I'm looking for advice on a cam for my 1970 442. My introduction thread is here:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-175599/page2/

I've briefly chatted with Mark about this, but it seems weird to keep bugging that poor fellow as I'm sure he's super busy. If I didn't live in Canada, he'd be doing the work, lol.

Car is 3900 lbs
Holley Street Avenger 770
RPM Air Gap intake
Currently F heads, changing to 61025 Edelbrock heads
Stock, numbers matching Turbo 400 - not sure of stall speed.
3.42 axle ratio
air conditioning
28" tire
power steering, brakes
access to 91 octane only

I guess my question is, would the stock cam be enough? Considering I have A/C, power steering and brakes, would it be worth changing to a cam that is marginally better than stock but not too radical to support the creature comforts, like brakes, lol? I'm changing the heads and mechanic mentioned this is a good opportunity for a cam change, but not sure if that's necessary. If there is a good cam that would work, looking for suggestions. Street driven car, would rarely hit the track.

 

Camshaft technology has come along way in 50 years. Why would you choke aftermarket heads with obsolete camshaft design????

You can have excellent drivability and performance without having a cam so big it shakes the fenders off.

The original camshaft was a compromise when the car was new. The engineers in charge of performance wanted a more aggressive cam. The bean counters who calculate warranty and production cost probably wanted to use what was already designed and in part’s inventory. The people in charge of emissions certification more than likely had their own agenda. Nobody was completely happy.

Get with Mark. He can help spec a cam that fits your needs.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

Great point and great answers. I'll reach out to Mark again with the info I posted.