I am just finishing my 396 and ran into some funding issues so I could not afford heads. I went to talk to the mechanic today and the cam he had for me was .526/.534 218/221 114. This seems a little mild to me, any thoughts?

 

Yeah for a stroker i would go with a bigger cam. At least a 224/230xe. The 230/236 would be nice also.

 

No expert here. Do you have to pass emissions,or have a way arround it?Street or strip car?That cam would probably pass and be friendly on the street.Heres a TTT 4 U,anyhow.

 

WAY too small IMO

 

Thats a good cam for a 350.

For a 396 I would go much bigger or even with a solid lifter.

But like stated above, depends on the emission laws in your area too.

 

Yes, way too small duration for that size cubic inch....must go bigger....

 

Hmm...something to think about here. I'm not an expert, but I try to think about things logically. Not having heads is going to KILL your power. You could compensate some with the cam, but with heads that flow roughly 215cfm, you are choking that motor big time. You might want to get an idea from some of the engine pros on here, as to what duration you should go with, or how much lift. My guess, with only my beliefs in mind, I would go with a cam that has a bit less duration than a 396 with matching heads would require, while going with a decent amount of lift, as it appears that the higher lift cams make good power, even on stock heads. However, there is another theory, to use lower lift, but more duration. I would think that would work, but it is my understanding that you will move peak power up with more duration. Experts - please correct me or give us your thoughts!

 

doh...double post.

 

Yeah I realize the motor will be choked but I will be replacing the heads and don't want to do another cam swap. I think I can pass smog with a bit more duration, but if not there are alternative ways. It is also going to be a street car so it will see alot of time on the road, but I've seen people run way larger cams in daily drivers. Thanks for the input. Keep it comin!

 

What do you all think about .502/.510 with 1.5 rockers, about230 dur. ,112lsa

 

Ok, that's what I figured. I'd go with a lot more lift for sure then, and you can probably get away with at least 240, probably 250 on the duration. Remember, the added cubes will tame the cam. I'd go for 600 lift or more.