261 chevy six

Yes, the 261 and early Corvette cam had the same specs, but it's nothing to brag about. There are many grinds out there that would be of greater benefit to your engine. Frank McGurk was the one that discovered that these engines like more lift and duration on the exhaust side, and his "Dual Master" camshafts were a**** the best for 235/261 performance.

 

I've built a coupla of 261's.One had a 848 head,mild Howard M4F cam,Fenton headers and dual carbs,later a Holley 390 four barrel.They run well for a vintage pedestrian engine if you ***emble it carefully and pay attention to piston deck height .Rev freely to about 4500,maybe 180 hp.Certainly as powerful as Flathead V-8's in the same state of tune.but like the Flattie,it's a somewhat expensive HP.
Myself and other have noticed that a moderately built 235-261's get better fuel mileage that a stock engine.

 

Thank you everyone for the help, and info !!!

 

What oil do you guys use in your sixes ? I have been using Shell Rotella straight 30. Does this oil have the correct ZDDP (zinc) properties?

 

I also run Rotella T. Use the 15-40 diesel oil to get the zinc you're looking for.

 

Thank you ! I will use it next oil change. How much different is it from the straight 30 weigth?