Post deleted by 67coronetman

IMO the .509 is a POS....

Sweet looking car! I'm curious to see what others reccomend.

Quote:

---

Sweet looking car!

---

Can't be any help on the cam selection though. Good luck with it.

I like that cam, alot of other members have them as well.
This cam isnt new tech, nor is it known for decent fuel economy, but it does make power. It was designed decades ago, and there are much more modern cams to choose from. I have this cam in my 493 440 stroker, and in my motor it is almost too mild. I wiped 2 Comp cams bumpsticks due to cam and lifter failure, so I went back to Ma Mopar this time.
Roller cams would certainly alleviate failures, and I am committed to making the switch the next time I need to dig into the motor despite the cost.
For power in a 10 to 1 iron head 440, the 509 cam is a safe choice, with a little homework and advice from people that you trust, you can do better with something more modern.

Thanks for all the replies so far i really want to hear from all who had or is using this combo.!!

I am too everyone has a different view but i still like hearing them all.!!!!!!!!!!

There are tons of cams that would work as good if not better than the old 509. Many of the will have much better manners than the old school cam.

I've removed several .509s and replaced with something a little less peaky. The heads are good, but the gearing means you're not even in the power band of the engine cruising around town. So I'd go with something more modern. Something like the Lunati 60304 or the Comp Cams XE274H. If you want to stay with the 292/.509 theme the Comp Magnum 292H is a much more streetable unit that pulls like a freight train too.

I love the 509 cam way ahead of it's time. Proper install is key and with your combo I would install it at at minimum 104 (4 advanced or two from theoretical straight up by marks) all the way up to 101 but 102 to 103 will make you real happy.

Mild cams will always run good so some with no tuning talent have to turn to them giving up HP but masking their inexperience!

I ran one in my 69 runner, 3500 stall, 3.55 gears and loved it. I'm sure there were better cams for it, but it was cheap and it sounded mean and ran great.

I have ran that cam in a lot of cars. I had it in my Dart way back in 1984 and was running 11:30'S. It was a 69 440 with Heavy TRW pistons and stock heads with there springs, Original Torker Intake and an 800 Holley. Some guys back then were running High 10's with the same combo. We all ran the old Turbo Action J converters with 410 to 456 Gears. I have ran it in many small blocks also. I agree there are a lot better cams out there now but that Purple Shaft cam is foolproof even if you put it in straight up!

Joe Sr

What's the problem w/ the solid cam in the car now?

Why would you hate solid lifter cams? The only do everything better than hydraulics except for a little noise.

I like the .509 cam alot. It has a nice lumpy idle which I love since I have been a gearhead from the 1960's up til present time. But as long as you run it in the right combo it makes real good power for a hyd cam. Give it atleast 3.91 gears or higher in # and use a 3500 to 4500 converter. I would install it at a 104 centerline. And have the normal bolt on's of good intake carb and headers. In a car like yours it will run easy mid to low 11's and with the right tune 10's could be had. I run a mild 440 in my 63 and I use the MP .557 solid cam which is almost a solid version of the .509... You can compare adv duration......296 for .557 and 292 for the .509. If you take account of the valve adjustment the .557 may be around .525 to .530 lift. Anyway I have my .557 cam installed on a 103 centerline and I love it. Yea it has a nice rump rump to it which I love. I use a stock shortblock with KB quench pistons that work good with my factory 906 heads. It comes out to 10.0 comp and I did some port work myself on the 906's. Then I have a Holley SD intake and 850 DP with 1-3/4 hedman headers and 3" pipes. And I always race thru the pipes as I have never uncapped it. I use a Dynamic 9.5 converter with a 4200 flash. Car weighs 3700 with me in it and I use 4.30's but I run 30" tires also. I have run a best of 11.49 and your car has more potential then mine as you have way better heads. I am just making a comparison as I think my car would run just as fast or within a tenth with the .509. Yea its a 30 or 40 year old cam but it works in the right combo and makes music to a gearheads ears. I would run it in a heartbeat but I like some gear and converter in my cars. I actually wish I had used the .509 as then I would not have to adjust my valves once a year as thats all my .557 needs for valve adjustment and most are very close to specs when I check them.

And by the way thats a sweet car with a nice wheel selection of TT up front and steelies in the back and as you can on my car I run the same selection. Good luck with that fine looking Mopar. Ron

Thanks Its nice to hear what other have to say.! And i love the pics of all the cool cars.!

We had a similar combo in the car pictured below; 440, 10-1 forged pistons, ported steel heads, Performer RPM with an 850 DP, 509 cam, 3500 stall, 3.91 gears and 3" exhaust. Car weighed 3350 w/o driver and ran 12.0's all day and 11.70's in good air. I agree that there are better cams, but we went old-school. Member on this board owns it now.

You're talking about taking a 580 HP combination and turning it a 525-540 HP combination? Well ok, if that's the intent, it will work great.

I really like .509 cams when used as intended in low buck, iron head combos with the appropriate supporting parts, and when tuned by someone who understands the kind of tuning bigger cams require. It makes sense when used that way and runs well.

In my opinion where it begins to not make sense is in an aluminum head combo. When someone has invested a bunch of money into SR heads that peak at .600 -.650 lift....
...which is well within the realm of surviving in a street motor, though a fairly wild engine still streetable...it seems a shame to put only .500 lift into it.

If you absolutely must have a hydraulic, at least put a hydraulic in there that has a fair amount of lift to it like .550 -.600 or so. At least then you'll get all the airflow the heads can give you.

My own combination is 451 low deck, E heads with no porting, .631 theoretical lift, .610 actual lift with the lash, when hot. I drive it everywhere because I don't have a trailer and it works fine. My thought is, if you don't put enough lift in it to work the heads, you're kind of shorting yourself, and that's why I went over .600.

But if 525HP or so would make you just as happy as 580, then go for it. I like the car and wheel/tire combination you've got there, looks like a fun ride.

Matching components is the key. Got a 25 year old intake, pistons and heads to go with it ? - should work perfect then.