help what cam to use in a 396

[xp537]

I have a 396 in a 68 camaro street car and I want to change the cam with a larger one it has 10-1 comp and a air gap intake ,holly 750 dp ,3500 stall, 400 tranny, 411 gears, oval port heads, 1.7 roller rockers I really want it to lope but I dont want to loose to much bottom end . it supposabley has a L88 cam in it now but im not sure I bought it like it is thats just what I was told also should I match port the heads will it make a big differance being that they are oval port heads according to what I was told it is makeing 475 h.p the way it is set up right now I just dont want to make a mistake and slow it down
thanks any help is greatly appreciated
LES

[cepx111]

I had the almost exact set up in my 73 nova years ago and it had a comp cams 292 magnum then later I put in 305 cc magnum, both are hydralic so set it once and forget it, very low maintenance which I liked in a street strip car.
They both had a really nice noticeable lopey idle and pulled like a bat out of hell from off idle to 6500+ rpm.
Lunati also makes a great compareable cam, called the bracket master cam which is also hydralic. here's a couple links to the above mententioned cams.
http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CC&Product_Code=11-214-4&Category_Code=
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=LUN%2D00026LK&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA%2DCL11%2D213%2D3&autoview=sku

Goodluck, Charles

[badrad]

I would get the Big Mutha Thumpr flat tappet cam. It has close to the same overlap for the sound and the narrow LSA will greatly help out the bottom end of a 396. The long exhaust duration will really help the head flow too.

[shortyems3307]

here is some information on comp cams mutha thumper cams. there is also an audio player to let you know how they sound.. matt http://www.thumprcams.com

[bjuice]

a 3/4 cam...LOL :shock: 8) :roll: :D

[cepx111]

a 3/4 cam...LOL :shock: 8) :roll: :D

I can remember when I was young say 10 or 11
My brother had this bad to the bone 68 camaro and when asked about the motor he would always say, 3/4 cam, blah, blah, blah.
I always wanted to get me a 3/4 cam in my whatever hot rod I was sure to have when I got older but was afraid to ask the guy at the speed shop for it......lol

[badrad]

I used to hear that all the time in Texas.

[olds48]

WHAT IS A 3/4 CAM? I've heard that my whole life and never understood it.3/4 of a what???!!

[badrad]

3/4 of a race cam.

[olds48]

:?: Sounds like aolt of variables :?

[v8Fiero]

thats why you only say it to non-racers :wink:

3/4 cam sounds better then exact details to people that dont know what the details mean.

[suicidebomb]

3/4 race cams are still popular here in MO.

[suicidebomb]

Forgot ;LOL

[cepx111]

I always thought it was refering to a cam with at least 325 degrees of duration, the 3 being the hundred and the 25 being the 1/4.
Hence the slang reference of 3/4 cam.
><Cp

[shortyems3307]

my father-in-law use to build and race flat head ford motors back in the 50's and he told me that there were only a few grinds for them. they didn't use the grind specs. to list the cams. they were like stock, mild,3/4 race and full race. he said thats how you ordered the cam...depending how wild you wanted it. i found an article about the guy who started it.http://www.harveycrane.com/secrets7.htm

[olds48]

Thanks Shorty.I still gotta say,that is just plum wierd :?

[shortyems3307]

most of the guys that i hear refering to cams like that are guys that have family or friends that have raced way back and thats what they grew up knowing. just like pop-up pistons and wrinkle wall slicks. i see the at the track on test and tune or around town on saturday nights crusin'. these guys may not have the best looking cars or the fastest but you know they are very proud of there cars. and they have tons of fun with them. i help them or answer and questions they may ask me, and they appreciate everything you say. i know what there talking about when they call these items what they do and i don't make fun of them or insult them in any way, to hurt there feeling or dampen there spirits. most of them are great guys that would give the shirt off there backs just to help or be a part of your racing world. we all have had to start some where. sorry for rambling on ...jmo.... matt

[olds48]

most of the guys that i hear refering to cams like that are guys that have family or friends that have raced way back and thats what they grew up knowing. just like pop-up pistons and wrinkle wall slicks. i see the at the track on test and tune or around town on saturday nights crusin'. these guys may not have the best looking cars or the fastest but you know they are very proud of there cars. and they have tons of fun with them. i help them or answer and questions they may ask me, and they appreciate everything you say. i know what there talking about when they call these items what they do and i don't make fun of them or insult them in any way, to hurt there feeling or dampen there spirits. most of them are great guys that would give the shirt off there backs just to help or be a part of your racing world. we all have had to start some where. sorry for rambling on ...jmo.... matt

You are 100 percent right on everything you said.I wasn't trying to make fun of the term,just never knew what it meant.I mean,I kinda figured what it meant,but never talked to anyone who did.And like you said,I wasn't gonna ask and risk hurting somebody's feelings.The coolest guys at the track are usually the slowest.The big guys get big heads,sometimes.Hope noone took me as poking fun,cause I agree with you all the way.

[shortyems3307]

no i didn't mean you were making fun. everybody on rj seems like good people, i like everybody.

[edvancedengines]

Full Race was for racing only. The thing is that each cam grinder had his own version of a Full Race Cam. #/4 was of course 3/4 the intensity of the Full Rcae. and one not mentioned now days at all was the 1/4 cam. That was wilder than stock and was great for mild street cars, while the 3/4 Race was used in the baddest street cars.

I am suggeting the original poster with the 396 get him a good hydraulic cam that is best for his engine and his car instead of looking for the radical lope. If a rad lope is what you are after, the 305 H is very rad. With that engine if you do install a 305 H it will lope bad but anyone with a bone stock 396 will blow your doors off.

You have what could potentially be a good driving combination and even possibly use 87 or at least 89 octane gasolene with what yoou have mentioned. Don't blow that with a radical cam. Remember that the same mild cam in a 454 will be wilder in a 396. Also know that you already have low compression and the more radical and more overlap the cam has, the effects of a lower compression engine at lower rpms will be that of even lower compression.

Frankly a bad radical idling cam in a low compression engine sounds to anyone who knows engines like a turd. It will be. A bad idling cam in a higher compression engine is what is the turn on. You can still get a little rump and keep your power if you don't go crazy.

Ed

[olds48]

no i didn't mean you were making fun. everybody on rj seems like good people, i like everybody.

All is well :D

[Ace440]

Think about it, 3/4 race cam in my mind would mean you have a .750 lift cam! LOL okey dokey! :lol:

Back to the cam selection, i don't think you have a L88 cam in there now or you wouldn't be looking for a new one. Still at 10.01 comp it would still sound pretty aggressive.
I would suggest something like a 520/540 lift with a 240/244 @.050 on a 112. Just my one cent.

Good luck.

[xp537]

I guess I will be leaving it alone the car runs great now and is pretty fast for a street car the dyno sheet that I got with the car says 450 hp but not sure if that was just a selling point or not . but like I said I was trying to get a little more lope I will just change the exhaust to a 2 1/2" or 3 "and dump it to the groung and live with it
thanks again guys
LES