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Hi guys I looked around and didn't see what I was looking for but I have a 1970 olds cutlas it's about 90 percent original it has the rocket 350 in it and originally had a 2 barrel carb which I swapped out. I'm looking at doing a rebuild and I'd like to squeeze a little more power out and thought a cam might do it. Do any of y'all know what size cam I could go with and not have to change anything else or damage the car?
If all you have changed is 2bbl for 4bbl and everything else is factory, I would say use an "RV" type camshaft with under 210º duration at .050" lift and around 260º advertised duration. That should provide a significant power increase without needing a higher stall converter, lower rear gears, etc.
[QUOTE=Fun71;1055684]If all you have changed is 2bbl for 4bbl and everything else is factory, I would say use an "RV" type camshaft with under 210º duration at .050" lift and around 260º advertised duration. That should provide a significant power increase without needing a higher stall converter, lower rear gears, etc.
i did this, and it got old really quick. With 2:73 gears and a slightly higher than stock stall it was kind of a dog out of the hole and only kinda set you back in the seat. It was an improvement over stock, but still wasn’t as ‘fun’ as we wanted it. So, the answer for us was a comp 280, comp stud mounted roller rockers, 3:73 gears, and 750 carb. Now she puts a smile on your face. If you do the work yourself, gears, a posi, and new axles was about $1200 with an install kit. The valve train is about $300, and the cam lifters and new springs about with a few other parts. With the gears you can go to a 2600-2800 stall and really get a nice launch out of the hole. Much more fun on the street, respectable at the track, and not too much out of pocket. Took us two years to make the changes but it was worth it
Last edited by Redrider; Nov 13, 2017 at 01:28 PM.
If all you have changed is 2bbl for 4bbl and everything else is factory, I would say use an "RV" type camshaft with under 210º duration at .050" lift and around 260º advertised duration. That should provide a significant power increase without needing a higher stall converter, lower rear gears, etc.
If all you have changed is 2bbl for 4bbl and everything else is factory, I would say use an "RV" type camshaft with under 210º duration at .050" lift and around 260º advertised duration. That should provide a significant power increase without needing a higher stall converter, lower rear gears, etc.
i did this, and it got old really quick. With 2:73 it lower gears and a slightly higher than stock stall it was kind of a dog out of the hole and only kinda set you back in the seat. It was an improvement over stock, but still wasn’t as ‘fun’ as we wanted it. So, the answer for us was a comp 280, comp stud mounted roller rockers, 3:73 gears, and 750 carb. Now she puts a smile on your face. If you do the work yourself, gears, a posi, and new axles was about $1200 with an install kit. The valve train is about $300, and the cam lifters and new springs about with a few other parts. With the gears you can go to a 2600-2800 stall and really get a nice launch out of the hole. Much more fun on the street, respectable at the track, and not too much out of pocket. Took us two years to make the changes but it was worth it
after doing that work what did it endup running at the track? My plan is to just get it right and a little quicker than it is now. I've had it for years and after sinking money into it for a while I had to take a break for a while
I also want to ad a new cam to my 77 / 350/350
I have headers and 3.42 gears. In the spring i'll be adding the 200-r4 and may got to a 3.73 rear gear at that time. I really want to utilize the best of both world for torque and mid range power. Here in Boulder we like to take our cars into the windy steep mountain roads. Ideas on basic cam improvements for my car would be greatly appreciated.
Keep in mind that a 1970 350-2bbl engine has around 9:1 compression ratio and a 1977 350 engine has around 8.5:1 compression ratio (possibly less) so you can't put a cam with much duration or you will overcam the engine and totally kill low end power and overall driveability. This is why I recommended staying below 210º duration @ .050" lift.
Hopefully Cutlassefi will chime in. He did a 214/214 .472/.472 custom cam on a 110 lsa for my 9 to 1 350. For the 77 350 something like the 207/207 .461/.461 on a 112 lsa Lunatì high efficiency series cam might be better. I know Cutlassefi has done a couple cams for lower compression 350's. They are similar specs above except ground on a 106 or 108 lsa which helps bottom end torque.
after doing that work what did it endup running at the track? My plan is to just get it right and a little quicker than it is now. I've had it for years and after sinking money into it for a while I had to take a break for a while
totally undwrstand. Mild cam might be a good choice then.
I forgot to add that she has headers and an edelbrock 7111. We still have some tweaks to make but at the last test and tune she was getting in the mid to low 13s if I could keep it from spinning. I might change the front shocks to a 90/10 and take off the front sway bar. We will see. If momma lets she spend the cash I’ll get a set of DOT slicks. That’s the best bang for the buck when it comes to traction...usually.
It’s all just fun and a great excuse to chew the fat with other gear heads at the track.
Fwiw I ran a 260h comp cams on a 350 with 9 to 1 compression. It was a 73 short blocks with 72 7A heads, performer intake, 600 cfm carb, 3.73 gears with a 2400 stall ran 13.8's
Current combo runs 12.20's on pump gas and iron heads. still street driven and totally streetable. Some might not like the 3.90's and 3500 stall lol. With suspension work hopefully an 11.99 next spring.
Something a long the lines of a Holley Sniper set up
Then get the Sniper if that's what you're looking at. That wouldn't be my choice, my choice would be the Terminator but very few people seem to want to step up to that.
I just purchased a Clevite 229-2101 ( lift 214 - 224 @.050 ) HAs anyone run this cam? Also have headers and rpm intake.
That’s a generic grind, hope you didn’t pay more than $80 for it.
Your combo is now a bit of a mismatch. Will it run ok? Of course it will, but you could make it better.
Last edited by cutlassefi; Jan 19, 2018 at 10:42 AM.
Thanks for the input Cutlassefi. I didnt pay very much for it. All though its a generic grind and missmatch; how much better is it than the stock cam I have? ALSO I would be highly interested in hearing some opinions/suggestions of cams that would better fit my setup. I am leaning towards an RV style came. I plan on 3.73 gears and this summer a 200-r4. I just want to do it right the first time and be satisfied. Thank you.
Those cams are on the lazy side.
I’d still do a Hi Flow AH, 220/220@.050. At the very least I’d lean more towards a single pattern cam with your compression and goals.
