A few weeks back I started a thread regarding my RB based stroker build asking for "your 2 cents". I am finalizing my purchase list and would like some input on cam choice. I spent some time on the phone with the guys at Hughes Engines and they seemed pretty excited about this specific grind noted below.

I attached a link to the original thread for anyone who wants to get caught up.

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbt...tml#Post2522684

The build as it sits on paper:

RB based 440 Source 505/512
4.25 stroke
4.350 bore
-17cc dished pistons
440 source main caps
ARP studs

Trick Flow 240 Heads
Trick Flow Single plane intake
Harland Sharp 1.5 Rockers
Hughes Solid Roller Cam:
260/264 .675/.675 lift @110* Installed ADV 4*

The Magic Bench Dyno says 666HP at 5700rpm and 650ftlbs at 4200rpm

Does this seem legit? Thoughts opinions?

Thanks

Looks good! Go with it!

maybe some USA made bcr main caps?

I have no issue with looking at other brand main caps... Like mentioned on the BRC website, my concern was with the possibility of failure of the aluminum pieces vs steel. I guess I need a little more reassurance.

Pete

Should peak a little higher than 5700 with that cam and intake, if using 2” headers.

Your original post was for a street car with AC and creature comforts. That 260/264 cam is more of a bracket race cam. It will make 700 hp on the dyno but I'm not so sure you'll want to drive it on the freeway in overdrive with the AC blowing. It will probably suck enough fuel to make a sheik wince since the extra overlap will be blowing the intake out the exhaust port at cruising speed.

If you want decent fuel economy while cruising down the freeway in overdrive then you'll need to go with a much smaller cam. If you're going to be bracket racing and don't car about using overdrive then the 260/264 will be fine.

Well..... yeh....... but, but, but.........


“Well into the 650-700hp range”........along with A/C with overdrive....... and old school NA stock block RB based stroker....... doesn’t add up too well IMO.

But...... it’s not my car.

Targeting a hp goal for a street cruiser is a bit ambiguous, unless there’s an ET you’re chasing. But then how well the car is set up becomes part of the discussion, especially if the ET goals are kinda lofty.
If it’s a situation where the car might make a few trips down the 1/4 mile each year....... then I’d concentrate on how it will drive the other 99% of the time.

Depending on where it was being tested, that combo would get you well into the 650-700hp range(or more)........ or get you close.

I have 1-70 air in my 9 second streeter...........One window down at 70 mph while freeway cruising w/276-281 @ .050...........

Come by the house and ride in my car.

For me, in my car, that cam is a little large..

Quite a drive from Cally...........

Dewayne and I have had several conversations about the Trick Flow heads and how good the low lift flow is. That great low lift flow is a blessing and a curse. The curse shows up when you put a healthy amount of cam duration into the engine. The heads flow so well at low lift that the intake charge just starts going out the exhaust.

So given that, I'd really be concerned about a 260 duration cam in an engine that is supposed to go down the freeway at 1800 rpm. (Or whatever your cruise rpm is. You can figure it out once you know your OD ratio.)

A 260 duration cam probably will not be very efficient at 1800 rpm with the Trick Flow heads. It is your car and you'll need to decide but as Dwayne pointed out, do you really want 650 hp for the track, or do you want it to run nice and smooth on the freeway at 70 mph?

Just a general observation. Large cams run really, really well in BB Mopars. IMO It's hard to over cam them. I have a .660 roller in a low compression 400 street car with 3.23 gears and an 8" converter. It uses a LOT of gas. It will drive normally and get psychotic at the dip of the loud peddle in any gear. Super fun!

I agree with others here that, depending on your experience with hotter cams on the street, 260*+ might be a bit of a burden in traffic. Now some guys run that duration and bigger, but not everyone would like what that cam will do to the idle, off idle transitions and maybe even cruise. Certainly a matter of personal taste and comfort.

Personally, in my 440 based 500", 250* was about my limit of comfort. I have ran 10 or 12 different cams from 245* to 260*.

And don't forget that the EFI will not like the lope at lower engine speeds. You will need to lock it out and manually set it until the engine smooths out and the O2 can give reliable readings.

And one last thing, with that much power available, it will take some time figuring out the suspension so that you can transfer much of it to the ground. And on the street, it will take a lot of work and experimentation to get 600HP or so to the ground. It can, of course, be done. But it won't be easy. Heck, 600+HP can be a challenge to hook consistently at the track for a street car.

It would be my suggestion that you pull back some on the cam. If you end up putting too small a cam in, you can always stab in a bigger one at some point. But the car will be more flexible and enjoyable with a cam too small than it would be with a cam too large.

In this kind of combo, a guy's first time rarely gets everything right right off. You just hope to get as close as possible without making any big mistakes and dial it in from there.

OP is only a couple of hours from me in OKC.

You had responded to Thumperdart so all good.........

My old pump gas 511 C.I. pump gas 400 stroker motor had a Comp Cams solid roller cam in it that had 260 degrees at .050 on the intake with .420 lobe lift and 266 degrees at .050 on the exhaust with .409 lobe lift ground on a 108 LSA angle installed at 106 to 107 on the intake lobe. I used a set of Harland Sharp 1.65 ratio rockers on it also
That cam was very noisy and rumpity out the exhaust at 1400 to 1800 RPM, so much so that I had some young hot rodders lean out there window going down the road at 30 MPH in town one afternoon and ask me how much it cost to get my cars exhaust to sound that mean
I built that car and motor for street racing, not cruising in 2nd gear at light part throttle cruise that slow
Be careful on the cam duration at .050 and the lobe separation angle if you want it to idle nice and not be running in the rumpity and loping a lot RPM range at lower cruising speeds

My hydr roller is smooth @ 1800 rpm in OD & converter locked up,512ci,255,258 @ .050 cam, I am on the VERY edge for my set up, has taken a lot of tuning to get it happy in all driving conditions.

That is about 10 degrees larger than what I'd recommend for someone who wants to cruise on the freeway in OD but it sounds like you got it working.

I have a 246 cam in my 512 and it is okay on the freeway in 5th if I'm running 70 mph or higher. If I hit slow traffic and have to drop down to 50 or 55mph then I need to downshift to 4th gear.

So freeway cruising in light traffic is one thing, navigating a crowded freeway might be another variable. In Portland the freeways can clog up most any time of day so you always have to be ready to slog your way home. A cam that is too big just makes a bad drive worse...

When I get in a slow down traffic situation, I just flip my lock up switch off & stay in OD, no big deal on my set up.

I'll chime in and agree that the cam Hughes suggested might be a bit on the hairy side for a street car. The racer in me who thinks it would be awesome to have 650 plus hp on tap would equate into a mid-10 second car. Is that a goal, maybe... I really like for it to be able to break out of 11.00, maybe it's unrealistic. Reality is, the car might see the track 2 or 3 times a year and will spend most of its time driving the Oklahoma freeway system at 75 mph and suburban areas to get to and from car shows and cruises.

In the past I've driven a 440 A-body with a 245* cam and a bunch of lift and thought it drove just fine with the exception of it not having any overdrive as that car was a 4:10 geared car with 27 inch tires.

I expect the cruise RPM to fall between 2200 and 2500 rpm which for me is tolerable. Hell, my 2008 6.1 hemi powered Jeep JKU has 5.38 gears and cruises at 2700 rpm.

GY3, I will definitely come for a visit to check out your car and go for a ride... I'd just love to meet a fellow mopar guy. Pretty far and few in the OKC area.

I'm not dead set on this cam choice but I can say it had me smiling ear to ear just thinking about how it might sound sitting at a stop light. IN the end, I do want a reliable car that is somewhat edgy but manageable to drive. I'd like for my wife to be able to hop in the car, turn the key and drive to the store if she so chose to do.