camshaft selection continued ..the crap shoot

[Kingspeedy2]

thanks for every ones suggestions on heads and cams (see earlier post on camshaft and Head selection
I have decided that AFR heads are the winners hands down so they have been ordered.
after much thought i went with the 165 cc 58cc
alsoI have also ordered a Howards cam 220255-10
which is 231/in 235 @.050 ex .544 in .565 ex 110 Deg sep
which is described as 2200 rpm - 6000 rpm rough idle ,street strip good low and mid range torque
I thought this was perfect for a street only car/auto trans/ with some road trips in the future
with a muscle car idle and some power yet durability
I also liked Ants Earson cam but was ordering a bunch of stuff from Summit so this also seemed to fit the bill as far as Howards description goes.
so i thought...

I noticed after the fact on the summit site the description says its meant for the 351W ,Howards site says otherwise so i enquired with Howards
Howards said this cam is too big (too much lift i guess) of a cam for a 331 stroker and best suited for the bigger 351W and suggested their
# 222755 225/231 530/54 108 deg cam

when i first enquired with Howards for cam selection they suggested
22273512
235/241 @.05 581/581

the place i bought the stroker block and bit suggested comp cams XE274HR 274/282 @.050 .555/.565 112 lc as good place to start
I realize opinions are like belly buttons and everyone has one ,but it seems like a pretty wide range.

question
Do you think 231/235 @.050 .544/.565 is too BIG of a cam for the 331 ? wanting 350 ish HP?

[Rocket989]

I don't think it's too big for a 331!! That said, the cam they recommended w/ 108LS would probably make about the same power and be a little more "friendly". Interesting that most custom hyd roller cams I've seen for engines with nice flowing heads almost always have tight LS and most bias the lift in favor of the intake side! They also back off the duration and run higher lift.

With an auto, I'd go with the cam they recommended and run 1.7 rockers on the intake, 1.6 on exhaust. Make sure your compression is 10:1'ish!!

What converter/ gears are you planning on?

JH

[ants875]

That is almost the same cam specs as mine so no its not to big but you had better have the valve clearance checked, I wanted to run 1.7 rockers but there is not enough clearance for them. and if i'm not mistaken you have already got the bottom end all do so you can't cut the pistons without rebalancing them so be careful and have it all checked.

Only thing I would have done differently is go with the 185 heads but that is me.

My 2 cents
Ant

[CALIFORNIA CALIENTE]

You should be OK with the Howards cams,you could waste your life away looking at cams!! 20 cubic inches,the cam will never know!!! Be careful with the 1.7 rockers,make sure they are NOT going past center on the valve stem!!! ROY.

[Kingspeedy2]

I havent decided on gears or convertor yet,I may switch to an AOD trans as i do plan on going on some 300 mile road trips to car events.and with that I can perhaps have the best of both worlds..insert evil laugh.

[Rocket989]

You might get by with ~3.50's or so on a C4. I'd think 3.73-3.89 would be better but I've ridden in 4.10 geared cars w/ C4's at "highway" speed - NOT something you'll be happy doing for 300 miles!! Even 3.50's are going to try your patience.

For an AOD - definitely 4.10's and the right converter! There are also other mods that help 'em run better (Google like "performance AOD transmission building").

JH

[barrys65cyclone]

I havent decided on gears or convertor yet,I may switch to an AOD trans as i do plan on going on some 300 mile road trips to car events.and with that I can perhaps have the best of both worlds..insert evil laugh.

If you have not decided on converter, rear ratio , tire size etc you should have not picked a cam yet also are you going roller cam or flat tappet AFR's come with springs for roller cam. as for a cam I run all custom cams from Ed Curtis Flowtech Induction.

[comethead]

You should be OK with the Howards cams,you could waste your life away looking at cams!! 20 cubic inches,the cam will never know!!! Be careful with the 1.7 rockers,make sure they are NOT going past center on the valve stem!!! ROY.

Wisdom!

[popscomet]

You should be OK with the Howards cams,you could waste your life away looking at cams!! 20 cubic inches,the cam will never know!!! Be careful with the 1.7 rockers,make sure they are NOT going past center on the valve stem!!! ROY.

Wisdom!

AND it's hard to out do hands on WISDOM.....pop

[Kingspeedy2]

2 plus years ago I stared this post.And like many projects things have changed .There are a lot of decisions in a complete rest mod especially your first one .and I try to make every decision with care.
That being said its time to assemble my engine.
I want an engine that sounds like a muscle car ,with a lopey idle but still has enough vacume for a power disk brakes.
major components thus far
Late model 302 machined for Scat stroker 331
Probe forged pistons (estimated theoretical compression 10:1 to 10:5
Harland aluminum roller rockers
AFR aluminum heads 58cc chambers 185cc intakes
Edelbrock performer RPM manifold
Fitech go efi 600 hp fuel injection
MSDS pro billet distributor
TCI 4 link rear with Currie 9inch 3.00 :1
later model c4
Howards Cam #221145-10 Dur 272in 278 ex (Dur @.050 219in 225 ex) lift .544 in .533ex lsa 110 deg
comments on Howards site for cam say 2000-6000 rpm Performance street best used with 2500+ stall better intake and exhaust.

I may have been a little hasty on Cam selection and perhaps rear gear ratio.
the one thing is that Its not to late to change things as I am just about to start on my motor and the diff carrier isn't in the rear end yet.nor have I got the stall for the c4 yet.
BTW I want a very driveable car that I can say do a 300 mile road trip in

so to my arm chair speed gurus out there what do you think about the combo specifically

cam .gear ratio and what convertor would I use for the C4
should I get a cam that requires a lower stall ?
I cant change up to a 5 speed cause of back issues and the stop and go driving at times

your comments are welcome both good and bad

[Rocket989]

The cam you chose isn’t too big for a 331 IMO...should be pretty mild mannered and run hard. Is the quoted RPM range for a 302? The extra cubes with move the powerband down a bit. 3.00-3.25 gears will be more friendly for longer trips.

For converter selection there are so many variables I’d call TCI or similar and give ‘em all your specs. Off the cuff with the info provided and a light car 2500 sounds about right.

[Lip Ripper]

I have a 2500 stall and it's all in at 55 mph running 3.25 gear and 245/60's. Very cruiser friendly. If you're looking for a hard launch you'll want more stall.

[fryedaddy]

i have a 3500 stall with 4.11 gears and it drives normal,you cant tell its there unless you brake torque it or when you are coasting down a hill you can hit the gas to 3000 and it sounds and feels like its in neutral,but other than that i drive it everywhere with no heating issues for several years now.it takes a pretty big stall and a high gear ratio before you get the slipping and heating issues imo something else i noticed is before i put in the stall my aggressive cam and low gear made my tires chirp at gear changes even if i didnt want them to.but after i added the stall it dont do that any more unless i run the rpms up high.the stall calmed it down at regular driving speeds.no more accidentally barking the tires in front of the cops anymore