Best street cam for a 390 FE?

While it is impossible to just give a cam choice without knowing all the details such as gears, ******, heads, etc. I can tell you what worked well for me in the past.

First off, the ****** choice will make a big HUGE difference.

For an automatic, I ran a C6 in my 57 hardtop and used a dual pattern crane cam. It is a http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CRN-343942/

This was a really good street performance cam that had good pull up to about 5200 RPM with cast iron heads.

This cam had a decent idle but had a little thumpety-thump. I guess it had more bark than bite but sometimes the sound is what really matters.

 

Details, details- basics like solid or juice- and which rockers do you have, adjustable or no? If you don't go too big, stock stuff will work- like a cruiser where you want a little steam and a little noise- or do you want to make it boogie?

 

my2c tri power fe's like dual pattern cams. with the other parts you said around .530 or so lift seems about right. you dont need to go too crazy to make a ton of power/torque with a 390.

 

Im not an FE guru, but ive been reading as much as I can on the FE stuff for some of my projects. I thought I read that anthing over .500 lift you need adjustable rockers. Im guessing that you will be running the stock cast heads, so thats also going to come into play.

You will also need to pick out what ****** you use, because if you go with the c-6 your conveter stall is going to be affected by what cam you go with, as in everything affects each other and they need to all work together.

I would see what input you get here, but check out the FE forums. They have a **** ton of info over there.

 

Back in the dark ages of the '60's and early '70's when I played with FE's, the best cam for the price was direct from Ford. C8AX-6250-C. Nice lope, good power to 5500 or so which was all you wanted to rev a 390 anyway, and they would last forever, and not overstress stock valve gear. I think the grind is being duplicated still, by one of the big manufacturers.
Yeah, I know it's old tech, but it worked then and it would still work now.

 

I think theres a lunati cam that coppied those specs. Dont quote me, but I know someone made something really close to it.

 

jeff, comp cams has some really good choices for whichever trans you need. check them out

 

We put the 268 degree comp cam with the 494 lift in my dads comet. Has the thump thump idle and great response.Plus its was the biggest you could run with the stock converter from what we read and he has a c6 in his car.The motor is stock except for the cam and the 2 4bbl set up on it.We got two 600 edelbrocks on it and it doesent miss a beat with this cam in it. This is just what we did with his and have had no problems at all with it.OH and he foots the hell out of it to lol.......

 

I'm not sure it will make a good street cam but in the 390 over the road car motor I'm screwing together for the wife I'm useing a Ford cam for a 428 C.J. I think around town it may be a pain with the smaller displacement but out on the highway it should be a real winner.

Crane has some excellent choices cam wise for FEs and most can be chosen by RPM range. IE if the engine doesn't start climbing up on the cam untill 3K its not going to be a happy cam to drive around town but if it starts having its party @ say 2k then it should be real tolerable stop light to stop light. Does that make any sense?

 

hey let me know what you figure out. it may save me some thinking.

 

The 428 CJ cam is actually the 390GT cam that was carried over to the CJ, and is less than .500 lift, not all that big, and still a cam designed around emissions standards- not bad, but you can do a lot better. I just sold a nice 390 that went into a '66 Country Squire that had the CJ cam in it, very torquey and smooth running, but I wouldn't buy one unless it was for a restoration. Again, if you want some solid recommendations from real FE folks, details, please

 

Don't have to buy one I got one new/old in the box. Maybe its an SCJ its a solid lifter cam. I picked it up during one of the fuel crises in the '70s.

I love fuel crises, everyone panics and good parts always go cheap.

 

A few years back I rebuilt a 390. It was a pretty mild build. Flat top pistons, around 9.5 to 1 compression, Holley 4 barrel, mild port and polish and headers. I chose to use the Edelbrock Performer camshaft. I was really happy with it. There just enough lope to it to sound cool, it idled nicely seemed to make a lot of power on the street. I would recommend it.

 

The SCJ used the same juice cam as the CJ, actually SCJ makes no more power, just used the beefier Lemans rods and rebalanced internals, and an oil cooler, an automatic/required upgrade when you ordered 3.91 or 4.30 gears in your car. same heads, cam, intake, carb, etc. What's the PN on your solid? I should be able to ID it for you- might be a 306/500 stock 427 cam, which has decent manners, and sounds kinda like the old 440 Mopar cop cars- just chugs a little

 

Hey Jeff I have nothing to add for cam recomendations, but what project is this going in?

 

Call these guys:

http://www.fespecialties.com/

GREAT people and they build one hell of an FE engine. I had them build a 390 for my 72 F250. Runs like a top and humps like 10 fookers.

 

Extreme Energy Compe***ion Cams #33-248-4 for Ford 352 390 406 410 427 428 hydraulic applications This is a great all around cam for FE engines. Great torque and HP. Ran this in a friends 64 Galaxy with a 4 speed and 3:90 gears to the tune of 13.0 @ 104. Car is still a great driver too.

 

I'll dig it out when I go to the farm and PM you the numbers. I have a lot of stuff up there that I won't be using right away.

The fella I got it from said he bought it as a CJ cam as I recall. Got cam and lifters from him cheap because he was going the resto-rod route to "save gas."

 

Yea, wouldn't be my choice, and I actually have one here as a take-out. We had it in the first 390 block I punched .080 over, back when that motor was in my brothers PU.
The Crane someone else recommended here was a decent choice for 10-10.5/1 and power brakes. Should add, there are actually two different 390 GT cams. If no-one else does, and i have time, i will post the specs for both of them tonight. Might have even posted them before in one of the threads that guy with the maroon galaxy posted.

 

OK- there's a couple of those Ford solids you wouldn't want for your app, one is the 324/500, no bottom end, all top, and not much of it, very outdated anbd makes more noise than power, and the 330/600, for obvious reasons- although it would be fun for a couple days as it's an evil-sounding bastage- but ain't much for manners, and it definitely won't fit your stock 390 valve reliefs LOL

 

Found the thread I was thinking of, it was a discussion about a TRW pn for an FE, I only posted the lobe lift numbers. I'll dig up the numbers and post them later, if no-one beats me to it.

 

This is the Comp Cam that's going in my 457FE:
Camshaft: Comp Cams custom grind 33-000-9
Intake Exhaust
Valve Adjustment HYD HYD
Gross Valve Lift .659 .659
Duration @
.006 Tappet lift 317 317
Valve Timing Open Close
@ .050 INT: 23 BTDC 59 ABDC
EXH: 59 BBDC 23 ATDC
These specs are for cam installed
@ 108.0 Intake Center line
Intake Exhaust
Duration @ .050 262 262
Lobe lift .3810 .3810
Lobe separation 108.0

I'll be running a TCI C6 as I'm putting it in a Galaxie and would rather not row gears in such a large car.

 

cheap good cam kits about $125 for cam and lifters

3 390 cams to pick from,,,

http://www.compe***ionproducts.com/Ford-FE-352-428-Hydraulic-Kits/products/383/

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD cl***=plaintext>Ford FE 390-428
Lift: .486/.512
Duration: 282/292
Duration @ .050": 204/214
Lobe Separation: 112 LC
Fair idle, Good low end torque and response</TD></TR><TR><TD cl***=plaintext>

In Stock</TD></TR><TR><TD cl***=plaintext></TD></TR><TR><TD cl***=plaintext>Ford FE 390-428
Lift: .512/.538
Duration: 292/302
Duration @ .050": 214/224
Lobe Separation: 112 LC
Moderate idle, Improved mid-range torque</TD></TR><TR><TD cl***=plaintext></TD></TR><TR><TD cl***=plaintext>

Ford FE 352-428
Lift: .533/.533
Adv. Duration: 272/272
Duration @ .050": 216/216
Lobe Center: 110
1800-5200, Good mid-range torque, Good idle</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

Contrary to MeanGene, I had my Ranchero running mid 12's 35 yrs ago with
the old 500/324 Ford cam. Not bad for the time and at 3980lbs. Stock 6090C
heads. Dual quads were little 500 cfm carter comp carbs. Of course you'll need
the adj rockers ' good headers etc...It was totally streetable with a loose convertor.
It ran 4:57's and slicks at the track Have fun and make it nasty
Funny, it took a lot of money and parts to get it non streetable @11:60 yrs later.
I had a early H.P. block bored .060. Finally got blown up in a flat bottom boat by
the jerk that bought it.

 

hey you folks,,which one of the above 3 cams would you suggest for this guy?