Technical 283 CHEVY CAM SUGGESTIONS?

I am building a '65 283 SBC for my '29 Studebaker Coupe, and need some camshaft suggestions. I am looking for a slightly lopey idle, and something that works well with a "Performer" style intake, headers, and an electronic "Ignitor" kit hidden under the stock cap. It's what I have laying around the shop, and if you can't sell it for squat, you may as well use it!

 

The cl***ic for it would be the L79 327/350 horse hyd cam. Unless you want solids, then I would say a Duntov or a 30/30.

 

you cant go wrong with a 283 and the old Duntov 097 cam. Yes it is a solid lifter cam, but if you set the lash with poly locks you wont be adjusting them often at all. Speed Pro sells a copy of it for way less than trying to find a NOS one or one of the "Factory Muscle Car" cams. Speed Pro Part number is CS-113R.

here is a link to it on summits website.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/slp-cs-113r

 

The best 3 Chev street cams are listed above....nuf said.

 

I still like comp cams 268 in either version.

 

If you choose a GM cam I would stick with the ‘097. The timing it has is more suited to the lower compression of the 283.

 

Plus it sounds right on the slight lope and on the subtle solids clatter. Many other cams sound like they were bought for the sound effects, like a tin can full of rocks and a carbon tracked distributor effect.

 

This is what I went with for my 327, 1.94 camel bumps, and a performer intake. I have only driven it a little so far but it seems like a great combo.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1983

Trying to upload a video of the idle. It won’t let me upload here, maybe linked to my IG might work..

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpDSzz8BAW_/?utm_source=ig_web_****on_share_sheet

 

097 in a 283. Have used many over the years. Love the sound and makes decent vacuum-about 14"
The lifters will stay adjusted unless you wing it up alot. Had one in my 57 Fuely and 62 Vette--adjusted about once a year unless I really spun it a good bit. Elgin makes an excellent copy.

 

What's the compression ratio ?
You'll need lots of it to run the cams listed.

 

You didn't say what transmission you are using but GM didn't offer an automatic with the l79 option, they were more concerned about warranty type issues, but it's my default suggestion when people ask when building a street 327.
I don't have personal experience with it in 283's but like Vicky infers; compression in the 10/1 range may allow it as the L79 came from the factory with 11.250/1 c.r.
I do think the 283 with this cam would benefit from using Rhoads lifters (Google them), plus they kind of sound like solid lifters.

The Comp 268 was a great cam in my 357 (350+.040), again I have no experience in a 283 but I think my above suggestions still apply.

 

That’s what’s (supposedly) in the 283 in my ‘34. It’s happy being fed by twin 500 E-carbs on an old Iffy 360 and “PowerPak” heads. Nice lopey idle, pulls hard, sounds great, works good in my fairly light car, a Turbo 350 with a shift kit.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app View attachment 4082872

 

It's all stock, and I will be using a 700R4 trans.

 

I have read with the stock low compression, that you can't use 2.02 heads or other large valves, because you will kill the performance.

 

The factory rated compression ratio is 9.25 for the ‘65 283’s and the 270 horse 283’s that used the ‘097 cam from ‘57 to ‘61 were 9.5 compression.
Regarding your post about the heads the 2.02 intakes won’t clear the 3 7/8 bore of the 283 and also you would be going from 58 cc combustion chambers to chambers that are typically 64 cc or larger, with the resulting loss of compression.

 

What's your opinion on the L79 then with that compression ratio? I would like to stick with hydraulic lifters.

 

The L79 cam has a lobe center angle of 114* which means there is not a lot of valve overlap that would bleed off compression. It should be fine.

 

I have built dozens of 265's and 283's. The best all around cam is the comp cam 260H. It works perfect with the Performer intake.

Operating Range: 1200-5200 RPM
Duration Advertised: 260° Intake / 260° Exhaust
Duration @ .050'' Lift: 212° Intake / 212° Exhaust
Valve Lift w/1.5 Rockers: .440'' Intake / .440'' Exhaust
Lobe Separation Angle: 110°

 

My last cam was a Comp Cam XE262H. Great idle lope and pulled well.

Gary

 

From what I understand these are small valve heads, not 2.02's. I never had the engine apart, so I'm taking the guys word for what the cam is, but the heads do have the right pointy hump. It runs great, looks great, and was cheap for me to buy from the guy who pulled it out of a '65 Malibu SS to put an LS in.

 

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/200102/10002/-1
Okay, I went with this one and they knocked it down to just over $93! I didn't think you could go wrong for that price.

 

I have the Lunati Voodoo equivalent in my car, some lope but good traffic manners.

 

I think you'll like that one...it's probably the oldest grind in the book. I run a similar cam in a Ford 289, and it idles nice and has plenty of vacuum, but is still a couple steps up from a stock cam, at least in engines as small as a 283.

 

Why does anyone claim that a old Duntov or 30-30 cam is what to get when like buffaloracer says a comp cam 268 version is available. Yes the30-30 is a good cam but it is old technology, yes it might still work but the after market cams are better blue printed and have the correct spring pressures for the application. I wish I could find the article by Buddy Morrison he explained it perfectly in using an after market cam.

Pat

 

Pat
I agree with you on every one of your points but there's something in just being able to rattle off all the old buzzwords from the past (as long as it's fact and not BS).
Bench racing is what holds the interest in this whole hot rod thing for some of us.
My L79 engine is full of NOS GM parts including the "151" camshaft, not that I consider myself a purist on any particular level.

 

Personally, I like the regrinds on modern profiles. I used to buy the 300 hp 327 cam for alot of the short stroke engines I ran on the street. A modern twist with similar profiles. That's a good little cam for your 283. You will be happy.

 

How pure is a re-popped Duntov 30-30 cam today? Cam makers put their own spin on them since. Now they probably work a little better than the OG cams did. Chet Herbert used to grind those up for us to use in the stock cars. IIRC, the cam was introduced for the 283 FI and was extremely popular for the time.

 

Good choice on the cam for the little 283. And you will not have to go to a higher stall on the converter. Its a nice mild cam.

 

The ‘097 cam (the Duntov grind) came out in ‘57 and served into the 327 era in the 340 and 360 horse Corvette engines. It was the 365 and 375 327’s that used the 30/30 cam and when the Z28 came out that was the cam it used.

 

I second the 097 I never liked the clatter of .030 valve lash. Back in the day to 097 got a bad rap because people changed the cam and left the old tired valve springs. By the time the cam was working the springs were giving up. The max torque rating went from 3000 rpm to 4200.