopey cam sound, i dont mean all out drag style lope, but mild street to where u can hear that it is cammed.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:04 PM
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Originally Posted by STAYBG
oh dont get me wrong.. i want the car to be fast, but i also like the lopey cam sound, i dont mean all out drag style lope, but mild street to where u can hear that it is cammed.
A nice duel exhaust will help with the sound plus the cam. You don't want to go to big with the cam unless you plan on doing more then just a cam swap.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:14 PM
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oh boy, im gonna get bashed 4 this one, can a sb chevy cam be used in the 350 rocket?
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by STAYBG
oh boy, im gonna get bashed 4 this one, can a sb chevy cam be used in the 350 rocket?
No different make so it doesn't interchange.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:23 PM
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so are we limited to cam choices? i was lookin in summit racing and i think i only saw an olds cams choice from crane.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:30 PM
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Originally Posted by STAYBG
so are we limited to cam choices? i was lookin in summit racing and i think i only saw an olds cams choice from crane.
Yes and no. Not everybody has a complete list of cams for Olds. They're more choices then Crane. I have a Dick Miller Racing catalog it has 5 pages or more of cams. Any cam company can custom grid a cam.
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Old March 7th, 2010, 07:55 PM
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Best two cams I've used in an Olds 350 are the Lunati 318A2 and Comp Cams Extreme Energy cam XE262H(Duration @.050 218/224 Lift 475"/.480" LSA110). Lunati specs are very similar to the Comp Cam. Both provide a good idle and around 14-15 inches of vacuum.
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Old December 24th, 2016, 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by 71 Cutlass
Best two cams I've used in an Olds 350 are the Lunati 318A2 and Comp Cams Extreme Energy cam XE262H(Duration @.050 218/224 Lift 475"/.480" LSA110). Lunati specs are very similar to the Comp Cam. Both provide a good idle and around 14-15 inches of vacuum.
with lunati cam 318a2 can I use my rebuilt stock #6 heads and stock torque converter I have 120,000 on original motor
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Old December 24th, 2016, 05:44 PM
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I hope you get an answer since this thread is over 7 years old. Many of these people are still on here.
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Old December 25th, 2016, 07:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Beamin23
with lunati cam 318a2 can I use my rebuilt stock #6 heads and stock torque converter I have 120,000 on original motor
You rebuilding your existing engine now? I figured you would have grabbed coppercutlass's engine when you were in search of a decent build.
You should start a thread of your own with questions, that way you won't be pulling up old threads here.
You will get much more help starting a 350 build thread under small blocks.
Good luck with your build
Eric
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Old July 6th, 2020, 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by STAYBG
oh boy, im gonna get bashed 4 this one, can a sb chevy cam be used in the 350 rocket?
there are a "bunch" of GM 350's. buick has one, pontiac has one, chevy has one and olds has one. there are NO "interchangable parts" on Any of them. they are all "TOTALLY DIFFERENT". You could use the carb, but it also is Different from one make to another.
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Old July 6th, 2020, 04:44 PM
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You're replying to a 10 year old post.
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Old July 6th, 2020, 07:56 PM
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OK, did not realize that.
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