Hi All, Need some ideas on camshaft. I have a 65 442 that has a 455 in it. Block number 369021F, J heads, Edelbrock performer intake, Holley carb, Long tube headers, 3:73 rear gear, 4 speed, Power brakes. I'm looking to get a little more low to midrange. Don't want to aggressive to lose vacuum but I do want to hear the lope. There are so many manufacturers ( Isky, Comp, Lunati / Edelbrock, TA, and the list goes on ) along with many choices. Has anyone had success, and if so what would you recommend? Is a stock 1970 W30 cam the best option?

 

I have a comp cam 42-224-4. I’m pretty happy with it. Choppy

 

Thank you for your recommendation

 

I think that's a bit too much cam for your purposes. What's your compression?

 

I'm not 100% sure. I'm going out on a limb and say 9:1. It appears to be stock motor with J heads

 

Comp cams xe274 will give you plenty of chop and is a very good cam Or the slightly milder 268h ,both very good street cams. The 268h series be better with your compression be my guess. I used the 268h in a 421 pontiac, it had that slight chop at idle, mild converter and 323 gears..great combo.

 

Thank you for your recommendation!

 

With that compression (if your estimate is at all accurate) I would keep duration at or below 225° and lift under .500.

Maybe do a compression test ... it won't tell you your ratio but cylinder PSI will provide a clue as to how much cam your engine can support.

 

If this is the case then compression would be 8.5:1.

So, yeah. Stay conservative.

 

Thank you. Any recommendation on manufacturer? Comp, Lunati / Edelbrock, Isky Crower etc? They all say there the best

 

Are you looking for performance or to sound obnoxious?

 

Any reputable cam manufacturer (read: one you've heard of) with numbers in the ballpark should be fine. A lot of people here on CO don't like Comp Cams (too Chevy-centric?) but I've had an XE 262H (218°/224°@ 0.050, .462/.469, 110° LSA) in my G-block for years now and been satisfied. Its numbers might be about right for you too.

 

Looking mainly for performance low to mid range. Don't want to lose vacuum but want to hear some chop / lope.

Thank you all for recomendations. I will call a couple manufacturers tech lines and see what they come up with

 

I don’t know if it’s because of the cam I have. But my mpg are around 9-10 mpg. Not good