I'm thinking about going with a more streetable cam.
My current cam is 236/242 .597/.585 114LSA.

I have Comp Pro mag 1.6rr NSA, hardened push rods, stock OEM lifters, and Bee hive springs (not sure which part# but they are good for alittle past 600 lift.)

I'm looking at either Crane 227 210/224 .510/.554 112LSA or the LPE 211/219 .533/.560 112LSA which I have in my truck.

Do I need to do anything with the rest of the valve train by going to one of these smaller cams??

 

Your pushrod length MIGHT change, but other than that I think it should be good.

 

Would the change in lift change push rod length?? Or are all cams not the same lobe center diameter when the valve is closed??

 

I think it depends more on the base circle than anything. The change in lift should be accommodated when you adjust the rockers.

It shouldn't change the PR length, but you might want to check anyways.

What cam is it that you have now? And why don't you consider it streetable?

 

Base circle..that's what I was trying to say..couldn't think of the proper term.

The current cam has a very rough idle and the power does not come on till about 4500 rpms. Lugs bad below 2000rpm cruise when convertor locks. I've done alot of tuning to make it streetable, raising the TCC lockup, adding and removing timing at low rpms, etc. Not to mention it pulls only about 10in of vac at idle so it starts to creep forward at long red lights.
I put a 2600-2800 stall convertor in it and it freewheels alot better at idle and holds the brakes, but the daily driving mpg is now below 14mpg along with the higher TCC.

Bottom line, its actually my wife's car, and she hates the way it drives now and she's taken my truck. It does vibrate your teeth out at idle So looken to make it idle similar to stock but have a good amount of pull down low and not have to rev it past 6k. It will never be taken to the track but for tuning.

The cam I have, 236/242 .597/.585 114, was actually a friend of mines, I also have the ported LE2 heads with stock valve size, they will stay on the car. The package ran great on his 383 6-spd (446rwhp at 6200), but this is a little too much for a stock bottom end 350 as it would require it to wind up to 6700+rpms to make its peak power.

Appreciate the help, thx

 

Yeah, that doesn't sound like a fun cam to drive at all. Either of those cams should be perfect.

 

How do you like that LPE cam in your truck. Can you describe it's driving characteristics?

Dan

 

It has a very good power range, idles pretty much just as the stocker did. It seemed to have a good rumble to it when I first put it in, but now after hearing the cam in the TA for so long, the truck sounds like stock to me
It's hard to say how it would feel in a f-body, the truck still has stock gears, but has an Eaton posi unit in it.
With stock gear and stock convertor, it dynos at 255rwhp / 247rwtq, its a completely stock LT4 with unported heads...I should have had the heads ported when they were machined for the springs but due to time didn't have it done..really regret it now.

This same LPE cam in Denny McLains 6-spd Vett dyno'd at 364rwhp/366rwtq so it can make power with the right combo.
Everyone tells me that the 255 the truck put down is very good for a truck with everything else stock, including the 2 piece drive shaft, but I really expected more when I first put it together. It's used for towing alot so it was not built for the track by any means.

 

I run the 227 in my 97SS. Stock idle, lots of grunt and throttle response. Easy tune. I use stock length PRs. JMHO

 

Another one to consider, which I have my eye on, is the GM845. It is 214/224 0.521/0.542 with 1.6RR's.

It's just a tad larger with more lift on the intake side and fairly close to the 227 cam on the exhaust.

Dan

 

I'd go with the LPE cam. The PR length should remain the same if you're replacing SBC with SBC.

 

Why dont you contact Bret and get the LE1 cam or even the matching LE2? Pretty sure he can even cut you another cam that will have a similar idle to stock and put down way more power. I almost swapped out the LE2 cam I have right now for the crane 227 or the GM846, but Im gonna see if I can get my car running correctly without problems before I do anything. Whatever you decide, good luck.

 

I can say. I did a 12.0 @ 115 as a best w/ 3.73 gears and LPE LT4 ported intake/heads and a mess of 12.1's in the high 114mph range. That was with a 3650lb race weight. It dynoed 370rwhp and 355rwtq. Also had LT's and ORY. With Edlebrock shorties and stock Y-pipe with cats I was running 12.5's @ 110. Got 25 to 27mpg on the highway and 20 to 23mpg in the city.
By far the best emissions legal cam I've ever seen.

 

I've read a ton of posts about the LPE and Crane227 cams. Either one look like 12's is fairly easy with the other supporting mods which I have on the TA, and be completely streetable and idle like stock.
No doubt either one of them wouldn't be a bad choice..


Wonder which out of those 2 would be better with ported heads and fully ported intake???

 

Rob

Honestly surprised you’re having issues with the cam as it worked great for me. As a rule of thumb you can expect to see a 4-5 hp reduction by going to a 114, but man the drivability is usually great. My first 396 stroker motor had a 236/242 solid roller on a 114 and was embarrassed sitting next to a 306 cammed car as it sounded five times meaner but mine made 450rwhp/451 torque and was a really fast street car. As a result I’ve always favored that range cam and lobe separation. The same cam on a 110 or 108 would not surprise me drivability wise. The 10 inches of vacuum catches me off guard and wondering if something else might be going on.

In the past ran a 306 cam in a stock block and had no issues with it either and it’s not that far off in duration and being it's on a 112......probably a wash in terms of drivability.

Guessing your 2.73 gears may be an X factor as I always ran 4:10's keeping the rpm's up higher most of the time. If it was me.....I'd try a set of 3.42 gears first to see if that doesn't take care of your hwy issues and maybe raise your idle just a tad too. Plus you'll get a boost in performance with the gears even if it doesn’t resolve your issues. Kind of a can't loose deal.

If you do decide to change cams the 235/242 cam is ground on a small base circle so you'll need to change pushrod length to get correct geometry.

Not up on the latest grinds and how they drive in a stock block automatic, but as your aware I'm a big fan of the LPE 211/219 cam. It performs much better than you'd think that small of a cam would and drives better than stock in my opinion. Also seen very good dyno results from a comp 305 cam and I’d expect it to drive quite well.

As usually, just give me a call and I’ll help what I can.