I'm putting a hydraulic roller cam in the 354 going into my Model A coupe. Specs on a cam being considered are: (Specs given are for both intake and exhaust - both sides are the same) Duration - 298 .050 Duration - 228 Valve lift - .575 LSA - 109 Centerlines - Intake 105/Exhaust 113 I guess the question I have is, how extreme is this cam for street use? I want the car to be easily driveable but with a nice lope at idle. I don't want to have to rev the heck out of it for it to run well. It's not a race car, but I'd like to be able to lay into it on occasion to have some fun with it too. However, I don't want it bucking and snorting when driving around town, either. It doesn't seem to extreme to me, but this is my first Hemi so I have no real experience with these engines. Ideas, anyone? EDIT - I forgot to mention that the .575" lift is a concern for me. I was always under the impression that any lifts over .500" are an issue for this engine. They builder says it's not an issue. I have no idea how lifts like this can be made to work in these engines. Any of you Hemi guru's have any input on that?
I don't have a hemi BUT....354 is pretty equal to a 350 Shivel-lay and a 351 Ford. (cubic inches wise) I have a 306 cu. in. SBF with 230 duration on a 108 LSA cam. Smaller cu. in. and just a dab more duration. It's about as snotty as I would like and still enjoy it around town. It IS a manual tranny so it's more easily to control. (kick in the clutch and clean it out a little etc.) (Mine is about like driving the 365HP 327 from years ago...if that tells you anything.) If you have an A/T behind this hemi you 'may not' like how it does in town. Ya prolly gonna need a loose converter and they tend to slip a good bit slow driving around town. What kinda tranny do you have ? What is the axle ratio? What's the "grumpiest" car you've ever driven? ALL important when making your selection of cam...... 6sally6
If you want the straight poop on the cam, give Jim Dowel a call at Racer Brown cams. (410) 866-7660 Jim is a total Mopar guy and knows his stuff. Downside is Jim gets to work around 2:30 East coast time…he is there late. He can answer your questions with absolute authority
Any of you Hemi guys out have any info on this? I'm concerned about the .575" lift. I was under the impression that this wasn't possible.
.500" is about the max, and even then, you might need to cut down the valve guides a bit. More lift is certainly possible, but that frequently involves longer valves, taller rocker shaft pedestals, and longer push rods.
Yeah, I would not use that cam profile, in anything. Well, maybe in a furd or shiverlay. Certainly not the 0.575 lift. The 109 LSA will give a choppy idle but will sacrifice low rpm efficiency. The 228 @050 is a bit light for a roller, move it to 235, keep the lift to .495 and since you don't have much curb weight you could keep the 109 but, I'd go 110 at least. When lifts go past 500, all else being in stock configuration, you will get the rocker tip sliding/scuffing across the valve tip (side loading the guide). Yes, lash caps will ease this but, now you are adding length to the top of the valve. Lifts above 520 really require that the shafts be moved in the stands to maintain geometry. And yes, you could buy some of the aftermarket stands that have relocated shafts, assuming they are where you need them or step up to custom roller tip rockers. You don't tell us anything about the rest of the package, so what are you building?
I have a Schneider 288/435 in my avatar 354 that has just enough lope, pulls like no tomorrow, and runs perfect! Jerry Cantrell KNOWS the cam business!
Yup, a big cam is not always needed to do the job. Jerry has cut several rollers to my needs and I am always happy with the work.
NEED INFO............. Might want to let us know something about the car, and your driving !! The following WILL help in choosing a reasonable cam grind. Pretty difficult to choose...well...with out these parameters. - Car weight - Gear ratio - Engine compression ratio - Any cylinder head work - Rear tire diameter - Automatic trans., or not - Overdrive...or not Mostly around town driving, half freeway and town, a lot of freeway Mike
wrong cam for sure. Hothead cams work great, still lots of torque and some lope to go with it. OR talk to Ron at Isky, he will fix you up...and you will get to do business with hotrod royalty. You can't go wrong with either.
It's going into the '30 Model A coupe in my avatar. It's going to replace the SBC that's in there. I never weighed the car but I'd be shocked if it isn't well under 3000 lb. It's got a 700R4 trans, and a 3.55 rear ratio. I'm not going to race it, it's more of a cruiser, but when I mash the pedal for kicks once in a while I'd like it to get up and go aggressively.
- Car weight - <3000lb - Gear ratio - 3.55 - Engine compression ratio approx 10:1 - Any cylinder head work - no - Rear tire diameter 30.5 - Automatic trans., or not 700R4 auto - Overdrive...or not - yes
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