Hi there, I have a 1976 400 Pontiac motor that I have stripped down for a rebuild. The cam code is 496710, and it has a * stamped on the end of the cam. I have Google searched for the specs of this cam with no luck, in fact I only found 2 relevant hits on the whole Interweb! One (recurring) hit is that this cam is for a 63-67 326 motor, which doesn't correlate with what I have. The other hit was a forum post from a guy with a 1978 400 saying he had the same code as me, so I know I'm not dreaming! Can anyone help me out with the specs of this cam?
I checked this site: wallaceracing.com I was sure they would list it, but they don't. It is still worth visiting if you haven't. They have tons of good info on Pontiac engines. What I can tell you is that your cam will have somewhere from .395"-.410" lift. Lots of different durations, but not drastically different.
Look at the flat surface that is on the timing gear end you should see a letter code stamped such as a P. look up that letter it will tell you what cam is in it
FWIW, any stock replacement cam you purchase nowadays WILL be based on the "066" referenced by AREA51SD.
why does it matter what the cam was? your not going to re use it are you? throw a ram air 4 spec cam in it and be done at least thats what id do or if you want to hang on the edge of sanity run a ram air 5 cam in it but youll need GOOD heads
Do not try to use a Ram Air V cam, they only work with the Ram Air V heads, valve layout is different than any other Pontiac engine.
Check out High Performance Pontiac magazine. The have run tech articles on OE 400 cams, with part numbers and specs. Alot of guys run one of the cams from Summit with good results. Just depends on what you plan to do with it.
what heads are on the motor? 6x-8s I am guessing. If so you've looking at 8 :1 comp or less. I would replace with an comp cams xe268. Should work great with the lower comp .
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